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Talent Acquisition

Getting Started With Skills-Based Hiring

EventsTalentTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work Exchange has frequently discussed the advent of the skills-based organization, and rightfully so: Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research finds that 73% of businesses currently face a critical challenge in the months ahead: a lack of candidates with the required skillsets for open positions. This is yet another representation of why the skills-based organization (SBO) is a true opportunity to, essentially, reimagine the ways they think about talent acquisition and the role of talent in getting work done.

The foundational elements of the skills-based organization revolve around the concepts of rethinking the parallels between talent and work; thus, the very future of the skills-based organization depends on forward-thinking strategies, ideas, and, of course, technology. And it all begins with skills-based hiring.

I’m excited to join my friend and fellow Future of Work expert Mark Brodsky on an exclusive Q&A panel discussion on Wednesday, March 15 at 11am ET. The staffing and recruitment expert panel, hosted by innovative skills intelligence platform Glider AI, will address:

  • Migrating from a job-based to a skills-based hiring strategy.
  • How to identify the required skills.
  • How to assess candidate skills.
  • Evaluating skills-based hiring tools and AI.
  • Uncovering hidden skills from current employees.
  • Securing executive and finance stakeholder alignment.

Next week’s event will also feature some brand new Future of Work Exchange research and statistics that will illuminate the criticality of the skills-based organization and its role in the evolving world of talent and work. Join us!

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Digital Credentials Provide Talent Visibility, Skill Recognition

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

As people’s careers progress, they establish a professional profile comprised of a resume, portfolio, performance reviews, letters of recommendation, degrees, certifications, memberships, and other career achievements. Often, these paper-based items are dispersed and sometimes forgotten over time. However, they are all critical pieces of employees’ professional identities that make them unique in the workforce. Even more important, they represent their skills and competencies to potential or current employers.

What is the answer? Enter the world of digital credentials.

A Digitized, Verifiable Professional Profile

At the foundational level, candidates convert their professional profiles into digitized and verifiable credentials that enterprises access quickly and securely when recruiting or promoting staff. In today’s aggressive labor market, having digital credentials is a competitive differentiator in the workforce. It separates a candidate’s application from random submissions, thus streamlining the selection process and generating cost savings for the hiring enterprise through greater efficiencies.

With enterprises utilizing direct sourcing, talent marketplaces, and other online recruiting platforms and tools, digital credentialing provides a centralized, verifiable means to elevate an organization’s talent acquisition strategy. While a digitized and verifiable professional profile is a game-changer for those candidates adopting the technology, it represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential for digital credentials in both the workforce and the workplace.

Digital Credentialing for Granular Achievements

The future for digital credentials lies in digital badges and certificates — which support many Future of Work objectives. The graphic element of a badge or certificate combined with metadata describing the knowledge and activities required to earn it is innovative for verifying competencies.

Whether it’s an enterprise, university, or professional association, developing its own digital credentials to support advancement and motivation can pay dividends. Credly, a leading provider in the digital credential space, says, “Digital credentials save your organization money on marketing, human resources, and recruiting costs, which has an impact on the financial bottom line.”

Credly highlights the benefits of digital badges and certificates in several settings. Let’s explore some of those implementations and the value they provide employees and job candidates.

Universities Focused on Marketable Skills and Achievements

More colleges and universities are thinking beyond the traditional transcript for their graduates. The goal for many is to help students bridge the gap between academics and employment. Classes and grades lack evidence of actual capabilities. However, providing workshops, internships, and other opportunities to showcase knowledge and real-world execution and earning a digital certificate of achievement, makes students more marketable to potential employers.

Professional Associations Provide Visible and Shareable Digital Credentials

Many associations attract members through credentials, certifications, or educational offerings. Those achievements are often awarded through paper-based certificates that members proudly frame and display in their offices or cubicles. However, times are changing. While a tangible certificate is still an option, it should be complemented by a digital credential that is sharable online. Credly says this serves two purposes: 1) members can share the credential on social media, job boards, resumes, and email signatures and 2) it provides the association with visibility and marketing opportunities by having its digital credential appear on LinkedIn and other platforms.

Enterprises Implement Digital Badges and Certificates to Engage and Retain Employees

As organizations hire permanent employees and contingent workers, having transparency in their complete skillsets is critical to react appropriately to evolving markets and workforce fluctuations. Equally important is employee engagement to attract and retain workers, especially those seeking advancement opportunities. Digital credentialing is playing a major role in those initiatives.

Enterprises are offering their own digital badges and certificates through learning tracks and skill-based activities. Earning a badge or certificate verifies competencies with evidence that the organization can use for talent visibility and career progression initiatives while giving workers shareable online recognition of their achievements.

IBM Goes Global with Digital Badge Program 

Few enterprises are doing digital badges as successfully as IBM. The company’s IBM Global Skills Initiative was launched to ensure the global IT workforce was current and competitive in its skills. A decentralized IT structure presented challenges in identifying skilled experts. However, by offering four types of digital badges across learning tracks from foundational to expert level, the company has been able to verify skills and competencies.

Credly shares some of the outcomes from the IBM Global Skills Initiative:

  • Powerful data analytics and reporting features that enable IBM to produce global heat maps of talent.
  • Linkage with talent acquisition and HR systems to enhance visibility and understanding of employee career planning and progression.
  • Ability to track skills at the nano level and make them discoverable to HR and hiring managers in real time.
  • Being able to differentiate employees by skills, while seeing a complete view of the individual’s broader competencies and abilities.

The program grew immensely popular among workers, leading to 195 countries represented in the skills registry; 92% of badge earners saying the badge verifies job skills; and 87% of badge earners feeling more engaged with the company and motivated to learn more. In 2018 alone, there were 1,600 different badged activities. This has paid off in IBM’s marketing efforts as well — 200 million social media impressions (or an equivalent of $39,000 per month in marketing value.

According to Credly, “Digital credentials allow a company to create a culture of recognition, rather than just awarding participation trophies for showing up. Digital credentials allow managers to see the achievements of their most dedicated and engaged employees. With access to real insights, companies can make more-informed human capital decisions.”

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The Continued Rise of the Extended Workforce

Contingent WorkforceTalentTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

During The Great Recession of 2008-2009*, businesses faced a harsh reality: do more with less…or else face a reckoning. Tens of thousands of enterprises were forced to lay off swaths of their staff in the wake of rough financial times, with so many others undertaking additional cost-cutting measures beyond slashing their total headcount.

Many incredibly talented professionals found themselves out of a job, and many once-thriving organizations found themselves without the same level of expertise they once maintained. However, unlike recessions of past, an interesting event occurred: a bounce-happened quick enough that those very businesses required talent to meet a rising demand for their products and services. And, those professionals who were cut from their positions became open to flexible work and new working arrangements.

Enter the “perfect storm” that signaled a revolution.

In the months preceding The Great Recession, the average penetration rate of contingent labor hovered around 10%-to-12%. In the wake of those awful economic times, that penetration rate soared to nearly 17%. This meant that 17% of the average company’s total workforce was comprised of temporary workers, independent contractors, freelancers, and professional services-based labor.

In 2010, that number hit 20%. In 2011, it was nearly 23%. And so on, as demonstrated below:

The meteoric rise of the contingent workforce, what we now refer to as the “extended workforce” to encompass the agility, flexibility, and extended talent sources inherent in non-employee talent, has reached an apex of sorts. Today, in 2023, Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research finds that 49% of the average company’s total workforce is comprised of external, extended talent.

Years ago, many of us (this author included) believed that there would be a day when half of the total workforce would be considered contingent or extended. And now, in February 2023, that day is here. The extended workforce has traversed beyond its origins as a mere augmentative staffing attribute and has become a powerful entity that has transformed the way businesses think about how they get work done. Back in 2008 and 2009, businesses flipped the notions of the contingent workforce on its head; what emerged from that period of time was the continued rise of this malleable workforce that has driven so much value to organizations across the world.

Today, the extended workforce is a foundational element of the business arena. And the reasons are plentiful, including:

  • The rules of hiring have changed. Years ago, staffing suppliers represented the vast bulk of contingent hiring. Today, that is no longer the case. In the age of omni-channel talent acquisition, enterprises are enabled with a variety of candidate sources that can be converged to drive real-time skills alignment, on-demand hiring, and enhanced visibility into deeper attributes of candidates. While traditional staffing suppliers are still a critical piece of the contingent workforce, the “omni-channel experience” represents a new era in which enterprises can expand their talent searches through the advent of innovation, direct sourcing automation, new candidate channels, and next-generation and AI-fueled technology.
  • “Optimization” translates into agile talent strategies. Business agility is not a new concept, and certainly wasn’t considered so when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted, well, pretty much everything. In the wake of “doing more with less” yet again, as well as the fallout from having to continually realign hiring strategies with the actual, real-time demands for products and services, businesses found that workforce optimization provided a linear and effective pathway towards true enterprise agility. This entailed optimizing the mix of internal and external talent in such a way that the greater organization benefits from the best-aligned skillsets and expertise being leveraged to get work done efficiently and productively by maximizing the total talent pool.
  • The skills-based organization requires a robust connection to the extended workforce. We’ve talked about the skills-based organization here at the Exchange for quite some time (even earlier this month). The foundational elements of the skills-based organization revolve around the concepts of rethinking the parallels between talent and work, which, essentially represents a skills-oriented focus in which expertise is the nexus of hiring rather than costs, budgets, etc. The extended workforce plays a vital role in SBO-driven concepts, particularly when thinking about the depth of skills, expertise, and relevant experience across all open channels of talent, be it talent marketplaces, talent pools, talent communities, freelancer networks, traditional employees, etc.
  • Hybrid workplaces have influenced hiring strategies. When the pandemic hit, businesses across the world were forced to shift into fully-remote or hybrid-led workplace models. Along with the natural acceleration of remote work as a pandemic by-product came a shift in how enterprises structured hiring strategies. Looking beyond the backyard allowed organizations to think more expansively, finding workers and candidates from across the world with the skillsets they desired. The extended workforce and remote work often go hand-in-hand, and this new thinking towards hiring is a major reason why it continues to grow and continues have such an incredible impact.

The ultimate growth and value of the extended workforce shows no signs of slowing as its nears a 15-year pace of increasing utilization. In today’s Future of Work-driven business climate, the extended workforce is a powerful mainstay that contributes to and facilitates real enterprise agility.

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HR and Procurement Align for the Future of Work

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceGeneral InsightsHRProcurementTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

It makes sense to assume that the ownership of Future of Work execution rests in the hands of HR executives. With much of the focus on total talent management and talent acquisition strategies, HR spearheads much of the decision-making in those areas. However, another business function also plays a critical role in the Future of Work paradigm — procurement. Shifts in global supply chain dynamics and the transition from cost- to value-based supplier management, means Chief Procurement Officers and their teams are well-positioned to support Future of Work initiatives.

Traditionally, procurement focused on cost savings in the supply base and was measured against those numbers annually. However, over time, CPOs realized the criticality of supplier relationships and the resulting innovations that enabled greater marketplace competitiveness. Rather than squeezing pennies from suppliers, the relationships evolved into collaborative, value-added partnerships.

With a value-based approach, procurement is positioned to lead and support various aspects of Future of Work strategies. Let’s look at what both procurement and HR core enterprise contributions entail, followed by how the two functions intersect to complement Future of Work initiatives.

Procurement Brings Cross-Functional Knowledge and Expertise

In terms of its enterprise reach, procurement is a cross-functional partner to many departments, managing critical supplier contracts and relationships. New product development activities, digital transformation initiatives, and strategic sourcing measures all involve procurement’s insight and expertise. What makes procurement such a valued partner is its enterprise knowledge and involvement. Whether it’s sourcing services and raw materials or overseeing essential negotiation, contracting, and payment processes, CPOs and their teams respond to the pulse of the organization.

Procurement also provides vital market intelligence around emerging trends and supply base resources. Enterprises are now always thinking about the next innovation and associated resources. Where do those concepts come from? Which suppliers are required to execute such initiatives? Who will manage these relationships to ensure the greatest value within the budget? What supply chain considerations must be addressed? All these questions involve procurement’s input and, in many cases, direct involvement and oversight.

HR Maintains Workplace Consistency and Execution

Human capital is the competitive differentiator for today’s enterprises.  And the Future of Work movement represents one of, if not the most, transformative periods in HR’s history. HR executives must balance in-house, remote, and hybrid work models alongside the essential integration of the extended workforce and the technologies to streamline those processes. Visibility into total talent management is imperative to ensure the needed skillsets, not just a headcount, are accounted for and available. This is crucial to executing next-level innovative planning.

When it comes to talent acquisition and management, HR owns this responsibility within the organization. Establishing talent pipelines using direct sourcing, talent marketplaces, digital staffing, and talent communities contributes to best-in-class recruiting. Like procurement, relationship building with in-house and contingent workers plays a major role in talent intelligence.

It is also HR’s role to establish consistency regarding onboarding processes and policy guidance. Talent retention strategies begin during the candidate experience phase and continue throughout an employee’s tenure with the enterprise. Consistency in how HR policies are communicated and enforced is also important to retention goals and healthy employee well-being.

Intersection of Procurement and Human Resources

With the essence of procurement and human resources laid out, where do these two functions intersect to leverage their strengths with Future of Work initiatives? Several areas can benefit from procurement’s involvement, allowing HR to tightly focus on its core capabilities.

Sourcing expertise allows relationship building. Human resources rely on a vast supplier network for total talent management requirements. Procurement can lead the search and selection of a managed service provider (MSP), for example. Expertise with supplier selection and relationship management pays dividends when procurement leads this effort — cost awareness, contract management, payment efficiencies, and relationship building with the MSP and other vendors.

HR can then focus on talent strategy and building relationships with candidates, full-time employees, and contingent workers who are users of the technologies. Any functional issues are reported to procurement to address with the supplier. Procurement should also collaborate with IT to ensure recruitment and talent management applications and platforms (e.g., ATS and VMS) integrate well with the larger enterprise network.

  • A centralized, single-view supply base adds efficiencies. Centralizing the supply base by integrating HR’s suppliers provides procurement transparency into those vendors, leading to cost efficiencies in scale and scope, as well as providing consistency in supplier management. This strategy is particularly important for global enterprises where regional locations may contract for the same technologies with the same or different vendors.
  • Expand talent intelligence in the enterprise. For procurement to best serve HR in technology selection and supplier negotiations, CPOs and their teams must have workforce intelligence as part of those processes. Thus, collaborate with HR to understand the talent needs of the enterprise. Where are there gaps in specific departments? Are there major initiatives with vacancies in key roles? Does the organization need additional support for promotional or seasonal purposes. Procurement complements HR in this effort because of its cross-functional relationships and deep understanding of operations and ongoing product development. Leverage those relationships to glean insight into talent issues and where the organization could use support. Talent committees with representation from various business units can also transform talent intelligence into an enterprise-wide strategy.
  • Share risk mitigation responsibilities (and harness the collective power of artificial intelligence). A close collaboration between HR and procurement means sharing information to mitigate risk. Much of HR is technology driven — for example, utilizing digital platforms for total talent management/intelligence as well as Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics) to anticipate potential workforce challenges. HR is becoming more proactive in assessing and planning against those risk scenarios. Procurement is also well-versed in the use and potential of AI and predictive analytics. Sharing how each department utilizes technology applications and platforms for risk mitigation is essential. Where do opportunities exist to further leverage AI to achieve talent management objectives? How far can predictive analytics provide mitigation against critical talent shortages or succession dilemmas? Imagine using a digital twin to simulate the workforce needs in the next decade. With both HR and procurement accountable for risk mitigation, it becomes an enterprise imperative that spreads across the organization.

Ultimately, HR and procurement need to deliver on enterprise objectives. HR must secure the talent to deliver competitive workforce outcomes, while procurement produces supplier results based on value-added solutions. Both HR and procurement have complementary goals and objectives that span the enterprise and supply base. It’s only natural that these two business units collaborate. Alignment is inevitable. Success is essential.

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The Unique Impact of Direct Sourcing in Today’s World of Work

Direct SourcingTalentTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Over the past three years, direct sourcing has dominated discussions across the world of talent and work, and rightfully so: it was a top priority for enterprises leading into the pandemic. During the first year or so of the crisis, businesses realized the workforce scalability and candidate experience enhancement inherent in direct sourcing programs.

Diversifying and expanding talent sources has become a critical element of this evolving world of work. Not only do businesses require the ability to directly source talent by transforming their operations into internal recruiting agencies, but they can also leverage their workplace culture, employer brand, and other organizational attributes to attract the best-fit talent and expertise.

This, of course, plays directly into the concept of “omni-channel talent acquisition,” in which hiring managers and recruiters (and, to a larger extended, the enterprise HR and talent acquisition functions) leverage real-time, on-demand talent culled from a variety of both digital and traditional sources, particularly digital staffing outlets, talent pools and talent communities, talent marketplaces, social media, and expert networks.

[To learn more about omni-channel talent acquisition and its impact on hiring, be sure to register for next week’s exclusive webcast.]

All of these outlets have one major element in common: they were borne out of the overarching need for workforce flexibility and workforce scalability. While each source, be it talent marketplaces or expert networks, are incredible channels of top-tier skillsets and expertise, there is something much different that sets apart direct sourcing from the rest…mainly, its ability to transform hiring and help enterprises develop repeatable, automated, and most critically, scalable, hiring processes.

This level of workforce scalability is the foundation of what the Future of Work Exchange refers to as “talent sustainability”:

“The concept of talent sustainability revolves around the idea that businesses can, through their workforce solutions (such as extended workforce technology, VMS, etc.), direct sourcing channels, and both private and public talent communities, build self-sustaining outlets of talent that: 1) map to evolving skills requirements across the enterprise given product development and the progression of the greater organization, 2) reflect existing expertise and skillsets across the enterprise that can be leveraged for real-time utilization, and, 3) allow hiring managers and other talent-led executives to leverage nurture and candidate experience strategies to ensure that all networked workers are amiable and open to reengagement for new and/or continued projects and initiatives.”

Talent sustainability is always a crucial attribute of the modern business, but it means so much more today, with a more-volatile-than-ever labor market, uncertain economic times abound, and a years-raging war for talent. Direct sourcing (and direct sourcing platforms, such as Opptly, LiveHire, WorkLLama, Prosperix, WorkSuite, amongst several others) is a fully-aligned link to driving a sustainable talent supply chain that can be leveraged to support hard-to-fill roles and demands for specific expertise. In an age when forward-thinking concepts like “open talent” are revolutionizing the labor market, it is critical for businesses to reimagine the ways they address talent acquisition.

Direct sourcing represents a dynamic entry-point to talent sustainability. Considering its impact on the candidate experience (transforming how workers engage with potential employers), referral management (automated, mobile-optimized referrals), and talent community development (boosting talent curation and progressing into a new stratosphere of on-demand talent pools), direct sourcing is a robust strategy to developing real workforce scalability…and talent sustainability.

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The Recession-Ready Enterprise

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

There has been great debate in recent months about a recession. Are we already in a recession? If a recession occurs, will it be light or something more impactful? Or will the economy be resilient and avoid a recession entirely? Enterprises in technology and media industries are already reacting to recession fears by laying off tens of thousands of workers. As we move through the first quarter of 2023, how could a recession impact the extended workforce?

Business As Usual

There’s no doubt we’re experiencing challenging economic times. However, businesses must continue with mission-critical projects and initiatives that often require specialized expertise. The skills gap remains inherent in many enterprises, leading to continued demand for contingent workers. And as the Future of Work Exchange research indicates, 47.5% of the enterprise workforce is comprised of extended workers. That figure cannot be ignored, especially during times of economic distress.

Digitization Evolution and Workforce Mercenaries

Despite the recessionary climate, there is an enterprise evolution occurring: digitization. Whether it’s talent acquisition platforms, accounts payable solutions, or larger enterprise resource planning systems, businesses are transforming from tactical (manual) to strategic (digital) strategies across the operational landscape. And with digitization comes the extended workforce.

As more enterprises pursue digitization, mission-critical hyper-specific skillsets and expertise are not only preferred but required. Transforming into the digital era means companies are implementing new technologies that leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and other Industry 4.0 automation. Enterprise integration of these technologies requires specific skill sets and competencies that are often outside the capabilities of existing permanent employees.

Hiring full-time employees for digitization projects and initiatives does not make fiscal sense (particularly during a recession) unless the role is a data analyst or scientist critical to interpreting daily analytical outputs. Otherwise, contingent workers specializing in digital transformation integration and implementation are the ideal choices — aligning contractual agreements with workforce budgets. Hyper-skilled talent is the future for enterprises expanding their product and service offerings through automation.

Supply chain and procurement are fields that employ hyper-skilled talent. Enterprises will hire a chief procurement officer to transform the procurement department through digitization and eliminate manual processes. A timeline may last two years, but once the project is complete, the individual seeks out other organizations with transformation as a critical initiative. These types of workforce mercenaries are much more abundant today than a decade ago. Their sole purpose is the execution of strategically detailed operational initiatives to elevate the enterprise competitively before taking on a new assignment elsewhere.

Sourcing such talent is already available to many organizations through workforce platforms and processes.

The Recession-Ready Enterprise

Direct sourcing and talent marketplaces are now table stakes for enterprise competitiveness. The use of these channels is necessary to source extended workers and hyper-skilled talent with current, specialized competencies. Recent Future of Work Exchange research found that 82% of businesses utilized more extended talent in 2022 than in 2021. During a recession, organizations can specify specific hours for extended workers who are already accustomed to flexible schedules or defined project timelines.

The workforce mercenary is likely to find an abundance of opportunities in a recession with 73% of businesses planning to divert external talent to mission-critical type initiatives and projects over the next six months. This is a clear sign that organizations are taking a more proactive stance against a possible recession than in the past. It appears quite possible that talent acquisition strategies will also shift during a recessionary period as the extended workforce closes critical skill gaps.

Enterprises with the ability to scale their extended workforce before, during, and after a recession are best positioned to weather an economic downturn. Seek workforce mercenaries for those transformational initiatives, while leveraging external talent for skills gap challenges. It’s a critical balance, but one that separates the modern enterprise from those still operating at a tactical level.

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The Skills-Based Organization and the Staffing Outlook for 2023

Contingent WorkforceDiversity and InclusionTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

There’s no question that the world of staffing has entered yet another period of uncertainty. Besieged by the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and then, thankfully, amped by a greater need for workforce flexibility and an increased utilization of contingent workers, the staffing arena faces a watershed year ahead.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that 82% of businesses leveraged more extended talent in 2022 than 2021, proving that:

  • The extended workforce’s great bump in utilization wasn’t just an anomaly due to the pandemic’s impact on fluctuating talent needs.
  • Non-employee talent remains a viable and strategic way to not just augment staff, but truly drive mission-critical endeavors with high-quality, top-tier skillsets and expertise, and;
  • With direct sourcing, AI-enabled hiring, and digital recruitment paving the way for the Future of Work movement, the realm of extended talent translates into an opportunity for businesses to thrive during even the most challenging of times.

Glider.ai is a Best-in-Class, next-generation artificial intelligence platform that has disrupted the staffing and recruitment technology markets. Glider AI’s unique talent intelligence platform provides its users with fully-automated tools to boost candidate assessment and allow hiring managers (and other talent management executives) to remotely execute deep, skill-based recruitment strategies with a robust layer of strength and rigor.

The solution recently polled over 130 staffing, recruiting, HR, and contingent workforce leaders on their intentions, challenges, and general perspectives on the talent arena.

Takeaway #1: Diversity Is, As It Should Be, A Critical Priority

Nearly 90% of executives in Glider’s research study state that initiatives related diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are a “medium-to-high” priority entering the new year. Of that figure, over 50% deemed it a high priority, proving an old mantra of the Future of the Work Exchange: a diverse talent community is the deepest talent community, especially as it pertains to the extended workforce.

While established diversity programs previously existed in many enterprises, the events and civil unrest of the past three years have driven many businesses to develop and communicate more purpose-driven goals which are linked to societal, economic, technological, and sustainable shifts. To achieve these goals, a large number of businesses are trying to harness the power of a diverse workforce. Glider’s new research study is a pure reflection of the modern enterprise’s 2023 commitment to DE&I in its hiring efforts for both full-time and temporary staff.

Takeaway #2: High-Tech or Low-Tech, It Doesn’t Matter: The Skills-Based Organization is King

Nearly 70% of businesses in the Glider study stated that high-tech and technical skills are currently a high priority for hiring and recruitment. Even though some of the world’s most massive tech brands, such as Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Meta (Facebook), Amazon, and Salesforce have executed mass layoffs in recent months (and in the case of Alphabet and Microsoft, literally just over the past two weeks), there is still a incredible need for professionals with high-tech skills.

Why? The answer is simple: we are living in a globalized and digitized world of work, in which digital transformation is an ongoing endeavor in nearly every enterprise, not to mention the overarching digital requirements in operating in a networked economy. Some of the highest-level talent in digital fields can only be found in the ranks of the extended workforce, which translates into the need for the average organization to devote more resources to enhancing contingent workforce management.

Too, the flip side of this equation isn’t even a counterbalance, as nearly 80% of organizations state that non-technical roles are a “medium-to-high” priority for businesses. Combined with the aforementioned high-tech stat and we can come to a direct conclusion: the skills-based organization is king.

In 2023, there will be many discussions around the concept of the skills-based organization. And this doesn’t just mean that businesses prioritize the skillsets they have within their ranks or within their talent pools or talent communities, but rather center the way they work around enterprises skillsets, expertise, and experience. By fractionalizing jobs/projects and segmenting the work from the workers, enterprises can more effectively align what needs to be done with the know-how required to address it.

Takeaway #3: Upskilling Remains a Key Focus for Businesses

The new Glider study found that 83% of enterprises placed a “medium-to-high” priority on upskilling as a means to engage top-tier candidates and retain top talent. This just reinforces the idea of the skills-based organization, as expertise has become the de-facto weapon in a skills-driven, digitized business arena. As enterprises to balance an ongoing pandemic, a looming recession, and an increasingly-globalized (and, of course, more competitive) market, skills become ever-so-critical.

Upcoming Future of Work Exchange research finds that nearly 70% of businesses are actively focused on engaging new and advanced skillsets in anticipation of digital transformation, further reinforcing the need to 1) upskill current workers (both FTEs and contingent) and 2) engage talented professionals that can make an immediate impact. The greater focus on upskilling (which is an entirely different entity than reskilling) is crucial for a variety of reasons, including:

  • The digital enterprise now requires progressive skillsets that are needed to thrive in an evolving world of work.
  • Upskilling is a ideal way for business leaders to combat extreme talent shortages by developing highly-skilled workers from within the organization, and;
  • It prepares enterprises to weather workforce disruptions (due to challenging economic conditions or other market events) and can serve as beneficial attribute of the company brand when developing new talent acquisition strategies.

Download Glider’s new research study and learn more about skills-based organizations and the state of staffing in 2023.

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Talent Ecosystems for Value Chain Management

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceGeneral InsightsHRTalentTalent Acquisition by John Yuva on

Whether enterprises realize it or not, it is time to approach total talent management as an ecosystem value chain. Like supply chains, which are not linear segments but rather a spiderweb of inputs, the total talent ecosystem has a similar construct. With enterprise talent and strategy at the center hub, the various talent inputs such as FTEs, gig workers, contractors, and external talent serve as spokes that feed into organizational strategic objectives. As an ecosystem, it is about accessing the best talent from an arsenal of channels.

Using a sports analogy, enterprises now have a valuable “bench of players” from whom to select for various projects and initiatives. With total talent intelligence, organizations can tap employees with specific skillsets that may not be core to their current roles. Through the utilization of HR solutions, there should be transparency in the full depth that each employee brings to the enterprise.

Total Talent Management…Enabled By Today’s Tech

There are few reasons for enterprises not to have extended workforce systems to enable total talent intelligence and human capital systems integration. Research from Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange indicate that 65% of businesses plan to utilize their workforce solutions to enable total talent intelligence over the next couple of years. And 90% have integration enabled between HR and contingent workforce systems (such as integration between HRIS and VMS platforms).

With extended workforce systems, organizations can achieve full transparency, management, and oversight of employees in all talent channels. Direct sourcing solutions bring even more capabilities through automation to build ever-growing talent communities to expand needed skillsets. Ultimately, enterprises want to achieve transparency in their ecosystem value chain where employees are looking beyond its four walls and into their larger contribution to suppliers and customers.

The Value Chain Mindset

The ecosystem value chain mindset can be advantageous with today’s focus on purpose-driven work. Knowing how they’re contributing to larger enterprise goals and objectives provides employees with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Organizations have done a better job of showing workers how their roles stretch beyond their workspace and into broader operations.

However, it is now time to bring greater awareness to the value chain and the shifting approach to workforce intelligence and management. The competitive environment and volatile labor marketplace require an opening of the curtain so to speak and an unveiling of how the workforce (and all its channels) are unified in the larger operational scope. Doing so can lead to several advantages:

  • Enhances talent engagement and acquisition. Workplace cultures are evolving as are leadership styles, which makes total talent management even more critical. How is the enterprise attracting new talent? What is the approach for total talent acquisition? Is the process centralized for increased visibility? Are there guidelines and processes for sourcing talent within all channels? The answers to these questions will affect overall talent engagement, acquisition, and retention.
  • Transforms talent management to maximize the ecosystem value chain. The traditional approach of focusing primarily on permanent employees and their respective roles to achieve specific responsibilities lacks relevance in today’s Future of Work paradigm. Organizations require agility and flexibility to react to market changes and consumer demand. Those shifts don’t occur on their own. They are made by employees who must respond to new processes or with new skillsets. With a transformative talent ecosystem focused on a variety of channels to drive value chain competitiveness, organizations are better aligned for successful outcomes. It is essentially putting the enterprise in a position to have the right talent, at the right time, for the right need.
  • Attracts the best talent through the promotion of a total talent strategy. As part of an organization’s total talent management strategy, promoting this approach to prospective employees can attract talent looking for purpose-driven roles. The opportunity to use unique skillsets outside of an employee’s core role is a recruitment tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. This is particularly true for contingent workers, whether they be contractors, gig workers, or other external talent. Often, these employees lack a sense of belonging and contribution to the greater enterprise. All channels of a talent ecosystem are equal in their support of the value chain. It is the skillsets, not the talent channel, that is the priority. Communicating this to potential talent and explaining how such a strategy is executed, could be transformative for recruitment as well.

A talent ecosystem with a holistic approach to value chain management and strategy is the next phase of total talent management. Leveling the playing field through talent channels ensures workforce and organizational stability.

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A Time for Workforce Management Innovation

Direct SourcingSolution ProvidersTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Humans are what drive the Future of Work today. What it all comes down to, in essence, is that a business relies on its people to get work done, to survive, and to thrive. The workforce has undergone some seismic shifts over the past several years, from the rise of the extended workforce to non-employee talent becoming a source of real enterprise agility.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that 82% of businesses leveraged more contingent workers and sources of external talent in 2022 than in 2021, a powerful statistic that represents the relative power of the extended workforce, its overall value, and its impact on enterprise operations.

Considering that the specter of an economic recession lingers, as well as Year Four of the Pandemic That Will Not End, this means that now, more than ever before, businesses will require Best-in-Class strategies and solutions for engaging the best-fit, best-aligned talent, and, of course, managing it in a frictionless way.

What this means, of course, is that the workforce solutions market is what will set the tone for enterprises as they reimagine their outlook for 2023 and ensure that talent-fueled agility is the foundation for success in the year ahead.

The great news, though, is that this technology industry is abound with innovation. Heavyweight platforms like Beeline bring cutting-edge workforce management functionality and a talent-centric focus that will assist enterprises in achieving true total workforce management, while solutions such as Magnit seamlessly connect top-tier direct sourcing, services procurement, DE&I, total talent intelligence, and VMS technology under a frictionless platform approach. SAP Fieldglass continues to innovate around its idyllic blend of VMS, services procurement, and candidate management functionality, all of which are built on a foundation of high-powered analytics and intelligence offerings. Prosperix brings a truly unique “VMS network” vision to life through its next-generation solution, and VNDLY (a Workday company) converges procurement-centric solutions with the HR bliss of the Workday suite of technology. Coupa Software’s contingent workforce tool is an exemplary confluence of VMS technology, business spend management automation, and real-time talent visibility.

Technologies like Opptly are redefining talent acquisition via artificial intelligence-fueled functionality and dynamic candidate matching tools. LiveHire represents the convergence of deep direct sourcing, ATS, and CRM technology and real total talent management solutions. WorkLLama is a strong reflection of “Direct Sourcing 2.0,” in which robust, end-to-end workforce management technology catalyzes progressive candidate-focused functionality. HireGenics brings the power of enterprise brand management, “MSP 4.0” innovation, and diversity-led solutions to the direct sourcing arena. Worksuite (formerly Shortlist) continues to provide enterprises with an all-in-one, flexible platform that combines the power of VMS, digital staffing, and services procurement. HireArt’s unique approach converges workforce management functionality with forward-thinking talent curation, direct sourcing, and compliance management tools.

The realm of digital staffing is also actively contributing to the workforce innovation arena. Upwork, a giant in the talent marketplace solutions landscape, offers wide-scoping workforce management technology that is built on perhaps the world’s largest talent community. Toptal continues to revolutionize what “workforce agility” means to the modern business by enabling development of fully-scalable teams of top-tier, remote talent. The Mom Project’s continued evolution reflects their commitment to diverse talent acquisition, streamlined talent engagement operations, and Best-in-Class enterprise technology. Talmix leverages global talent intelligence and next-level automation to revamp the talent acquisition process.

Catalant‘s Expert Marketplace is more than a digital staffing solution, offering 80,000+ experts and freelancers in an enterprise platform that facilitates project-scoping, team management, payments, and compliance and risk management. GR8 People‘s innovative “Everyone Platform” is a stout, end-to-end tool that encompasses the best of recruitment technology, direct sourcing, ATS, and CRM that enables total talent management and a revolutionary candidate experience.

Artificial intelligence and next-level analytics are now front-and-center in the world of workforce management technology. HiredScore is an AI-fueled platform with “talent orchestration” technology that is perfectly-aligned with the evolving world of work’s need for real-time talent intelligence. Glider.ai continues to revolutionize candidate intelligence through assessment, interviewing, and engagement innovation.

With talent as the very nexus of the contemporary enterprise in 2023 and a linchpin to true business and workforce agility, organizations have access to the dynamic solutions that can transform talent acquisition, reimagine talent engagement, and spark next-generation workforce management.

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BEST OF 2022: Candidate-Centricity Should Be the Nexus of 2023 Hiring

HRTalentTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

[The Future of Work Exchange will be back next week with all-new content and insights to kick off the new year. Until then, enjoy our “Best Of” series that revisits some of our most-read articles from 2022.]

Sometimes it can be incredibly taxing on our minds to configure the many, many ways the Future of Work influences the way we live, the way we work, and the ways those two intersect. From new technology and innovative platforms to conscious leadership and overall business transformation, the very notion of the “future of how we work” involves so many intricacies that it can make our collective heads spin.

However, in a vacuum, we have to look at the future (and, in this case, the very near future) and configure specific aspects of corporate operations in such a way that they align with the external forces now driving success…or failure.

Talent has become the top competitive differentiator in a market that is increasingly globalized, unpredictable, and disruptive. Businesses that source the best talent, utilize that talent to get work done effectively, and retain that talent are always going to be the ones that thrive in a business arena that is evolving at a breakneck clip.

We’ve witnessed (and, more importantly, experienced) the highs and lows of talent engagement, hiring, and talent acquisition over the past two-plus years: pandemic-led layoffs, the rise of workforce agility, The Great Resignation, The Great Resettling, quiet quitting, quiet firing, and worker empowerment. It’s surely been a roller-coaster for talent acquisition execs, hiring managers, HR leaders, and other executives that hold some responsibility for workforce management within the typical organization.

At the end of the day, however, all of these talent-led transformations lead to one conclusion that should form the foundation of talent acquisition strategies in 2023: a candidate-centric model is the best path forward, considering the risks of an economic recession, continued global disruptions from war and supply chain issues, and, critically, the ramifications of the “talent revolution” that businesses have experienced since March 2020.

There are many reasons why running a candidate-centric hiring model makes sense in the year ahead:

  • Workers are done with being overpowered by their managers and employers when it comes to poor working conditions and a lack of appreciation.
  • Talented professionals have undergone a mental transformation during pandemic times that have forced them to reevaluate the impact of “work” and “career paths” on their personal lives as humans, leading to a desire for more purposeful work.
  • Workers desire true flexibility, not just a free weekly lunch or a ping-pong table in the break room. The flexibility for personal care, child care, elder care, etc. is all-important in today’s workforce; professionals crave the ability to attend their children’s’ events or harness the real power of remote and hybrid work to ensure that they have a proper work-life integration.
  • Candidates have more choices than ever before, regardless of the state of today’s economy. Businesses must stand out from the pack and offer a truly emotionally-engaging experience for their potential workers that leaves a real impression; will candidates gain a sense of trust, as well as an understanding of workplace and corporate culture?
  • Building on the above attribute, candidates desire a seamless and frictionless experience when applying for a job, negotiating terms, and following through the onboarding process. These may seem like more tactical aspects than strategic, but they go a long way towards developing a positive candidate experience for potential workers.
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is one of the most crucial elements of workforce management today. As frequently stated on the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, “A diverse talent pool is the deepest talent pool.” Candidates want to know that they will be part of a diverse workforce that also includes a truly inclusive workplace culture.

There’s more to developing a talent-oriented hiring strategy than just being committed to the candidate; enterprises must look to the aspects above and understand that, in a volatile labor market, they need to do so much more than they have ever done before to attract the best-fit, top-tier talent, skillsets, and expertise. The candidate experience is paramount and candidate-centricity hiring models are essential to thriving in 2023.

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