Skill-Based JDs
Job descriptions that prioritize what candidates can do — skills and proficiency levels — over credentials, degrees, and years of experience.
Hire for capabilities, not credentials
Skills Over Credentials
Replace 'Bachelor's degree required' and '5+ years experience' with specific, measurable skill requirements at defined proficiency levels. Open roles to candidates who can do the job, regardless of how they learned.
Inclusive & Accessible
Skill-based descriptions naturally broaden candidate pools — removing barriers that disproportionately exclude underrepresented talent without compromising quality requirements.
Connected to Skills Graph
Skills in job descriptions map directly to WeSoar's skills taxonomy, enabling automatic matching to internal candidates, learning pathways, and career development opportunities.
Skills-first hiring changes everything
Broader Talent Pools
Removing degree requirements and years-of-experience filters opens roles to self-taught professionals, career changers, and non-traditional candidates who have the skills but not the credentials.
Better Hiring Outcomes
When selection criteria focus on measurable skills rather than proxy indicators, hiring decisions predict job performance more accurately. You hire for what candidates can do, not what school they attended.
DEI Acceleration
Credential-based requirements disproportionately exclude underrepresented groups. Skills-based JDs naturally broaden candidate diversity without lowering quality standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are skill-based job descriptions?
Skill-based JDs prioritize measurable capabilities and proficiency levels over traditional requirements like degrees and years of experience. They broaden talent pools, reduce bias, and focus on what candidates can actually do. WeSoar's skill-based JDs connect directly to the platform's skills taxonomy for seamless talent matching.
How do skill-based JDs differ from traditional job descriptions?
Traditional JDs require credentials (degrees, certifications) and time-based experience (5+ years). Skills-based JDs specify measurable capabilities at defined proficiency levels — what candidates can actually do, regardless of how they learned it.
Do skill-based JDs lower hiring standards?
No. They raise them. Instead of accepting a degree as a proxy for capability, skills-based JDs require demonstration of specific skills at specific proficiency levels. The bar is higher — it's just measured differently.
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