For LinkedIn, competencies, also called “skills”, are more important than other criteria such as a candidate’s school, diploma, former employer, or network. At least, for the professional social network, this is the criterion that should take precedence.
Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn, recently spoke with Harvard Business Review. And during this interview, he stressed the importance of skills, especially in the current context.
Asked about the qualities of a good leader in these difficult times, Roslansky spoke of the ability to adapt. “Trust me, on a daily basis, there are 10 new decisions you have to make right now as a CEO that you’ve never had to make before in your life”he explained.
And to be able to adapt to changes, companies should favor skills instead of prioritizing old signals such as diplomas, a candidate’s network or even the companies through which the candidate has passed.
For LinkedIn, the old criteria must be abandoned
According to the LinkedIn boss, this ensures that the right person is in the right place, with the right skills. “I think it will create a much more efficient, much fairer labor market, which will then create better opportunities for everyone”, he also said. Focusing on these skills also allows an organization to pivot easily.
For candidates, Ryan Roslansky also explains that acquiring new skills does not only concern new entrants to the labor market. In fact, according to LinkedIn data, even if you have stayed in the same position for 7 years, almost 25% of the skills required for this position have changed.
And to support these transformations in the world of work, LinkedIn is making access to knowledge and learning new skills one of its priorities. With this in mind, the professional social network diversifies the types of media.
LinkedIn already has 150 million subscribers to its newsletters. And the social network is also interested in podcasts. Otherwise, today, 100 hours of learning content are viewed every day on the platform.
Otherwise, when it comes to opportunities for users, Ryan Roslansky indicates in his interview that nowadays many people find jobs on LinkedIn, or new opportunities, because they participate in conversations and share their knowledge.
In any case, by betting on skills, LinkedIn is surfing on a trend that has already been observed for some time in the labor market in the United States. In an article on the subject, Fortune magazine cites the example of large companies such as Google, EY, Microsoft, or Apple, which take less and less account of candidates’ diplomas when recruiting.
