Any hiring manager wants to hire and keep great talent. And when it comes to finding qualified candidates, the people with the most experience and skill often get the most attention. But the problem with this approach is that it assumes that past performance is a measure of future success. The thing is, there really aren’t any guarantees.
This is but one of many reasons why hiring for potential is just as important as hiring for experience. A person’s potential basically refers to their capacity to grow and develop an unrealized ability. It lies in an individual’s ability to solve problems, awareness and dependability.
Not convinced? Listed below are a few reasons to factor potential when hiring people.
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Education is Important, But Not That Important
A candidate’s educational background is certainly important, but how well a person did in school (i.e., their grades) doesn’t guarantee similar success in the workplace. In fact, a truly intelligent person may not have had the motivation to do well in college. Bottom line? Ruling out candidates without any higher education limits your list of competent candidates.
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Candidates With High Potential Are Often Hungrier
Candidates with high potential have the urge to acquire experience and skill because they understand the need to constantly improve themselves. They recognize the need to “level up” in a world where it’s not just enough to be good at one thing—you need to have as wide a range of skills as possible to be a real asset to the company.
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Not All Experience is the Same
Many companies make the mistake of ignoring candidates who have spent years acquiring specific skills they happen to be looking for, only because, for example, they didn’t work for some Fortune 500 company. But when you think about it, is working at a Fortune 500 company more valuable than years of training?
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People Embellish Their Resumes
Let’s face it, a candidate’s resume is their marketing pitch to you as an employer, so you can expect there to be a few embellishments here and there. A resume provides a useful snapshot of a candidate’s skills and past work, but it tells you little about their leadership qualities, character, work ethic and grit—all of which have more to do with potential.
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Hiring for Potential Factors in Cultural Fit
Understanding how likely a candidate will fit in with your organizational culture is something many companies often ignore at their peril. A candidate with a long list of career accomplishments is worthless if they can’t get along with your team or don’t agree with your values and vision.
To find more workforce management insights and guides, stay tuned to this blog. If you are looking for highly skilled talent with high potential but have trouble finding them, let the staffing services specialists of Star Staffing help! Contact our team to learn more about how our staffing solutions can help you.