Conventional wisdom holds that you should only hire someone with experience in your industry. But as it turns out, this particular myth doesn’t hold up to close examination. Here are five reasons to take a chance on an otherwise well-qualified candidate with zero experience in your field.
Should You Hire Someone With No Experience?
Breaking Out of the Mental Rut
Someone who has already done the job for a different company already has systems in place. They know “how things work,” and there isn’t much incentive to challenge the status quo. But if someone has never performed similar work, they’ll want to learn not just how, but why things are done a certain way. This can lead to breakthrough thinking that improves your current processes and strategies.
Applying Lessons Learned
When someone takes a job in a new industry, they bring with them all of their previous experiences. They’ll naturally layer on what they learned in a different industry—which could result in groundbreaking new solutions to old company problems.
Boosting Your Company’s Uniqueness
Your company has a unique value proposition—a way of doing things or solving problems that sets you apart from your competitors. But when you hire someone who’s done similar work somewhere else, you run the risk of losing some of that uniqueness. The person will likely want to do things exactly as they always have, bringing your company in line with everyone else’s.
Teaching Is the Best Way to Learn
Want to level up your managerial skills? Hire someone with zero experience. You’ll need to train them from the ground up, answering questions that you may never have thought about. You will also get to see your company through fresh eyes, potentially highlighting areas for growth.
Diversity of Thought
It’s only natural for people to tend to prefer others who are like themselves. Those who have been in a particular industry for a while tend to share similar thoughts and ideas. This can help teams run harmoniously, but it can also lead to stagnation. Bringing in an outsider may be just what you need to shake things up.
Need New Talent?
If you’re ready to bring on new temp-to-hire, temporary, or permanent employees, Pirate Staffing is here for you. Learn what we can do to help, and then contact us to get started.