If we start reading job advertisements from various industries, we will see that the employers require experience in most of these ads. We see things like “at least five-plus years’ experience,” “ten-plus years’ experience in a similar role,” etc. In some cases, it makes sense to inform a candidate how much experience is needed for the position. One year of experience is not considered sufficient in most cases, while no experience whatsoever makes finding a job for young people a real challenge.
There are highly talented people out there who may be just perfect for the job you have within your company, due to their set of skills, but are lacking the years of experience you require in that advert.
Many companies claim that they hire people with potential, but, in reality, hiring managers and companies are preselecting candidates based on their years of experience. But talent has nothing to do with experience. Just take some time to find out why it is better to focus on hiring people based on their skills and talents than on their experience.
The fact that someone does not have previous experience in a particular position does not mean that he or she won’t be able to succeed. In fact, the contrary is proven every single day. Most people love challenges and are more than willing to work hard and strive to prove that they are trustworthy if you, as an employer, give credit to their skills and strengths.
Just think about the situation in which an employee is promoted to manager. That employee may have several years of experience in his former position but no experience at all in the position of a manager. Yet, he or she may be able to do a great job and become a real asset to the company, driven by the desire to prove themselves worthy and motivated by the chance to develop from a professional point of view.
Other examples would be the creation of a new position due to the advancement of technology or when a company decides to hire college graduates that have no previous experience. If the persons hired for open positions are chosen based on their set of skills and talents, even if they never occupied a similar position in their past or never had a job, the chances of them succeeding and performing exceptionally are very high.
Believe it or not, many companies choose their CEOs among people who have never dealt with such positions before in their lives; therefore, they have no experience to help them out. Famous examples of people with no experience who ended up being successful CEOs, driven by their desire to succeed and talents, are Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs. All of them have brilliant minds and took their companies to the realms of ultimate success, although they had no experience of how to make this work when they started.
But when you put your entire attention, efforts, dedication, and motivation toward achieving amazing results, success is guaranteed. The answer lies in the power to adapt, learn, and continue regardless of what lies ahead. And there are many people out there who may have amazing skills and talents, people who can indeed bring great contributions to the success of your company.
But if you look for a certain amount of experience, you may pass by these people and not find them, denying your business the chance to enjoy real talented people among its employees. There are many advantages to hiring people with lesser credentials, marching more on their skills instead. One advantage would be the fact that such people may bring in a new and fresh perspective on matters, due to their lack of work history.
Not having their minds clouded by previous experiences, such employees may see things differently and provide a unique vision that will help find the best solution for a particular situation.
Also, employees with a low level of experience will be more willing to take risks, in comparison with experienced employees, because they do not have a fear of failing very well developed just yet. And we all know that taking risks sometimes is essential to obtain exceptional results. They will also start questioning the existing methods and practices, wondering if there could be a better way to do things. Thus, as a result of these inquiries, they will come up with innovations, brand new ideas, and approaches, helping your business develop at a rapid rate.
You should also keep in mind that, because they constantly have to prove themselves to compensate for their lack of experience, they most certainly will demonstrate skills in areas that are highly important, such as relationship building, finding new ways to work more efficiently, and developing proactive approaches when it comes to their job.
When a person who lacks experience is offered the chance to get hired, that person will be grateful and is more likely to stay with your company for a longer period. So don’t think that he or she will leave after you have invested time and effort to provide the knowledge required for the job because such a person will certainly not betray you. They will become loyal employees that will work hard, having a higher degree of enthusiasm and willingness to make their presence have a positive impact on your company.
Also, people with less experience may hold great talents, so there are high chances of you hiring a superstar. In very many cases, people with weak credentials end up surprising everybody else, turning out to be great assets due to their incredible talents. Those who are disregarded due to their experience-lacking background are usually the ones who deliver the most significant surprises when it comes to performance.
Conclusion
Sometimes hiring managers should trust their gut instinct when they see talent in an interview and give that person a chance to prove their quality. A.I. (artificial intelligence) can find relevant candidates within seconds, candidates that will match your requirements, but if you still keep “five-plus years of experience” and similar things in your ads, A.I. will be presenting candidates based on these criteria. And you will not only miss the excellent candidates that have ‘only’ four years of experience, but you can miss the right talent that could bring the right ideas to your company and make your fortune or help you to be more successful than before.
Everyone has the potential to learn, improve, and build up their skills; the only thing they need to get is a chance to try.