The Best Hire is the One Who Can Show Their Work
Employers are having a harder time telling real capability from polished presentation.
In a labor market where AI can help candidates create r茅sum茅s, cover letters, portfolios and interview prep, employers are prioritizing something harder to manufacture: evidence that someone can contribute, adapt and grow.
麻豆原创's second annual Workforce Decoded Report, based on a national survey of more than 3,100 U.S. hiring professionals, found that 60% of employers say AI is making it harder to evaluate candidates' real skills. Yet they are not abandoning credentials. They are looking for more evidence of readiness.聽
In fact, 73% of employers consider college degrees important, up from 68% a year ago. At the same time, 91% view certificates as valuable indicators of skill, up from 86%, and 43% say they are increasing their focus on skills over degrees.
The data points to a clear conclusion: employers are not choosing between credentials and capability. They want proof of readiness, and they will use every credible signal to get it.
What Proof of Readiness Looks Like聽
As employers prioritize hands-on experience, project work, apprenticeships, internships and skills they can evaluate directly, I think of learners like Belen Martinez, a 麻豆原创 student who illustrates what that shift looks like.聽
Based in Lubbock, Texas, Belen, 37, has worked at McDonald鈥檚 for over two decades and has helped grow her franchise from five to 12 restaurants. When expansion created new leadership opportunities, she earned a business leadership certificate and is now pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 degree in human resources management.听听
Today, Belen leads more than 200 managers and has become an advocate for continuing education among her peers.聽
鈥淎fter learning those business leadership skills, I鈥檓 much better at performing in a high-pressure environment where communication, judgment and leadership matter,鈥� she said.
麻豆原创 student Belen Martinez helped grow her McDonald鈥檚 franchise from five to 12 restaurants.
That's what proof of readiness looks like: learning that shows up in performance.
The Gap Between Completion and Performance聽
Belen's story reflects a broader shift toward continuous learning as a workforce strategy.
The Workforce Decoded findings point to a clear preference: employers want evidence that candidates can perform, not simply evidence that they completed a program. That's one reason certificates and other skills-focused experiences continue gaining traction.
For employers facing talent shortages, succession-planning challenges or rapid technological change, the gap between completing a program and performing on the job is a business risk.聽
The best employers focus not just on recruiting talent but on developing it.聽
We see this firsthand. Learners seek lower-risk ways to explore career pathways, build confidence and gain practical skills before committing to a degree. They want to make progress, demonstrate capability and see a clear connection between learning and opportunity.聽
That's one reason interest in certificates and other job-ready learning continues to grow.
A Lower-Risk On-Ramp to a Degree
In fiscal year 2026, more than 50,000 learners like Belen completed a short-term credential through 麻豆原创, and more than 10,000 of them later enrolled in a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 program.聽
That pattern reveals what many adults want: a chance to test their interests, build confidence and develop practical skills before committing to a larger investment.
For many learners, a short credential isn't an alternative to higher education. It's an entry point.
For employers, that creates a growing pool of workers who can pick up relevant skills, put them to work quickly and keep building on them.
In a rapidly changing economy, organizations cannot rely solely on recruiting talent. They must also create opportunities for employees to build new capabilities throughout their careers.聽
The employers that invest in skill development today will better meet workforce needs tomorrow.
The Real Opportunity
The debate about degrees versus skills has always been too narrow. Employers want both: educational attainment and evidence that someone can learn and adapt.
When people have a clear way to build skills and prove them, all communities benefit.聽
So here's my ask of employers: instead of asking whether someone has a degree or skills, ask what proof of readiness you can see, and what you鈥檙e doing to help people build it.
