From CVs to Skills: The Paradigm Shift Redefining the World of Work

Today’s workforce spans up to seven generations globally, with at least four coexisting within most organizations. This generational diversity is a valuable asset—but also a daily challenge. Each group brings distinct perspectives, values, and expectations, and collaboration is not always seamless. To exaggerate, it’s as if each generation operates with a different cognitive system. What does this mean in practice?

Understanding these generational differences isn’t just helpful—it’s strategic.

The brain is not a fixed system. It’s plastic, evolving through experience and practice, allowing us to develop different skills at different life stages. For example, fluid intelligence—our ability to think quickly and retain information—peaks around age 20. Emotional intelligence tends to sharpen around age 40–50, while crystallized intelligence—the accumulation of knowledge and experience—can continue growing well into our 60s and 70s.

Neuroscience provides an essential insight: recognizing the value of skills acquired over time is key to appreciating every generation and making smarter organizational decisions. In this context, adopting a skills-based language becomes a strategic lever. It enables us to move past stereotypes and foster more inclusive and effective environments. Talking about competencies means shifting focus—towards a more grounded, future-ready view of people. This cultural shift in HR is the foundation of the reflection presented in this article.

A Competency-Based Model

Just a few years ago, the idea that companies might move beyond traditional CV-based assessments would have met with skepticism. Today, the landscape has changed: globally, “Skills-First Hiring” is becoming the dominant paradigm, shifting the focus from who a person is to how they perform.

This approach places practical skills—both technical and soft—above formal qualifications, reshaping how organizations evaluate and select talent.

A global survey by Dutch software company TestGorilla, involving over 1,000 businesses, found that 94% of recruiters consider skills-based hiring more predictive of job success than traditional CV screening ¹.

But what are the tangible benefits—for both companies and candidates?

Embracing a competency-based approach marks a decisive step toward a more inclusive, efficient, and future-oriented labor market. It helps remove traditional barriers, broadening access to a more diverse talent pool.

A 2023 LinkedIn Economic Graph² study illustrated the potential of this shift:

• Greater inclusiveness: Opens doors for candidates traditionally excluded, such as those without university degrees.
• Expanded talent pools: In education, for example, adopting a skills-first lens could increase candidate availability by 24%.
• Closing the skills gap: Hiring based on actual capabilities helps address critical talent shortages.
• Higher retention and loyalty: Employees valued for what they can do, not just where they’ve been, are more likely to stay.
• Attracting growth-minded professionals: Companies that invest in skill development appeal to people committed to continuous learning.
• Alignment with Gen Z: Young professionals increasingly build skills through self-learning, volunteering, and freelance work. In a LinkedIn survey³, 40% said they’d accept 2–5% lower pay in exchange for better learning opportunities.

HR as a catalyst for change

Adopting a skills-first approach has practical implications—starting with how job descriptions are crafted. Recruitment begins with the way roles are defined and communicated.

Interestingly, from 2020 to 2024, companies are less and less likely to include a degree requirement in job postings, as shown in the chart below analyzing job ads posted on Indeed’s U.S. portal.

This shift doesn’t suggest academic qualifications are obsolete—especially in regulated fields like healthcare. But it signals a broader and more flexible view of what counts as a “qualification,” moving the focus toward demonstrated abilities rather than formal pathways⁴.

A compelling example comes from Siemens, which, in recruiting project engineers, stated that no previous experience was required. The selection focused on soft skills like time management and organizational ability, regardless of candidates’ backgrounds.

This case underscores the value of revisiting job descriptions. Making them more inclusive, neutral, and focused on real capabilities increases both quality and reach.

In fact, LinkedIn research tells us that job ads that list skills in detail experience an 11 percent increase in the rate of application views compared to those that do not mention them⁵.

Skills Mapping and Internal Mobility

Today, HR’s role extends far beyond recruitment. It means managing people as strategic assets and unlocking their full potential across the organization.

In a skills-first model, newly hired talent represents a long-term investment—one that requires rethinking traditional notions of role and hierarchy. Employees aren’t just jobholders with fixed responsibilities—they’re individuals with unique, irreplaceable skills and value to offer.

Most HR practices are still anchored in position-based models: defining job titles, salary bands, training paths, and performance metrics around fixed roles. But this rigid structure often treats the workforce as static, optimized for efficiency rather than growth.

A skills-based approach challenges that logic. It envisions dynamic, evolving career paths based on real capabilities, strengths, and potential. Talent management becomes fluid and personalized, with greater emphasis on continuous development⁶.

Skills-first organizations enable mobility not just vertically, but horizontally and cross-functionally—enhancing workforce flexibility and equity.

A standout example is Saipem, an Italian multinational in infrastructure and energy, which has implemented a skills-based resource model. At the core is a “skills library,” mapping employee capabilities across functions to allocate them to projects based on what they can do—not on job titles⁷.

This allows for personalized, adaptive growth paths and helps the organization deploy talent with greater agility and effectiveness.

A New Vision of Talent

In conclusion, a skills-based HR model is more than a passing trend—it’s a strategic response to evolving labor dynamics. In a market marked by rapid change, widening skills gaps, and growing demand for flexibility, betting on people’s potential creates lasting value.

Organizations that invest in skill development aren’t just more resilient—they’re more attractive to the next generation of talent. Rethinking roles, mapping skills, and enabling continuous growth are the new levers for attracting, developing, and retaining tomorrow’s workforce.

The message is clear: it’s no longer enough to ask where someone has been. What matters is what they can do—and even more, what they have the potential to become.