When you need to fill a position, there are probably two things that are at the top of your list: qualifications and experience. But do you really need to tick both boxes?
In staffing and recruitment, qualifications matter. Of course they do. After all, there’s zero point hiring a candidate for a logistics position if they’re not qualified to drive!
But experience is different. Unlike qualifications, experience isn’t directly linked to what a candidate technically can or cannot do. Instead, experience is more about the situations a person has previously worked in, and what they’ve learnt on the job.
For a growing number of businesses today, experience isn’t all that important.
Why Consider Inexperienced Candidates?
It’s becoming clear that experience isn’t everything. And interestingly, there are quite a number of benefits to hiring those that are less experienced. For example…
You have access to more talent and potential:
As soon as you add ‘5+ years experience’ into a job description, you’ve automatically alienated a significant pool of talent. The pay off from being willing to accept those with less experience can be huge, giving you access to more passionate, qualified, and skilled candidates to increase the chance of a successful hire.
You can drive innovation:
When a workforce is made up only of those who share the same type of experience and level of experience, everyone will naturally view challenges in the same way. When bringing onboard those with broader experiences in other sectors – or even no work experience – you can build a more diverse team of people who approach things differently.
You’re able to shape your business’ future:
One of the biggest obstacles businesses face during the onboarding process is that new hires have developed their own ways of working that aligned with their previous environment. Inexperienced hires, however, may often be more open minded and ‘mouldable’, allowing you to shape your workforce from scratch.
Experience doesn’t always mean satisfaction:
It’s important to remember that experience doesn’t go hand-in-hand with enjoyment. Just because someone has been working in the industry for many years, it doesn’t mean they love what they do, or that they’re keen to keep developing their skills. That comes from passion. Satisfied workers are happy, productive, valuable employees.
Of course, there are many instances where experience can be advantageous. But recruiters and businesses shouldn’t place as much emphasis on it as they are doing. There’s a lot to be gained from extending your reach beyond your usual talent pool.