When Should You Give the Inexperienced Job Seeker a Chance?

Hiring and training a new employee is an expensive and time-consuming process; if the successful candidate doesn't work out, the company is out a considerable amount of time and money. Fearing the costs of a failed hiring process, many managers are unwilling to consider an inexperienced job seeker. By learning to recognize situations that warrant the additional risk, you can snap up employees with high potential and build a more powerful team.

Cultural Fit

Companies with strong corporate cultures often make hiring decisions based in part on personality; after all, a poor cultural fit can negatively impact productivity. When you are looking to build a strong team, it pays to consider an inexperienced job seeker who has an immediate rapport with the rest of the group. After all, the perfect fit for your team can be far rarer than a person with years of experience. In the end, hard skills can be taught, but personality is essentially fixed.

Budget Issues

When you need additional support on a low budget, an inexperienced job seeker can be the ideal solution. Less experienced workers are often willing to accept a lower salary than seasoned professionals, so you can get full-time help without making sacrifices elsewhere. As an added benefit, a worker who knows that he is a risk is likely to display enthusiasm for the position and go above and beyond to prove himself to the company.

Relevant Experience

Inexperienced job seekers are not just new college graduates; they may be older workers switching from a different industry or looking to change career directions. When you take a chance on these workers, you gain the benefit of their supplementary knowledge. A professional with years of accounting experience might bring a new, more grounded perspective to a creative team, for example, while a former graphic designer may bring a human-centered focus to a software programming group.

Quick Hiring

The nature of the hiring process plays an important part in the decision to hire an inexperienced job seeker. When the vacant position is causing lost productivity, the risk you take on a novice employee may pale in comparison to the profits you are losing by working short-handed. Low-risk rounds of hiring for seasonal workers or temps can also be a good time to take a chance on a green employee. Pay attention to your instincts; if you feel positive about an inexperienced candidate, go ahead and take the risk.

Hiring an inexperienced job seeker comes with an inherent amount of risk. When you pass over all candidates that do not have the requisite experience, however, you may miss out on the next great industry talent. By balancing instincts and practical assessment, you can make smarter hiring decisions.

Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net