Build a 'skills receipt'
Hiring conversations are shifting from polished resumes to concrete evidence—candidates who bring measurable proofs of impact (issue → action → tools → result) are closing better offers. Practical deliverables like a 30–60–90 plan, sample project, or GitHub demos are being used as negotiation leverage by new grads. (youtube.com)
TestGorilla’s 2025 state-of-skills-based-hiring report finds employers who use skills-based hiring are more satisfied with hires—34% report being “very satisfied” versus 18% for employers that don’t use skills-based hiring. (testgorilla.com (testgorilla.com)) That same industry guidance highlights resume screening as a persistent problem—86% of U.S. employers in the TestGorilla survey reported issues with resumes as a reliable signal of fit. (hrmorning.com (hrmorning.com)) Harvard Business Review recommends work-sample tests that mimic actual job tasks as “the best indicators of future performance,” which explains why hiring teams are asking for concrete deliverables rather than relying on CV text alone. (hbr.org (hbr.org)) A landmark meta-analysis (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998) reports work-sample tests with predictive-validity around r =.54—slightly higher than general mental ability at r =.51—supporting the shift toward evidence-of-work in selection. (emilkirkegaard.dk (emilkirkegaard.dk)) Recruitment guides and platforms now explicitly recommend deliverables: Indeed’s updated 30–60–90 plan guidance (Feb 27, 2026) lists it as a late-stage interview asset, and GitHub’s official docs advise linking a curated profile to demonstrate real code contributions. (ca.indeed.com (ca.indeed.com)) (docs.github.com (docs.github.com)) Career hubs and community resources document the practice for new grads: UC San Diego’s career blog names “skills receipts” (work samples + 90‑day plans) as ways to move from applicant to top-tier candidate, and the community-maintained GitHub repo “negotiating-major-swe-offers” collects concrete negotiation tactics used by recent grads. (unex-careerhub.ucsd.edu (unex-careerhub.ucsd.edu)) (github.com (github.com)) Employer and recruiter materials treat evidence-of-impact as bargaining power: SHRM and major recruiter guides include negotiation scripts and templates for recent-graduate offers, and hiring-playbook research shows organizations using skills-based assessments are more likely to drop degree requirements and rely on tangible work samples. (shrm.org (shrm.org)) (indeed.com (indeed.com))
