Skills Based Hiring

In today’s competitive engineering landscape, companies are rethinking traditional recruitment methods. Nowhere is this more evident than in the hiring of maintenance engineers—professionals who play a critical role in keeping operations running efficiently. One trend gaining serious momentum is skills-based hiring—a recruitment strategy that prioritizes a candidate’s practical capabilities over formal qualifications or previous job titles.

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Why skills-based hiring matters

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Historically, maintenance roles were filled by individuals who met rigid criteria—specific certifications, a certain number of years in a similar role, or a narrowly defined industry background. While this may have worked in the past, it often overlooks talented engineers who bring strong transferable skills but don’t tick every conventional box.

By focusing on what candidates can actually do, rather than where they’ve been, employers open the door to a broader and often more capable talent pool. This is especially valuable in maintenance engineering, where hands-on experience with equipment, fault-finding ability, and a proactive mindset can far outweigh a specific qualification or job title.

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What does a skills-based approach look like?

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Skills-based hiring starts with a clearer understanding of the real requirements of the role. Instead of listing generic job duties and years of experience, job descriptions should highlight the core competencies needed—for example, PLC fault diagnosis, mechanical strip-down and rebuilds, or root cause analysis.

Interview and assessment processes should then be built around testing these competencies, perhaps through practical tests, scenario-based questions, or technical problem-solving exercises. Employers may also look for evidence of continuous improvement experience, a strong safety focus, or the ability to work cross-functionally with production teams.

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The benefits for employers

Adopting a skills-first mindset offers several advantages. It helps fill roles faster in a tight labour market, reduces hiring bias, and increases the likelihood of securing someone who can hit the ground running. It also supports diversity, giving opportunities to ex-Forces engineers, those from different sectors like food or FMCG, and even self-taught professionals with proven ability.

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Skills-based hiring isn’t about lowering standards—it’s about sharpening focus. In the context of maintenance engineering, it allows employers to identify and secure practical, hands-on talent who might otherwise be overlooked. As more businesses adopt this approach, they’re not only future-proofing their teams—they’re raising the bar.
 

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