When to consider hiring candidates without experience

Workee Team
When to consider hiring candidates without experience
We all can agree that the Covid-19 times are highly paradoxical: while consumer demand is growing, the hiring process remains a challenge.
For some, Covid-19 was beneficial: the number of jobs in warehouses and e-commerce is growing rapidly. But it has caused serious problems for other industries: restaurants, retail and hotels are still struggling with the personnel shortage since the majority of workers have decided to find a job in the areas not affected, or created, by the pandemic.

If you come from an industry with a personnel shortage, you are probably missing out on a large number of potential employees – candidates without experience. Just because people have no industry experience, it doesn’t mean they can’t become an asset for your company, and this is why:

They are productive. One of the greatest benefits of hiring inexperienced people, whether they are young graduates or people who have changed careers, is that these workers seek to take over the world. These candidates are waiting for an opportunity and when they find it, they give their all to meet expectations. Their motivation can trigger a chain effect and infect other team members with that spirit. A motivated and satisfied worker is also a more effective worker.

You don’t have to re-educate them. People who don’t have work experience also don’t have bad work habits. This factor can work in favor of the organization, since they can better adapt to your needs. People who have many years of experience generally have a defined way of working and relating. In contrast, young candidates who find their first opportunity are open to learning, training and adapting.

Experienced staff require a higher salary. The salary of an inexperienced person is usually lower than that of a person with a lot of experience. Since for many it is their first experience in the labor market, they are ready to get a lower salary than a senior or specialist.

Ideally, companies offer a salary increase to show appreciation for good performance every time their employees successfully meet the objectives of their position or when they achieve certification in something.

Thankful contributors. Experienced staff will likely think that they can get any job they apply for, due to the experience they have. But someone without experience is eager to start working and learning. This means that since it is their first job, there is a greater possibility that a relationship based on loyalty and commitment will be established between the employer and the employee.

Inexperienced doesn’t equal uneducated. One of the main questions that organizations have before hiring an inexperienced person is to do with education. It is often believed that someone with no work experience will know nothing or take longer to adjust to the needs of the business than someone who has worked for years. However, this is not true. Young recent graduates who finally get a job will make an effort to apply their knowledge the way the company wants them to. And when it comes to people with many years of experience, they have defined their way of working and not all are open to training and doing things differently. Experienced personnel must be trained more than once.

They are flexible and forward-thinking. Young people starting their professional careers today are the workers that the future needs, not only because of their skills related to the job in the sector in which they work, but because they have new visions about the job itself. Working hours, willingness to travel and flexibility added to their optimism give them more capacity to anticipate, adapt to change and make it part of the organizational strategy.

To sum it up, companies should stop focusing on work experience and expand their horizons. In these difficult times of staff shortage, there is no need to put all of your time and resources into finding a person with years of previous experience who will perfectly fit the position, because the person who can contribute to your company best may just have graduated or changed careers. If you’re willing to invest time and expertise in your employees, experienced or not, it can lead to a stronger business environment, greater worker satisfaction and increased productivity.

We hope that our key points will help you be more open-minded about hiring inexperienced workers.

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Read more: Step-by-step guide to hiring with Workee