Building Value Through Skill Stacking

Investing in training and upskilling makes sense for employers and job seekers

BY DEVONA MARTIN

THE LABOR MARKET has been through challenging times over the last few years. Companies continue to face difficulties with attracting talent and candidates have been anxious to explore new opportunities as their priorities shift in response to the pandemic and inflation. With openings still outnumbering job seekers 2:1, companies are increasingly turning to “quiet hiring”—acquiring new skills without bringing on new full-time employees. Some employers are turning to temporary workers while others are looking internally to close skills gaps.

About 45% of companies are adopting a “skill first” approach when seeking qualified candidates. This approach helps to identify qualified candidates with relevant skills that would otherwise go unnoticed or whom may become immediately rejected during the selection process. In today’s labor market, having one mastered skill may not be enough. Most job seekers with one mastered skill are finding it difficult to secure employment. Understandably enough, they are up against a plethora of other candidates that use skill stacking to their advantage.

So, what exactly is skill stacking? Simply put, instead of focusing on one set of skills, it’s about learning a range of skills that work well together and make you more marketable and valuable.

It’s never too late to learn new skills; learning new skills is a great mental stimulator, it contributes to your abilities, and it exposes you to new opportunities. When you become proactive about learning new skills, you are investing in yourself.

Many people believe that success comes from being a master at one skill. Becoming a master at one skill does work well in some careers, but for many others, having the knowledge and experience of multiple skills is a plus. Your skills, comprehension, and abilities may help you advance your career or hamper your progress. Understanding the skills that you have right now and what you could learn in the future will help guide you in the right direction.

Self motivation, communication, problem solving, and time management are a few non-technical skills—or soft skills—that are in demand. They are the top skills employers search for in candidates. Soft skills are defined as character traits and interpersonal skills that relate to how a person interacts with other people. These skills are not tied to a profession, by definition, but rather they relate to our personalities and are considered highly transferable skills. Mentoring and coaching are ways to build on soft skills in the workplace, as they both allow for feedback and guidance towards effective strategies.

You may have developed many skills over the years that are more specific to a profession or career. These technical, or hard skills are defined as objective and are obtained through training, hands-on experience, or education. Some hard skills can also be transferable, such as coding, writing, marketing, investing, and many others. You can learn hard skills through workshops, on-the-job training, continuing education courses, online videos, social media platforms, and other ways.

Hard and soft skills can be used collectively throughout different industries, and both are great ways to utilize skill stacking. Employers often seek out candidates with the right combination of technical and nontechnical skills that will add value to their organizations. One way to find out skills you want to learn is to understand what approach you would like to take towards learning. Learn new skills that challenge you and that will help you to become a better version of yourself.

Devona Martin is senior account executive at Kelly Services, a global leader in workforce management solutions.