Adam Kidan on Beyond the Resume: Rethinking Qualifications in Modern Hiring Practices

In an era defined by innovation, agility, and adaptability, the hiring practices of yesterday no longer meet the demands of today’s labor market. For decades, résumés have been treated as the holy grail of candidate evaluation—a static summary of degrees, job titles, and company names. But in today’s evolving economic landscape, where talent shortages collide with shifting workforce expectations, it’s time to challenge that framework and open the door to a more inclusive and skill-focused hiring model.

As someone who has worked at the intersection of staffing, workforce solutions, and economic transformation, I’ve seen firsthand how overreliance on conventional credentials can cause companies to overlook exceptional talent. At Empire Workforce Solutions, where we place thousands of workers annually, our best placements often come not from elite résumés but from people who bring grit, adaptability, and a hunger to prove themselves—traits that simply can’t be captured by bullet points on a page.

The Flaws of Résumé-Centric Hiring

The traditional résumé tells a story—but only part of one. It lists degrees, job titles, and years of experience, yet it fails to communicate context, character, or capability. Did a candidate leave a job early because of a toxic workplace culture? Have they held blue-collar positions that developed leadership and crisis management skills that rival MBA coursework? These nuances are lost in the default filtering systems most employers use.

Worse, résumé-based screening often unintentionally weeds out candidates from nontraditional backgrounds—such as those who didn’t attend college, took career breaks to care for family, or are re-entering the workforce after incarceration or military service. These individuals may lack conventional milestones but often bring resilience, loyalty, and adaptability that are vital in today’s fast-paced, skills-first economy.

A New Lens: Skills and Potential Over Pedigree

According to a report by the Harvard Business School, more than 70 million workers in the U.S. are STARs—Skilled Through Alternative Routes—meaning they’ve developed expertise through community college, military service, training programs, or on-the-job experience rather than a four-year degree. Yet many employers continue to default to degree requirements as a proxy for capability.

To tap into this massive underutilized talent pool, businesses must begin to prioritize skills-based hiring—a method that emphasizes what candidates can do rather than where they’ve been. This includes evaluating technical abilities, soft skills like communication and leadership, and the potential to learn and grow within a role.

This approach not only broadens your hiring funnel but also drives equity and inclusion. For instance, by removing unnecessary degree requirements, companies open doors to women, people of color, veterans, and other groups who may have faced systemic barriers to traditional academic or corporate pathways.

Real-World Examples Speak Loudest

At Empire Workforce Solutions, we’ve piloted skills-based hiring models across manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. One success story involved a woman re-entering the workforce after five years at home raising children. Her résumé showed a gap, but her assessment scores revealed sharp critical thinking and communication skills. She’s now a top-performing team leader at a national distribution center—someone who would have been passed over by most ATS filters.

Another case involves a former inmate who completed a welding certification through a second-chance workforce initiative. Though he lacked formal experience, his technical aptitude and work ethic landed him a position with one of our industrial partners. One year later, he’s been promoted twice and is mentoring new hires.

These are not anomalies. They’re proof that potential is often more valuable than pedigree—and that with the right support and training, unconventional candidates can become high-performing, loyal team members.

What Companies Can Do Today

To move beyond the résumé, companies must be willing to rethink their hiring processes at every level:

1. Audit Job Descriptions: Remove unnecessary degree or experience requirements that are not essential to success in the role. Focus on core competencies and trainable skills.
2. Implement Skills Assessments: Use pre-employment assessments, simulations, and real-world tasks to evaluate capability and fit rather than résumé credentials alone.
3. Partner with Workforce Solutions Experts: Staffing firms that focus on skill-based placement, like ours, can help identify overlooked talent and provide upskilling opportunities to bridge gaps.
4. Invest in Training and Mentorship: Build internal programs that support learning and career progression, particularly for entry-level hires and those from nontraditional paths.
5. Champion Inclusion Publicly: Normalize second-chance and skills-first hiring in your employer brand messaging. Candidates often hesitate to apply when they don’t check every box—make it clear you welcome diverse pathways.

Hiring for the Future

The companies that will thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones clinging to rigid credential checklists. They’ll be the ones that embrace agility, innovation, and inclusivity—not just in what they sell, but in who they hire. The future of work demands a new lens—one that sees beyond the résumé and values the diverse skills and lived experiences that today’s workforce brings to the table. It’s time to stop hiring for history and start hiring for potential.