Potential vs Experience — What Are You Hiring For?

In the business world today, there is a keen debate going on among company recruiters about what to look for in job candidates.

On one side are those who believe that hiring managers should give most weight to experience, to the skills and knowledge a candidate has accumulated. They argue that you need to look at an applicant’s record of accomplishments to get a good idea of how he or she will do.

On the other side are those who place more weight on a candidate’s potential. They believe that a person’s abilities and talents should take precedence over other factors. The peron’s experience is not that important, they say, because he or she, if he has the potential, can be trained to do the job. What’s more important is the person’s “fit” with the company.

Given these competing positions, if you are a hiring manager, what should you look for? The answer, according to business experts, is it depends. It depends on the type of business you are in, your unique situation, as well as the condition of the labor market.

For example, if your company is one that has a strong learning culture, where training is a key component, then hiring for potential might be a better way to go. Or if your company is one with a strong emphasis on culture and values, hiring for potential and fit might be a better strategy.

However, if your company is just starting up, you may have an immediate need for people with certain experience and skills, people who can come in and move the ball right away. In this situation, you cannot afford any lag time it might take for someone to get up to speed, even though he may have high potential.

Also, some jobs by their very nature require knowledge and experience of a very specialized set of skills. In this case as well, you would be looking for someone with experience as opposed to someone with potential. Moreover, if a business is expanding with new products or into new markets, the need here is for someone with experience who can drive the expansion, rather than someone with potential.

So, in the debate between experience and potential, there are a number of variables that come into play. What you look for depends on a number of factors, such things as what your forecasted needs are, your company culture, the age and maturity of the company, the requirements of the job, and the resources available to help new hires.

If you are an employer in the Inland Empire and are looking for top-notch workers, Arrow Staffing can help you with superior service. Give us a call today

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