Hiring people with no work experience

By monday.com

As artificial intelligence continues to transform the way we work, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: technical work experience may not be as valuable as it once was. Research is increasingly signaling that social and emotional skills, such as showing empathy and genuinely responding to human reactions, will become the most critical attributes for many jobs in the future because these are the qualities that cannot be replicated by machines or AI.

That being said, as companies across industries begin considering headcount plans for 2024, after significant layoffs and resource crunches, these valuable soft skills still seem to be secondary to technical work experience. A recent analysis of close to 4 million jobs posted on LinkedIn in the last few years showed that 35% of postings for entry-level positions asked for prior relevant work experience, and for entry-level software and IT service jobs, 60% of those listings required at least three years of work experience. And even in job listings that call for “0-2 years of experience,” there’s often still an unspoken understanding that it doesn’t really mean zero and that some work experience is expected.

Why is this the case? Typically, when the resume of someone who clearly doesn’t have relevant work experience reaches an HR or hiring manager’s inbox, the first concerns that come to mind are: this applicant does not have a proven track record, this applicant would need a lot of hands-on training, and this applicant might decide to leave for a new opportunity as soon as they gain relevant experience in this role. While those concerns certainly hold some validity, what often gets missed in this type of analysis are all the advantages that come from hiring for potential and the opportunities that present in someone with no experience.

In reality, entry-level roles are usually focused on tactical execution. They involve owning smaller projects and deferring to managers for larger decisions and oversight. So, when you take a step back and really consider the skills necessary to succeed in these roles, technical expertise is often less essential than the ability to learn and communicate, receptiveness to feedback, motivation and dedication, and the potential to grow. Technical and job-performance skills can be taught, which is why soft skills are ultimately what can really set individuals apart.