A new report calls on leaders to put a stronger focus on the capabilities-not credentials-of their job candidates. This comes as AI is transforming work, critical industries continue facing talent shortages, and many workforce skills are quickly growing obsolete.
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The Conference Board produced the study in collaboration with OneTen, a nonprofit organization working to unlock career opportunities for talent without four-year degrees. It underscores that a “skills-first” approach-one which prioritizes assessing candidates' skills and abilities first over traditional hiring criteria-expands talent pipelines and opportunity. But it must be treated as a full-scale enterprise transformation rather than just an HR project.
“Roughly 62% of Americans lack a four-year degree. By focusing on skills rather than credentials, organizations can gain a competitive edge, all while opening the door to a far broader range of capable talent,” said Allan Schweyer, Principal Researcher, Human Capital, The Conference Board.
The findings come from a recent roundtable, led by executives from The Conference Board and OneTen for HR leaders, focused on embedding skills-first practices across the enterprise. Key findings include:
Skills-first must be treated as an enterprise transformation.
— Secure visible CEO sponsorship and cross-functional alignment on goals and measures.
— Anchor the approach in leadership, culture, and governance-not as an HR program.
— Position skills-first as part of overall business and talent strategy, not a parallel initiative.
“A skills-first approach can't live in a single department-it has to be championed from the top,” said Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen. “When CEOs and C-suite leaders embed skills-first thinking into the fabric of how the business operates, it becomes sustainable, scalable, and transformative.”
Start small to go fast.
— Pilot one to three roles where hiring is slow or quality is low, mapping those roles to specific, measurable skills and outcomes and rewriting job descriptions with skills up front.
— Demonstrate early wins-such as faster hiring and improved onboarding-to build momentum.
Equip the system with technology and clear taxonomies.
— Use AI-powered tools and human review for skill inference, validation, and assessment.
— Keep taxonomies practical and regularly refreshed; avoid complexity that hinders use.
— Hold vendors accountable for accuracy, bias mitigation, and results.
Build momentum through managers and measurement.
— Train managers to conduct skills-based interviews and coach to defined capabilities.
— Measure business outcomes such as time to hire, quality of hire, early productivity, retention at 6-12 months, engagement, and internal mobility.
— Highlight quick wins and recognize managers who drive results.
Establish disciplined governance and continuous improvement.
— Treat the process as multi-year and iterative, extending from hiring to workforce planning and compensation.
— Form a cross-functional steering group with HR, finance, and business representation.
— Establish data privacy, fairness, and audit practices from day one.
— Review and refine measures at 90- and 180-day checkpoints to sustain progress.
About The Conference BoardThe Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.TCB.org
About OneTenOneTen is a nonprofit coalition committed to unlocking opportunity for talent without four-year degrees. OneTen partners with leading CEOs and their companies to transform hiring and advancement practices through skills-first strategies, connecting talent to in-demand jobs at America's top employers. Learn more at oneten.org.
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