{"id":173022,"date":"2025-11-24T14:59:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/case-study-how-to-scale-skills-based-hiring-in-todays-world-hro-today\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T14:59:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:59:26","slug":"case-study-how-to-scale-skills-based-hiring-in-todays-world-hro-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/case-study-how-to-scale-skills-based-hiring-in-todays-world-hro-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: How to Scale Skills-Based Hiring in Today\u2019s World – HRO Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

By removing degree requirements, shifting the talent philosophy, and partnering with the broader community, IGS Energy has scaled its skills-based hiring and expanded its talent pool.
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By Alissa Durbin
Across industries, employers are rethinking what it means to be \u201cqualified.\u2019\u201d In this evolving world, clinging to outdated hiring practices can leave businesses struggling to fill roles. Today, almost <\/span>two-thirds of employers have reported using a skills-based approach<\/span><\/a> in hiring to help them identify candidates with potential. This shift is reshaping how companies attract, evaluate, and retain talent as it not only widens the talent pool but also creates more equitable pathways for candidates who bring practical expertise but may not have a four-year degree.<\/span> While there are several companies doing this successfully, change is not always easy, and it can be difficult to know where to start implementing this approach and how to scale it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
In the last several years, IGS Energy,<\/span> the nation<\/span>\u2019s largest privately-owned energy retailer, <\/span>has experienced incredible growth, adding hundreds of new employees to the team, entering new markets, and developing new products and business units.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
T<\/span>his level of growth <\/span>required<\/span> new approaches to hiring <\/span>\u2014<\/span> one of which was <\/span>starting<\/span> to focus more on a candidate\u2019s <\/span>practical skills, competencies, and potential to perform, instead of or in addition to traditional credentials such as education and years of experience. In 2023, the company began removing degree requirements where relevant by evaluating 100% of all roles for required education and experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
This felt like an obvious opportunity for the company as it prides itself on an ethos of being a supportive partner in the communities where employees live. Not only does a skills-based approach bolster IGS Energy\u2019s commitment to being an inclusive workplace, but it also opens the company up to a talent pool that may not have been encountered using more traditional recruitment methods. As the energy industry has significantly evolved over the last few years, and as IGS\u2019s product offerings have grown and scaled, the company is reaching more candidates by being open to on-the-job development and training.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
For many years, many of IGS\u2019s job descriptions had bachelor\u2019s degree requirements. The company started establishing a \u201cskills-based hiring\u201d path by first looking at whether each job could be filled by people with less education or non-traditional experience, with the guidepost being the idea that people could be trained in the role once they joined the team.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
The result was that more jobs than initially anticipated fit this bucket \u2014 and the hiring managers, who were consulted along the way, were incredibly open to this approach. When it was clear that there was an appetite internally for this shift, IGS started looking to bring talent to the table from new recruiting avenues.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
In Columbus, Ohio, near IGS\u2019s headquarters, there’s a program called the Columbus Promise through which Columbus City School students can attend a local two-year college tuition-free. Participating students work part-time with partner organizations while going to school, which <\/span>opens up the opportunity to earn a degre<\/span>e and real-world experience<\/span> for<\/span> students who may never have imagined higher education as an option. IGS was an early supporter of this program<\/span>, creating<\/span> a position within <\/span>the<\/span> HR department to focus 100<\/span>%<\/span> on partnerships like this.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
Today, the company has the <\/span>IGS Energy Co-Op program<\/span><\/a>, which includes students from the Columbus Promise as well as other local career academies and skills-development programs. These students work part-time at IGS,<\/span> supporting areas across the business, while earning their associate degrees or program certificates, finishing high school, or participating in a trade program. The <\/span>2025-2026 cohort is 19<\/span> students strong, with <\/span>seven<\/span> of these students returning for a second year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
T<\/span>his program <\/span>is just one part of the commitment to developing the future workforce while ensuring all members of the community have access to thriving careers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
Focusing on capabilities and prioritizing a person\u2019s capacity (and desire) to learn and grow allows IGS to tap into a much more diverse talent pool. It also underscores the overall commitment to making the organization a welcoming workplace for everyone, regardless of background or experience. Across the company\u2019s last three engagement surveys, there\u2019s been a steady increase in the number of employees who report they can be themselves at IGS \u2014 from 87% in 2019, to 90% in 2021 and 93% in 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
IGS still recognizes its responsibility as a company to ensure it is creating pathways inside the organization for equitable growth and advancement. To this end, IGS is continuing its compensation journey and focusing on development opportunities across business units and roles. In 2023, 23% of employees at IGS were promoted, highlighting that the idea of \u201cin-the-role\u201d training is also applied to the existing employee population.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
Making the shift to skills-based hiring didn\u2019t happen overnight, but it will help ensure success in IGS\u2019s long-term goals of cultivating a rich experience for employees to grow with balance and being seen as a positive organization within the industry and community.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
Alissa Durbin is vice president of human resources at IGS Energy.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>
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By removing degree requirements, shifting the talent philosophy, and partnering with the broader community, IGS Energy has scaled its skills-based hiring and expanded its talent pool. By Alissa DurbinAcross industries, employers are rethinking what it means to be \u201cqualified.\u2019\u201d In this evolving world, clinging to outdated hiring practices can leave businesses struggling to fill roles. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}