Hi – Tom Schin here from Alaant Workforce Solutions, here to talk about the PERFECT candidate. The one that checks ALL the boxes. Perfect personality, work ethic, approach, independence, team player mentality, technical skills AND wants to make what you’re offering, so on and so forth.
Do you get where I’m going? Right… it’s wishful thinking.
Can you find someone with most of what you want? Absolutely. You just have to prioritize what’s most important.
Here’s some things to consider:
1 What’s trainable – Whether you’ve been with the company for 1 or 30 years, you had to learn your industry, the lingo, and company processes – meaning, if you can learn it, so can someone else. How long depends on their learning style and how you train them
2 What’s transferable? Some industries use vastly different language. That doesn’t mean there aren’t similarities dealing with customers, managing deadlines, and having complex processes.
3 Desire to learn. Those motivated employees want to jump in the pool with you to learn and produce as quick as they can. This can actually help accelerate learning with some of your other employees, just by being around that level of enthusiasm and helps you revisit what works, vs. what can be updated.
Look, there are always going to be some gaps in a candidate's skillset or experience. And even if a candidate checks all the boxes on paper, there's no guarantee that they will be a good fit for the job.
That's why it's important to focus on hiring someone with strong aptitude. And while a candidate with strong aptitude may not have all the skills and experience you're looking for right now, they have the potential to learn and grow into the role. You may even find that they’re particularly gifted in a particular area (bonus!)
Remember, experience or not, you’re betting on someone who has the potential to be a valuable asset to your team. The added bonus of hiring someone “non-traditional” is that they realize you’re investing in them and will pay that back with effort and energy. They’ll also tell their network of past colleagues and friends about you which broadens your brand. Other employees will also see you taking chances on people with varied skills and that demonstrates your willingness to think outside the box with your day-to-day business. It brings fresh ideas into the organization (avoiding same-old same-old thinking).
Thinking about revisiting your perfect candidate wish list? Or have some questions or comments? Post it below, or visit us online at Alaant.com
Thanks for listening – let’s catch up soon