Looking to analyze your entire spec catalog at once? Use Reports for Bulk Analysis instead.
Common Use Cases
The Skills-Based Hiring Assessment helps you review what a class specification is actually screening for, and whether each requirement is truly justified by the demands of the job.
Beyond flagging requirements for further review, Holly generates suggested replacement language that reframes credentials around demonstrated competency, giving you a concrete starting point for rewriting job postings or updating class specifications without starting from scratch. Below are some of the ways this analysis can help you:
Modernizing Outdated Class Specifications
Many class specifications haven't been updated in years and carry legacy credential requirements that no longer reflect how the work is actually done. The Skills-Based Hiring Assessment helps you identify which requirements are worth keeping and which can be rewritten to better reflect current competencies.
Supporting Skills-Based Hiring Initiatives
Before posting a position, the Skills-Based Hiring Assessment gives you a clear picture of what you're actually asking candidates to demonstrate — and whether the current language will attract the right pool. Combined with Holly's Generate Interview Questions analysis, you can move from a revised spec to a structured interview guide quickly.
Comparing Skills Across Classifications
Because the analysis extracts and categorizes the underlying competencies of a role, it also supports classification work. Understanding what a job actually requires — independent of its title or historical credential norms — helps users compare positions more accurately, build defensible job series, and explain compensation relationships between roles.
How to Run a Skills-Based Hiring Analysis
Navigate to the Class Specs tab and open the specification you want to analyze
Click the Analyze button in the top action bar
Select the "Skills-based hiring" analysis type from the menu
The analysis will begin running, as indicated by a box in the bottom right with a loading circle. You can expand / resize this window to see the progress on the analysis.
Analysis Methodology
Holly reads the full text of the class specification and applies a structured framework to identify, categorize, and evaluate every stated requirement. The goal is to help the user determine which requirements are truly essential for job performance and which may be acting as proxies for skills that could be demonstrated through other means.
Step 1: Requirement Identification
Holly scans the specification and extracts all traditional requirements, including:
Education requirements
Experience requirements
Certifications and licenses
Technical skills and tool proficiencies
How Each Requirement Type is Evaluated
How Each Requirement Type is Evaluated
Education requirements (e.g., degree minimums): Holly flags degree requirements that function as a proxy for knowledge or skills that could be demonstrated through experience.
Experience requirements (e.g., years of prior work): Arbitrary years-of-experience thresholds are evaluated for whether they reflect specific skill outcomes or simply time served.
Certifications and licenses: Holly distinguishes between credentials that are legally required for the role (e.g., a CPA for signing financial statements, or a state license for a regulated function) and those listed as preferred qualifications that could be replaced with direct skills assessment.
Technical skills and tool proficiencies: Overly tool-specific requirements (e.g., "Advanced Microsoft Excel required") are evaluated for whether they reflect the underlying competency (data analysis) rather than a specific product.
Step 2: Necessity Assessment
Each identified requirement is assessed against one of four necessity levels:
Critical: Absolutely essential for job performance or required by law or regulation. No reasonable alternative exists.
Important: Significantly contributes to job performance, but alternatives may exist.
Beneficial: Helpful for the role but can be developed on the job or substituted with related skills.
Unnecessary: Creates a barrier to entry without a clear, demonstrable link to job performance.
Step 3: Barrier-to-Entry Analysis
Holly flags requirements that may function as unnecessary barriers — screening out candidates who have the skills to do the job but lack the specific credential. The analysis evaluates whether each requirement is:
Directly linked to a specific job function or legal obligation
Used as a shorthand or proxy for skills that can be assessed directly
Structured in language that limits the candidate pool without improving job fit
Step 4: Alternative Qualification Assessment
For each requirement, Holly assesses how much flexibility exists in how a candidate might demonstrate the underlying competency. Four levels are used:
Not Applicable: No reasonable alternative exists (e.g., a legally mandated license). The requirement stands as-is.
Limited Alternatives: Specialized knowledge is difficult to obtain outside traditional pathways, but alternatives are possible with rigorous assessment.
Multiple Alternatives: The skill is commonly developed through varied pathways. Portfolios, work samples, or skills assessments could substitute.
Fully Flexible: The competency can be assessed directly during the hiring process. Traditional credentials create unnecessary barriers.
Working with Your Results
Analysis results are displayed in sections within the floating window. Each section covers a different aspect of the analysis.
Copying Sections
Each section includes a Copy button, so you can quickly copy a specific part of the analysis to paste into an email, document, or internal note.
Exporting Your Results
From any analysis window, click Export to download the results as a docx file. This is useful for:
Sharing findings with supervisors or legal teams
Documenting your review process
Including in board presentations or audit files
For more on how other analysis that can be run on a class specification, see Running Analyses on Your Class Specifications.