If you’re hiring early-career to mid-career talent in the next decade, you’re about to meet one of the most disrupted generations of candidates in recent history. The candidates entering your recruitment funnel today aren’t just slightly different from those of five or ten years ago—they’ve been shaped by a global crisis that fundamentally altered their skills development and career expectations.
Forage has been working with employers and the talent population, especially students, long enough to see this shift up close. The pandemic didn’t just move classes online; it reshaped learning itself. According to EAB, chronic absenteeism in high school doubled during the pandemic, and students as far back as elementary school ended the 2020–2021 school year with four to five months of “unfinished learning.” This learning gap won’t disappear overnight, and its ripple effects will continue shaping the workforce through the early 2030s.
For talent acquisition (TA) teams, this means that traditional hiring signals (such as GPAs and resumes) won’t capture a candidate’s true potential. That’s why companies are rethinking how they assess talent, turning to skills-based hiring and tools such as Forage’s virtual job simulations to bridge the gap.
Ignoring this shift isn’t an option. The real question is: How will talent teams evolve to identify, invest in, and hire the best?
A Workforce Shaped by Learning Loss
The numbers tell a stark story. Reading scores for US students have dropped to their lowest levels in 30 years. Math scores have suffered even more, with the steepest recorded declines in history. And the impact hasn’t been equal—students from under-resourced schools were hit hardest, widening existing education gaps.
Meanwhile, real-world experience also took a hit. Internships disappeared. Career fairs went virtual. The traditional pathways that helped students and early-career talent develop job readiness simply weren’t available.
For employers, this isn’t just an academic issue—it’s a talent pipeline issue. The pandemic-affected generation is entering the workforce with:
- Weaker traditional academic indicators—Lower GPAs and standardized test scores may not reflect true ability.
- Less real-world work experience—Fewer internships and hands-on opportunities mean fewer polished resumes or an understanding of the roles that align to their skills and interests.
- Higher digital proficiency but lower in-person collaboration skills—Years of remote learning and work left many early-career talent feeling unprepared for office environments.
- A demand for skill-building and mobility—Having grown up amid economic uncertainty, this cohort values flexible, fast-growth career paths over rigid, traditional ones.
If TA teams rely on outdated hiring practices, they’ll struggle to find and retain top talent.
How Employers Must Adapt
1. Redefine Hiring Signals
The best next-gen candidates may not have the polished resumes you’re used to seeing. Instead of relying on GPAs or brand-name universities, look for proof of ability through project-based work, certifications, and real-world experiences. Forage Job simulations, for example, allow candidates to demonstrate their skills in action—giving employers a clearer, more accurate measure of their potential beyond a piece of paper.
2. Focus on What Candidates Can Do, Not Just Where They’ve Been
Those who missed out on internships still have valuable skills to offer. The key is creating opportunities for them to demonstrate their capabilities, whether through job simulations, case challenges, or portfolio work—so recruiters can see their problem-solving abilities and potential firsthand.
3. Strengthen Onboarding and Development
Pandemic learning loss won’t disappear overnight. Employers who invest in pre-skilling, upskilling, mentorship, and structured development programs will gain a competitive edge in retaining and advancing top talent through internal mobility.
4. Adapt to New Candidate Expectations
Next-gen talent craves flexibility, skill-building, and meaningful work. Companies that offer clear career pathways with a focus on internal mobility, mentorship, candidate and employee education, and hybrid work options will win the battle for early- and mid-career talent.
The Future of Hiring: Skills over Signals
At Forage, we’ve seen firsthand how hiring is changing. That’s why we’re helping employers rethink how they identify, invest in, and engage talent. Our virtual job simulations give early- to mid-career talent the hands-on experience they missed while providing recruiters with high-fidelity hiring signals that go beyond a resume.
Instead of relying on outdated proxies for potential, Forage lets employers see real-world skills in action. Companies that embrace this shift, i.e., moving from credential-based hiring to capability-based hiring, will be the ones who build resilient, high-performing teams for the future.
The question isn’t whether COVID changed this generation. It’s how employers will respond.
to learn more about Forage’s virtual job simulations
