Tomasello, president of HRBuffalo, said the pandemic accelerated the use of skills-based hiring practices. For many companies, not requiring college degrees is part of a diversity and inclusion efforts.

What Buffalo businesses are looking for, Tomasello said, are candidates whose values align with a company’s business goals.

If Amazon moves forward with plans to build a $300 million facility in Niagara County, the proposed regional distribution center and warehouse likely will create upwards of 1,000 jobs.

Local recruiting experts recognize it’s a huge opportunity for the region. In an already tight labor market, however, filling those positions will require a lot of planning that Amazon will execute in phases.

“You can find great people in the market right now, but you have to be able to flex a little bit on things like qualifications, schedules and benefit packages,” said Lauren Lewis, partner at StaffBuffalo LLC. “A company really has to come to the table prepared to do those things and have those conversations.”