Finding the perfect fit for a tech role can feel like searching for a unicorn. To add to this challenge, strict requirements from hiring managers can add another layer of complication to already stressful candidate searches. But what if there was a way to expand your talent database and find those hidden gems more easily?

A conflicting set of dynamics challenges today’s hiring market. On the one hand, the tech layoffs that started in 2022 have continued, making tech professionals with high-demand skills nervous. On the other hand, heightened exuberance for emerging technologies like generative AI are putting an even higher premium on technology talent and creating a technology talent gap. The stakes are high: companies struggling to recruit that talent are already putting off strategic projects, leading to a potential $8.5 trillion in unrealized revenues by 2030.

For recruiters, the talent gap shows up as not enough technology candidates to fill the available roles, as well as candidates that seem to have the right tech credentials (e.g. degree and work history) without the right skills for the current moment.That combination of a tight talent market and rapid changes in high-demand skills are driving more HR leaders to embrace skill-based talent management.