Hiring for Potential vs. Experience: Rethinking Entry-Level Hiring
Entry-level roles are often the starting point for someone building their career, but finding the right candidate can still be challenging.
Employers want to bring in people who can contribute to their teams and take on the responsibilities of the position. However, expecting candidates to already have significant experience can make it harder to recognize individuals who have the skills and potential to succeed, even if they haven't held a similar role before.
When it comes to entry-level hiring, looking beyond direct experience can open the door to candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.
Experience Doesn't Always Have to Be Direct
A candidate may not have held the exact position before, but that doesn't mean they are starting without relevant experience.
Internships, part-time jobs, school projects, and previous roles in other industries can all help someone develop skills that translate into the workplace. Someone with customer service experience, for example, may have developed strong communication and problem-solving skills that could be valuable in marketing, recruiting, retail, or other areas of a business.
Understanding what someone has learned from their previous experiences can provide a better picture of what they could bring to a new role.
Looking Beyond the Resume
Resumes can be particularly limiting for candidates who are just beginning their careers. Without years of professional experience to highlight, their qualifications may not immediately stand out on paper.
Consider someone who balanced school with a part-time job or took on leadership responsibilities in a student organization. While those experiences may not directly relate to the position they're applying for, they can demonstrate time management, initiative, and the ability to take on responsibility. Asking candidates about their accomplishments, challenges, and interests can help employers recognize strengths that might otherwise be missed.
Potential Is Worth Considering
For entry-level positions, employers have an opportunity to consider not only what a candidate already knows, but also what they are capable of learning.
Qualities like adaptability, curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to take on new challenges can be especially valuable early in someone's career. A candidate who demonstrates an interest in developing their skills may be well-positioned to grow alongside the team.
Experience will always have a place in hiring decisions. For positions where training and development are part of the role, however, potential can be just as important when evaluating candidates.
Understanding What Can Be Taught
Not every qualification needs to be something a candidate brings with them on their first day. Some positions require specific technical knowledge or foundational skills, while other responsibilities can be learned through training and hands-on experience.
For example, an entry-level marketing candidate may not have experience with the exact platform a company uses, but they might already understand content creation, communication, and basic campaign strategy. With the right training, learning a new platform may be a reasonable part of their development.
Before beginning a search, employers can benefit from identifying which skills are essential, and which can realistically be developed after someone joins the team. The level of training and support available should also factor into those expectations.
Building Talent for the Future
Entry-level hiring isn't only about filling an immediate opening. For growing brands, these positions can also be an opportunity to develop talent that may take on greater responsibilities over time.
Someone joining a merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, or retail team early in their career has the opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. As they gain experience, build relationships, and develop a deeper understanding of the brand, they may become ready for more specialized responsibilities or leadership opportunities.
Thinking beyond the immediate needs of a position can help employers recognize the longer-term value of investing in developing talent.
Finding the Right Balance
Hiring for potential doesn't mean overlooking the qualifications that matter. The goal is to understand which skills are necessary from the beginning and where there is room for someone to grow.
At EB, we understand that a candidate's potential isn't always obvious from their resume. Our experience recruiting across the fashion, home, and beauty industries helps us recognize transferable skills, understand different career backgrounds, and consider how someone's experience could translate to a new opportunity.
The right entry-level hire may not have every skill developed on day one. Taking the time to recognize what someone already brings to the table, along with what they have the potential to become, can make a meaningful difference in building a strong team.