Truths of 2022: Why it’s not smart to “wait and see”

As we close out this year, I want to highlight two truths we’ve explored in 2022:

No. 1 - If you need to fill a skills gap - hire for skills, not pedigree.

No. 2 - If your search for talent does not have you looking at the diverse talents of STARs - the 70+ million Americans Skilled Through Alternative Routes - then you’re not looking in the right place.

Connect these two truths and we have a solution to beat the labor shortage: hire STARs.

As we entered 2022, this was a dawning realization - as we exit 2022, it is a rising movement.

In Opportunity@Work’s Opportunity Wrap, Cheston McGuire shares why smart companies are realizing STARs and skills-first hiring is key to winning the talent wars and how technology like Stellarworx can be a more equitable solution vs. “degree bias” screening software:

• Highlighting efforts by Delta Air Lines, Google, IBM, and the state of Maryland, Austen Hufford writes in The Wall Street Journal that more employers are removing college degree requirements. “College is a clear pathway to upward mobility, but it shouldn’t be the only pathway,” says Opportunity@Work's Bridgette Gray. https://lnkd.in/gr4py-73?
• Meghan McCarty Carino reports in Marketplace by APM that while companies remove degree requirements, “degree bias is often embedded in the screening software companies use.” Opportunity@Work’s Stellarworx – supported by SkyHive and used by General Motors and other companies – “aims to do away with biased ‘proxies’ and hone in on skills.” https://lnkd.in/ebqWqe_8. InformationWeek also featured SkyHive’s Mohan Reddy and Opportunity@Work’s Kelcey R.’s “three considerations for businesses that are excited about the potential of skills-based hiring, but not sure how to make the leap.” https://bit.ly/3Ng2nvM
• Aneesh Raman, Vice President and Head of The Opportunity Project at LinkedIn, asked me to share my perspective on the future of the job market: “companies can innovate, adapt, and compete by creating STARs talent strategies. They can start simply by identifying new talent pools given skills similarities to in-demand jobs, to find smart ways to?'screen in' for skills, and invest in STARs within their own organizations.” https://buff.ly/3h6Bm2w
• For LinkedIn’s Big Ideas 2023, I shared why employers resistant to follow the math may be more vulnerable to stop-gap talent trends. In contrast, employers seeking more innovative, sustainable and scalable talent pipelines in the new year ahead will tear the paper ceiling, gain STARs, and solve problems. https://bit.ly/3hJr08Z

By hiring STARs, companies can beat the labor shortage, communities can realize opportunities for all their people, and our country can do the work needed to solve our 21st century problems.

The STARs movement is *moving* and so are smart companies and civic leaders. In 2022, you heard a lot from me about why companies should hire STARs. The Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign led by The Ad Council, Opportunity@Work and more than 50 national partners will continue the “why” message for all who still need to hear it. In 2023, I’ll use my newsletter to explore the *how* to do the work to realize the benefits of STARs talent strategies: smarter, faster, and at greater scale. For those who are doing the work, I’ll also be asking that you share what you’re learning so we can all learn - together and on purpose.

All the best,

Byron