Skill-Based Talent Discovery Platform: A Next-Generation Hiring Approach to Bridge the Degree-Skill Gap

Today’s job market is dominated by certification-based hiring, where degrees often overshadow practical skills. This results in graduates lacking real-world expertise securing jobs, while skilled self-learners from economically weaker backgrounds remain unemployed. According to NASSCOM, only 25% of Indian engineering graduates are employable in core fields. This paper proposes a Skill-Based Talent Discovery Platform, a system where companies post real-world skill tests and tasks, and individuals solve them to showcase their capabilities. Companies can hire top performers based on merit rather than degrees. The proposed platform aims to bridge the gap between education and employability, empowering hidden talent and enabling industries to hire job-ready candidates. The paper discusses the system’s architecture, workflow, benefits, challenges, and societal impact, and highlights its potential as a transformative hiring model.