I tried very hard to get work during high school, but was never successful, mainly because in those days after school jobs typically went to kids whose parents knew somebody in the business. For different reasons, many school leavers today still don’t have any work experience, and face the difficult task of getting that first full-time job.
A recent article in HRM online (read it here) advocates that it can actually payoff to hire candidates without work experience. The main advantage is that they’re a blank slate, and “if you select the right person at the start they can grow with the company and you can actually mould these individuals to exactly what you want.”
The article provides plenty of very useful advice on how to ensure you select the right candidate, and it is well worth reading the full article (which only took me 4 minutes). But as a teaser, listed below are five things you can look for when considering someone with no work experience:
- Customising their CV – Did the candidate address their cover letter to you? Is it clear they read your job ad? Or are they applying everywhere with the same letter and CV?
- Transferable skills – Look for teamwork, leadership or community values. What life skills do they have that fit your role?
- Informal work experience or internships – Have they tried to gain experience by helping a local or family business?
- Extra-Curricular activities or achievements – Do they volunteer or raise money for a charity?
- Flexibility – what are their availabilities? And if they’re a graduate, are they willing to relocate?
You may be missing a potential goldmine of great employees if you are not considering those with no work experience. Next time its appropriate, give some of these ideas a try.
Dr Warrick long, Senior Lecturer and
Leadership Postgraduate Course Convenor