Open this photo in gallery:
dragana991/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to receive it in your inbox.
Most hiring managers know the feeling. A candidate confidently lists a long list of in-demand skills, but something about the conversation suggests the expertise may not be as deep as the résumé implies.
That instinct is becoming more common as employers navigate what experts are calling “skill fishing,” which is the practice of claiming proficiency in sought-after workplace skills without the experience to back it up.
Unlike the occasional résumé embellishment or creative reframing of past experience, skill fishing involves presenting yourself as fully proficient in specific, job-ready capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data analysis or coding.
“AI is the accelerant because it’s created a category of skills that everyone can claim, and what everyone claims is getting a little harder to prove,” says Leena Rinne, vice-president of leadership, business and coaching at skills management platform Skillsoft. “It also gives candidates the tools to write a more polished, keyword-loaded application.”
Ms. Rinne says technical capabilities are frequent examples, but so are so-called “power skills” such as problem-solving, judgment and teamwork, which are often even harder to evaluate during the hiring process.
As organizations shift toward skills-based hiring, she says many still struggle to accurately assess whether candidates possess the abilities they claim.
“Many organizations will just fall back on what the manager perceives as the candidate’s capability,” Ms. Rinne says, pointing to recent Skillsoft research that found 29 per cent of leaders rely primarily on manager perception to evaluate employee skills.
One of the clearest warning signs of skill fishing is the way candidates describe their experience.
“They can describe the tool that they use, but they actually can’t walk you through anything specific in terms of an outcome that they delivered,” she says.
Instead of focusing on buzzwords or the latest technology, Ms. Rinne recommends interviewers dig into real examples by asking candidates to explain specific workflows, decisions they made and measurable results they achieved.
For job seekers, the risks of overstating skills can be significant. Once the gap between claimed and actual capability becomes apparent, trust can erode quickly, potentially damaging a person’s professional reputation.
Fast fact
Workforce wipeout
2.1 per cent
That’s how much of its global workforce Microsoft eliminated on July 6 with about 4,800 workers affected.
Career guidance
Hiring help
What do you do when your business is growing fast and you need to hire but the budget isn’t there yet?
According to this article from the Business Development Bank of Canada, a business loan can help cover recruitment and payroll costs when hiring needs arise unexpectedly. Working capital loans are generally the best option for salaries and onboarding, but businesses should plan carefully, budget for the full cost of hiring and ensure borrowing supports long-term growth rather than becoming a permanent solution.
Quoted
Cheating culture
“In the past few years, the way young people value their education has shifted. Universities are increasingly corporatized. They function as businesses, oriented toward maximizing revenue: professors are rewarded for grants and publications rather than leadership or mentorship and students are reduced to head counts and tuition dollars. In turn, students behave like customers. It’s a fee for service: they pay their tuition and expect good grades and a degree. Learning becomes superfluous,” writes Western University professor Jacob Shelley.
In this Maclean’s column, Mr. Shelley argues that cheating has been normalized by both a corporatized university system and by broader societal examples of dishonesty going unpunished.
On our radar
Founder funding
Canadian universities are taking a more active role in helping researchers turn scientific discoveries into successful companies. The University of Toronto and McMaster University have launched a new $40-million venture fund to back life sciences startups, part of a broader push to keep more innovation and its economic benefits in Canada.
Read more