Skills based hiring sounds like the future. The research is glowing, the consultants are excited, and every conference panel is certain that skills first is how CHRO strategy wins the next decade. There is only one problem. Most companies cannot get managers to turn in performance reviews on time, let alone maintain a living skills architecture.
In this episode, Scott and Jackson go head to head on one of the buzziest ideas in HR leadership. Scott plays the evangelist and argues that skills based hiring is a margin engine. When you can see capability clearly, you unlock internal mobility, reduce ramp time, and stop losing top performers to blind spots. Jackson plays the skeptic and argue that without clarity, simple systems, and disciplined managers, skills programs collapse into bureaucracy and PowerPoint.
We pull apart the lazy proxies that still drive hiring decisions, from degree filters to prestige schools, and talk about why cognitive capability and real outcomes beat pedigree every time. We look at where hidden talent sits, why internal hires often outperform external hires, and what actually keeps CHROs from making progress on skills based approaches in lean, overloaded environments.
Most important, we land on a practical path. Start with the small number of roles that drive disproportionate value, define outcomes with painful clarity, then name the three or four skills that separate average from excellent. From there, build a one page capability screen and a simple lens on internal talent, before you spend money on big systems.
If you care about talent density, internal mobility, and the future of work, this is the playfight you want in your ear as you design your 2026 HR operating model.
Resources
