Skills Flipping: 3 Things HR Needs to Know About Job Candidates’ New Trick

Skills-based hiring calls for a new trend that will help employers and employees get hiring even closer to perfect:

Job candidates are “skills flipping” — turning what might be considered negative traits into strengths. It’s causing employers to reconsider how that trait could work in the increasingly skills-based hiring environment.

That’s reflected in job postings: 51% of Indeed postings didn’t mention formal education requirements.

Skills Flipping for Skills-Based Hiring

To counter the drop in degree requirements, many organizations have shifted hiring priorities. More than 75% of employers used personality and skills tests for hiring in 2025, according to data from TestGorilla.

Both sides of the hiring equation are still a bit uncertain on how to make it work best, according to Adam Stamm, Managing Partner at Online DISC Profile.

“I’ve noticed a tension with hiring managers. They are feeling the pressure to fill roles faster than ever, but the reality is that they are short on people whom they feel confident inviting to interview,” says Stamm. “Formal qualifications may all be there, but the candidate’s behavior patterns and practical skillset just don’t align.”

Meanwhile, for job seekers, “skills-based hiring that feels deeply alien to them, having been reassured by college professors that a good degree will help them stand out from the crowd,” Stamm says. “This shift to skills-based hiring has candidates putting their personalities under a microscope and looking for ways to counteract any negatives.”

And that’s where skills flipping comes in: Job candidates will likely work toward making their skills — the good and bad — work for the role they want. That’s not terrible, either. Hiring managers likely want adaptable employees.

What Skills Flipping Can’t Replace

Of course, not everyone can or should adapt.

“I’m not saying that downright toxic or difficult behavior can be explained away as a secret strength,” says Stamm. “But I do feel there’s a middle ground where a trait that might have traditionally caused friction could be reset to be thought of as valuable.”

Even when you’re balancing skills, the role and personality traits, three important factors in every job placement remain the same:

1. Can they do the job?
2. How do they behave working in a team?
3. Will their style of working help or hinder the existing team?

With that in mind, here are three tips to keep in mind when hiring based on skills as job candidates start to practice more skills flipping:

1. Reimagine Candidate Traits, Behaviors

Take a contrary perspective on behavioral signs when talking or meeting with job candidates.

For instance, perhaps the person who seems a bit too chatty won’t be a distraction or office gossip. Perhaps that person will be a great communicator at a time when AI makes soft skills a lost art.

Another example: the apparent introvert.

“Someone who describes themselves as cautious or introverted may be highlighting the attention to detail and consistency required for compliance, quality assurance, finance or operations roles,” says Danielle Balow, Vice President of Customer Transformation at Click Boarding. “The idea of ‘skills flipping’ isn’t necessarily about changing who you are. It’s about learning how to market your strengths in a way that connects to the needs of an employer.”

So when you reimagine candidates’ traits, you may find they’d be a good fit for a different role. This is especially important when you’re hiring from within.

“This reframing is very useful for HR professionals because it helps to make personality ‘labels’ very role-relevant,” says DISC Profile’s Stamm.

2. Look Beyond Resumes 

Lots of resumes look perfect for the job. That’s because these days, many candidates get AI to adapt their resume to align perfectly for a job description.

Don’t let the perfect resume sway you to the wrong candidates.

Jason Rodgers, a content writer at PepThrive involved in hiring for his team, has found that some candidates he didn’t expect to be good outperform those with stronger resumes when tested on the actual work.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve watched biology graduates outperform marketing graduates in content roles,” says Rodgers. “In our last hiring round at PepThrive, the candidates who passed a written test on an unfamiliar topic were the ones who hit full output in their first three weeks. The ones with stronger resumes took twice as long.” 

When possible, have job candidates produce samples of their work or have them demonstrate their skills through simulated work.

3. Consider Alternative Work Arrangements

Some employers immediately discard applications if the candidate doesn’t fit the job schedule mold.

For instance, a candidate might want part-time work because they’re working another job. But their skills are just right. If you say no, you might be turning down someone who can bring more to the role part-time than someone who is full-time but doesn’t have the skills you need.

“Someone who can balance multiple jobs, or who has caregiving responsibilities and passion projects outside of their career, will often have developed time management skills and a genuine resilience that someone with no other demands on their time can’t match,” says Tabby Farrar, Head of Search and hiring manager at marketing agency Candour.

In this case, you may gain an employee who is incredible at time management, focused work and adaptability — skills they can help other employees develop.