When a company hires, it’s common to assume that experience is the most valuable attribute a candidate can offer. It indicates a potential familiarity with the tasks associated with the role, which makes many hiring managers believe those candidates are the best option.
However, experience alone isn’t a surefire way to guarantee success. Many professionals with long tenures in their field may be set in their ways. As a result, they’ll struggle to adapt to the nuances of your workplace. Additionally, some may feel that they are fully informed regarding their fields, causing them to resist further training.
That’s why hiring for potential is often a better choice than focusing on experience. By going that route instead, you create unique opportunities that may not exist with an experienced candidate. If you’re wondering why, here’s a look at why potential matters more than experience when hiring.
You Can’t Teach Enthusiasm or a Willingness to Learn
In many cases, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn aren’t something you can teach. Even if an experienced candidate has all of the right skills, a poor attitude about skill development or learning new processes can prevent them from living up to your expectations.
When a candidate is passionate about learning and growth, that enthusiasm helps them excel. They’re driven to become the best employee possible, causing them to embrace learning opportunities at every turn.
Hard Skills Are Teachable, Making Them Solid Targets for Training
One of the main appeals of hiring a candidate with experience is that they typically possess hard skills that align with the position. However, unlike enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, hard skills are ultimately teachable.
When you have a passionate candidate that’s hungry to learn more about their profession, they’ll jump at opportunities to acquire new skills. As a result, they may pick up the intricacies of their job faster than a less willing candidate that has experience, causing them to outperform job seekers who initially seem more qualified once they get their footing.
There Are No Bad Habits to Break
With an experienced candidate, they typically approach tasks a particular way, often following processes used by past employers. In some cases, this can be problematic when they start a new job. Their habits may not align with your company’s preferences. If they’re also resistant to learning or insistent that their way is best – even though it doesn’t match what your company needs – the learning curve may be steep, or they might not grow to meet your needs.
Lesser experienced candidates with potential won’t have bad habits that need breaking. Instead, they’ll work to learn your processes, allowing you to effective mold them into the perfect employee. That leads to better long-term results and may even allow them to reach full productivity faster than their experienced counterparts.
Ultimately, hiring for potential over experience is often the better choice. If you want to find candidates that are brimming with potential, the team at The Advance Group wants to hear from you. Contact us to learn more about our recruitment services today.
