Leaders who are interested in harnessing skills profile to gain an in-depth understanding of their workforce’s capabilities can take the following steps to ensure they’re setting their company up for success:
#1. Shift to an internal-first mindset
While external hiring has traditionally been the default method for bridging skill gaps, leaders are increasingly embracing an internal-first approach. Rather than going through a candidate search process that it’s expensive and time-consuming, companies that use skills profiles can first see who possesses the capabilities they’re looking for internally. Since skills profiles present the full breadth of employees’ capabilities, leaders can also identify internal candidates with adjacent knowledge who can be upskilled to fill the role or opportunity they’re looking for.
#2. Empower employees to keep adding to their skill sets
Once employees see how their current skills stack up to the capabilities their employer is looking for, leaders and managers should empower them to begin bridging these gaps. Giving employees transparency into the capabilities they currently have often inspires them to hone new ones—especially if leaders create ample pathways for them to build new skills.
In addition to content-based curriculums, organizations should offer hands-on experiences that allow people to put the lessons they’re learning into practice. By harnessing a talent marketplace, companies can ensure their people are seeing recommendations for opportunities to build the skills they’re looking to develop.
#3. Encourage managers to expand their horizons
One of the main benefits that skills profiles offer is that they allow managers to compare employees side-by-side to determine who is the best fit for a given opportunity, based solely on their skills. Once they have this visibility, they will be encouraged to take a chance by collaborating with employees outside of their function or department—in turn driving better collaboration across the organization.