Today we want to talk about growth. You want to grow your organization—but with intention: a strong culture, focused business needs, smart execution and great talent top to bottom. So how do organizations build their dream teams?
Some make a point of bringing in talent from the outside (more on that in our next blog post); others groom their own talent, hiring entry-level people and giving those hires an opportunity to move up in the organization. Both approaches have their merits and their challenges. A combination of the two is often how great companies do it.
If you’re trying to build your own dream team, keep in mind that when hiring someone without experience, you can’t focus on previous skills. Because those skills often don’t exist yet. You have to focus on intangibles, life experiences, soft skills. Take a step back and look at your interview process. You also want to remember that this is a learning experience for them too.
Challenges When Hiring Entry-Level People
Let’s dive into the challenges.
Entry-Level Hires Don’t Have A Refined Skill Set
You’re molding this baby, and you’re hoping to instill skills and knowledge that will grow just as they do in your organization. Your challenge is learning what each of these candidates need to grow. It’s not one size fits all. It’s also an investment of your time and resources.
But The Intangibles Aren’t Clear Either
Look, you’re taking a gamble when you hire entry-level candidates and you have to determine how best to assess their intangibles, including qualities such as work ethic and their ability to figure things out. Assigning new hires a mentor and providing them with a structured feedback loop will assist your efforts in making this assessment.
Are They A Good Fit For Your Culture
Or, are they able to adapt to your culture? This also is an intangible, and something you want to spend time assessing throughout the interview process. Figuring that out may take more than a formal interview, and it may require meeting with the candidates outside of the office and getting to know them.
And Then There’s the Time Commitment
These candidates cannot hit the ground running. There needs to be a support system in place and time for the new hire to be introduced to your expectations and how they will be executed. They’ll likely need dedicated guidance, so you’ll want to have someone in place who has capacity to support them.
How do we overcome these challenges?
Ultimately a focus on new hires requires structure and patience.
You have to have both, because making these hires is an investment. Without that investment, it’s not going to work, and you’re going to waste time you don’t have.
Hirewell is Your Partner in Understanding How to Make the Best Entry-Level Hires
Making entry-level hires can be a gamble—but worth it if you value homegrown talent.
