Businessman interviewing female candidate for job in office.

Talent shortages can be found in every industry, but should they be?  One of the most overlooked aspects when searching for new talent is what the potential employee actually has the potential to do, as opposed to what is listed on their particular resume.  Every employee you hire into your organization is going to be trained to your specifications and systems, so the smartest organizations have their new hires up and running quicker, while the others waste time and money trying to find that “perfect fit” candidate.

There are many reasons why under-qualified candidates may be the preferable hires for an organization, apart from already mentioned time saving aspect:

  1. Loyalty – The fact that they are inexperienced probably indicates a lack of employment history, or at least a very limited presence in whatever industry for which you are hiring.  These employees tend to remember who took a chance with them, and this can translate into savings for an organization in the form of better productivity and attendance, and a lack of attrition or turnover.
  2. Abundance – There are almost a million young and inexperienced workers entering the workforce each year without any real world experience of that which they studied in school, so it is not necessary to spend large amounts of money to find and/or recruit them.  Additionally, they may bring fresh perspective and vigor into your organization
  3. Cheaper – While this may sound crass, it is also true that these employees new to your particular industry have yet to establish a proven track record, and this will enable you to hire them at a lower rate of pay than the more experienced job seekers.  This also allows for a much higher ceiling for which they can aspire as they prove themselves within your organization.
  4. They are malleable – Every new hire requires a certain level of training, regardless of their level of experience.  New skills are easy to train, but old skills and habits are much harder to break.  Most under-qualified candidates have not had time to develop any bad habits.  They are less jaded and eager to learn.

Approached with the correct vision, and paired with experienced mentors, these inexperienced new hires can very easily become some of your best and most productive team employees.  If handled correctly these inexperienced employees that you have hired today, will be your organizations mentors of tomorrow.

David Klein is a leading Executive IT Recruiter & Headhunter with over 15 years industry experience.  As Manager of Recruitment Strategy for KDS Staffing, Inc., he has achieved industry-leading success. David has successfully led, trained and introduced many in the art of Executive Recruitment and Headhunting. If you or your organization would like to discuss hiring needs, contact David at 646-650-2833 or david@kdsstaffing.com.