Learn, Unlearn, Relearn: What the Future of Hiring Demands

The way organisations hire and the way people build careers are being rewritten at the same time. Degrees and years of experience, once the safest signals of a good candidate, no longer guarantee long-term success. Skills go out of date faster than job descriptions can be revised. AI and automation are reaching into roles never considered technical, leaving employees unsure whether to fear the technology or learn to work with it. Employers hiring at scale face a harder question: how do you identify potential, not just past performance, when roles keep evolving? And as AI enters recruitment itself, there is a real worry about what happens to the human judgement that hiring has always depended on.

To address these concerns, we spoke to Lalitha M Shetty, Vice President – HR at Omega Healthcare, an expert who sees these shifts first-hand in healthcare operations. In this Q&A, she explains how the "ideal candidate" is being redefined around learning agility, why the degree is becoming one part of the talent equation rather than the whole of it, and why digital confidence and AI literacy matter more than deep technical expertise. She argues that AI is changing the nature of work more than eliminating it, and that reskilling and internal mobility must sit alongside external hiring. She also names the qualities, such as empathy, accountability and sound judgement, that will always need a human in the loop, and closes with advice on staying employable by learning, unlearning and relearning.

How has the definition of an "ideal candidate" changed over the past decade, and is learning agility now valued as much as what a candidate already knows?

The definition of an ideal candidate has evolved significantly over the past decade. Earlier, organisations often placed greater emphasis on educational qualifications, years of experience and specific career credentials. Today, while these continue to be important, they are no longer the only indicators of a candidate’s potential or future success.

In a rapidly evolving sector such as healthcare operations, organisations increasingly look for a combination of adaptability, domain understanding, problem-solving ability, communication skills and comfort with technology. The ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing processes, technologies and business requirements has become particularly valuable.

In fact, I would say that learning agility is increasingly becoming a differentiator, not just an additional competency. An organisation may hire someone for the skills they bring today, but their longer-term value will depend on how quickly they can acquire the skills that the role will require tomorrow.

An ideal candidate today is therefore someone who brings the right foundational knowledge but is also willing to continuously learn and develop. Employers are increasingly looking beyond what a candidate knows today and assessing how effectively they can acquire new skills, apply them in unfamiliar situations and contribute as the role evolves.

Also Read:

The Résumé Is Losing Its Grip on India's Job Market

As organizations hire at global scale, how far are they moving from degrees and conventional credentials towards skills, domain knowledge and potential?

There is a growing shift towards skills- and capability-based hiring, particularly for roles where practical knowledge, execution and adaptability are critical. Educational qualifications continue to serve as an important foundation and screening criterion, but employers are increasingly looking beyond the credential to understand what a candidate can actually bring to the role.

Functional skills, domain knowledge, communication, analytical thinking, problem-solving and learning agility are becoming increasingly important considerations during hiring. This is particularly relevant for organisations operating at scale, where there is a need to identify not just experienced professionals but also candidates with the potential to grow into roles.

I don't see this as a move away from degrees altogether. Rather, the degree is becoming one part of the talent equation rather than the equation itself. The more important question is whether a candidate can demonstrate the capabilities required to perform and grow in the role.

For a large and diverse workforce such as India’s, identifying potential and trainability can be just as important as prior experience. A candidate may not always have exposure to every technology or process from day one, but if they demonstrate curiosity, a willingness to learn and the ability to apply their knowledge, they can develop into strong contributors.

How have AI, automation and digital tools changed the technology proficiency expected from employees, and does it now mean digital confidence rather than technical expertise?

Technology is becoming an essential part of almost every role, including positions that were traditionally considered non-technical. In healthcare operations, for instance, employees increasingly work with digital workflows, automation and AI-enabled tools that can support processes, improve accuracy and enhance productivity.

However, the expectation is not that every employee becomes a technology specialist. Rather, employees need to be comfortable working alongside technology and understand how digital tools can be used effectively in their roles. This includes being open to new systems, understanding how automation affects workflows, questioning and validating outputs where required, and using data and technology to support better decision-making.

The larger shift is therefore towards digital confidence and AI literacy rather than purely technical expertise. We will increasingly see a distinction between knowing how a technology is built and knowing how to work effectively with it.

Employees who are willing to embrace new technologies, ask the right questions and understand how these tools can augment their existing capabilities will be better positioned to succeed as workplaces become increasingly technology driven.

Is AI leading organizations to hire fewer people, or is it primarily changing the nature of jobs?

I believe AI and automation are primarily changing the nature of work and the skills required, rather than simply reducing the need for people.

As repetitive and process-driven activities become increasingly automated, employees can focus more of their time on areas that require domain expertise, judgement, quality oversight, problem-solving and complex decision-making. The opportunity is not simply to do the same work faster, but to rethink how work itself gets done.

This transition will inevitably change some roles and create demand for new capabilities. Employees may need to move from performing repetitive tasks to managing technology-enabled processes, interpreting information, validating AI-generated outputs or taking on responsibilities that require greater judgement and expertise.

This also places a greater responsibility on organisations to invest in reskilling and upskilling their workforce. The future of work should not be viewed simply through the lens of jobs being replaced, but through how jobs can evolve and how employees can be equipped to take on these new responsibilities.

The organisations that will navigate this transition well are those that see technology and talent as complementary investments rather than competing ones. Technology may change the work, but people will determine how effectively that technology creates value.

Also Read:

The Future of GCCs in an Agentic AI World

How will hiring evolve over the next five to ten years, and what role will upskilling and internal mobility play alongside external recruitment?

I expect hiring to become increasingly skill-led, technology-enabled and focused on potential. AI and other digital tools can make sourcing, screening, assessments and candidate matching more efficient, helping organisations manage recruitment at greater scale.

At the same time, hiring cannot be reduced to simply finding candidates who meet a predefined set of criteria. As the half-life of skills continues to shorten, organisations will increasingly need to assess whether candidates have the ability and willingness to learn new skills as roles continue to evolve.

This will also change the balance between “buying” talent externally and “building” talent internally. For employers operating at scale, the ability to identify the right talent will need to go hand in hand with building talent internally.

Upskilling, career development and internal mobility will therefore become increasingly important parts of the overall talent strategy. Organisations will need to get better at identifying adjacent skills and giving employees opportunities to move into emerging roles rather than assuming that every new capability has to be hired from outside.

The organisations that can identify potential early, create meaningful career pathways and provide employees with opportunities to grow will have a stronger advantage in a competitive talent market.

Which parts of hiring will always need human judgement, even as AI becomes part of recruitment?

While technology can significantly improve recruitment efficiency and help assess certain skills, human judgement will remain essential in evaluating qualities such as communication, empathy, collaboration, leadership potential, cultural alignment and the ability to handle ambiguity.

These are often qualities that become visible through conversations, interactions and real-world situations rather than through a standardised assessment alone. Human judgement is particularly important when evaluating whether a candidate can work effectively with others, respond to unexpected situations and take ownership of their responsibilities.

At the same time, I believe the future is not about AI versus human judgement. It is about using AI to improve the quality and speed of the process while ensuring that important decisions retain appropriate human oversight.

This is especially relevant in healthcare, where work ultimately impacts patients and people. Qualities such as empathy, accountability, responsibility and sound judgement have a significant role to play. Technology can support the hiring process and provide valuable insights, but it cannot completely replace the human understanding required to evaluate these qualities.

Also Read:

Escaping the Rat Race: Redefining Success in Today’s Times

What should students and professionals do today to stay employable, and how important are continuous learning and the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn?

Students and professionals need to focus on building a combination of domain expertise, AI and digital literacy, communication and problem-solving skills. Having a strong understanding of one’s domain will remain important, but professionals will also need to understand how technology is transforming that domain and be willing to adapt accordingly.

Rather than viewing technology as a threat, employees should learn to use it to augment their capabilities and improve the way they work. This requires curiosity, openness to learning and a willingness to continuously update one’s skills.

I would also emphasise the importance of continuous learning and reskilling. The skills that are highly relevant today may evolve significantly as technology and business models change. Professionals who develop the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn will therefore be better equipped to remain relevant.

But continuous learning should not mean constantly chasing every new technology or trend. It is about developing the ability to understand what is changing in your profession, identify which capabilities will matter next and deliberately build those capabilities.

Ultimately, employability will increasingly be defined not only by what a person knows, but by how effectively they can apply their knowledge, adapt to change, work with technology and continue learning throughout their career.