How to Hire for Potential Over Experience

We need someone with 10 years of experience. Really? Let me challenge that thinking. The most successful hires I've seen aren't always the most experienced - they're the ones with the highest potential. Here are 8 uncommon traits that signal high potential in candidates (backed by research): 1. Aspiration & Self-Leadership - Takes initiative without constant direction - Aligns personal goals with company objectives 2. Learning Agility - Adapts quickly to new situations - Applies new skills effectively 3. Emotional Intelligence - Shows high self-awareness - Demonstrates genuine empathy 4. Strategic Thinking - Makes informed decisions - Thinks beyond current role 5. Growth Mindset - Seeks learning opportunities - Views feedback as development 6. Cultural Alignment - Builds trust naturally - Contributes to positive workplace dynamics 7. Resilience - Thrives in uncertainty - Maintains performance under pressure 8. Self-Motivation - Consistently delivers results - Goes beyond job requirements While technical skills can be taught, these character traits and potential indicators are much harder to develop. The next time you're hiring, look beyond the years of experience.  Focus on these traits instead. Your future top performers might not have the perfect resume - but they'll have these qualities in spades. Agree?  Disagree?  Share your thoughts below. 👇

I'll forever be grateful to those who took a chance on me. Because they didn’t just hire me for what was on paper. Dan Mian reminded me of how everyone has had someone take a chance on them. When I pivoted from public accounting to tech, my resume wasn’t perfect. My background was different. I didn’t have years of experience in the industry. But someone saw potential and gave me the opportunity. I quickly became the team's trusted point of contact. Hiring managers, here’s why you should take a chance: ↳ The perfect resume doesn’t always equal the best fit. The right mindset, motivation, and transferable skills often outweigh experience. Job seekers, here’s how to stand out when your resume doesn’t check every box: 1/ Do Your Research & Make It Known ↳ Understand the product, the company, and how you can help. Share that in your interview. 2/ Connect Your Transferable Skills ↳ Don’t assume the interviewer will connect the dots for you. Show them how your skills can directly apply to their needs. 3/ Act as a Thought Leader ↳ Present hypotheses on how you could contribute. Offer fresh ideas, even if they’re not perfect. When you show you’re eager, adaptable, and ready to learn, hiring managers will notice. And if they don’t, the right opportunity will. — ♻️ Repost if someone’s taken a chance on you. 🔔 Follow Angela Lau for more. 📌 If you feel stuck in your job search, let’s chat: https://lnkd.in/gWkQmNct

I rejected every candidate who matched the job description… and hired the one who didn’t. No perfect resume. No textbook experience. Not even direct alignment with the role. But the moment I saw them interview, it was clear, this person had something the others didn’t. ❌Not credentials ❌Not years in the industry ✅Presence. ✅Drive. ✅Coachability. I hired them And they didn’t just deliver what was needed. They thrived. They ramped faster than expected, earned my team’s trust, and added value FAR beyond the original scope. It reminded me of something most leaders know but often forget: A job description is BOGUS most of the time. It’s just a basic framework. REAL talent doesn’t fit the framework. And the right person with the wrong experience can outperform the wrong person with the right one. Hiring should be about more than fitting in a job description box. It should be about potential and attitude. Just like raising kids: You can teach skills. You can’t teach hunger. #careercoach #hiring #jobdescription #jobsearch

Years of experience and titles don't predict success. They never did. In fact, those measures supported the status quo and inhibited innovation. And too many hiring managers are stuck in the past. The current environment demands better, and today's candidates deserve better. Last week my client told me she was asked in a 3rd round interview about going for chief of staff role when she'd "never had that title before." She'd been executing COS functions for years with VP and director titles. Not to mention that proven COS skills were all over her resume. It was a lazy question. As recruiting becomes far more complex, recruiters and hiring managers need to respond and change what they are measuring. The best organizations will value: ✅ Skills over titles ✅ Emotional intelligence over years of experience ✅ Ability to learn and adapt over traditional backgrounds ✅ Collaboration over competition ✅ Productivity over hours worked The truth is that there are titles today that didn't exist 2 years ago. There will be titles next year we've never heard before. We need to give more attention to: ➙ Skills, talents and capacities ➙ New approaches developed in other industries ➙ Adaptability built through diverse roles Does this take effort? Absolutely. Smart companies are already doing this and landing the best candidates. Companies that can't adapt will be left behind. How have you adapted your recruiting practices to the current reality? Share any tips below.👇 ♻️Please repost to help others tackle their fears 🔔Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for career & job search advice

Most hiring managers assume that more experience = better performance. But I have found that some of the best hires were not always the most polished on paper but had these 5 x-factors. 1. Drive to learn Candidates with less experience are always more eager to prove themselves, learn new skills, and take on new challenges. The best candidates sometimes just want it more than others. If you can feel that energy in interviews, I think it’s worth taking that “risk.” 2. Tech savviness The new generation have grown up with social media, mobile devices, and tech that you may never even heard of. This can bring in a fresh perspective on how to use technology to improve your processes, communication, and customer experience. 3. Flexibility and agility They may be more flexible and agile in adapting to change, experimenting with new ideas, and taking risks. Healthy risk = healthy company and team. 4. Purpose These candidates WANT to learn and contribute to something bigger than themselves. This can be a spark for the whole team. 5. Future leaders By hiring someone with less experience, you can create a pipeline of future managers and experts who can contribute to your long-term success. Experience is just one of many factors to consider. But not EVERYTHING. Have you ever hired someone with less experience for a role? What was your experience like? #career #nextgeneration

I see too many companies still filter candidates based on experience alone. But here’s the reality: As a military veteran, we have a myriad of leadership and skills that may not directly translate to the private sector. Often these experiences are overlooked and valued less based off the perceived typical experience a qualified candidate should have! ✅ Experience ≠ Ability – Just because someone has done a job before doesn’t mean they were good at it. Many repeat mistakes instead of improving. ✅ Skills Matter More – Someone with the right mindset, adaptability, and problem-solving skills can outperform a “seasoned” hire who is stuck in old ways. ✅ Growth Potential Wins – A candidate who is hungry to learn and grow will bring more value long-term than one who simply checks the experience box. ✅ Experience Can Be Taught – If your training and leadership are solid, a motivated person can ramp up quickly. You don’t need 10+ years of experience to excel. ✅ Fresh Perspectives Drive Innovation – When you hire the same type of person with the same background, you get the same results. Diverse talent brings new ideas. Some of the best hires I’ve made weren’t the most experienced. They were the most capable, driven, and adaptable. Stop limiting yourself. Consider more veterans. Start hiring for capability, mindset, and potential. That’s how you build a winning team. What’s your take—have you seen experience alone fail as a hiring metric? —————————— Hi, I am Johnny. I’m a soon to be veteran. I’m also a founder & veteran millionaire real estate investor. Follow me for help learning strategies, to take back control of your investments.