Rise of the rookie recruit
Workforce planning is a bit of a hot topic these days, with increasing job mobility and steep competition for top talent. So when appointing a new team member, or pulling together a team, what should we look for?
Often, the first question on any Hiring Manager or Recruiter’s lips is, “What experience do you have in this exact industry and/or for this specific problem?”
People want to know the new hire is a safe set of hands. That they're "one of us"; part of the tribe. A seasoned professional who’s seen it all, or at least someone who knows a tried and tested trick or two in any given situation. Nobody wants a rookie, right?
Well, in practice, we see something interesting...
Overlooking rookies? Here's a fresh perspective
When we look at the future of work, our ability to problem-solve arguably reigns supreme. As it happens, one of the key ingredients to successful problem-solving is someone’s ability to see a problem from a different perspective. In the words of Albert Einstein,
“We cannot solve a problem with the same thinking that created it.”
Think about some of your own tricky problems. When you've been immersed in an industry for a while, solving an issue that just keeps cropping up, you tend to bring the same thinking patterns to it. Not to mention the weight of all the times you’ve tried and failed to fix things. As a result, you often get a manifestation of the same problem again and again, rather than a solution for it.
On the other hand, if you’re from a different industry or area of expertise, someone who is perhaps a little green, you’re bringing a whole new perspective to the problem. You’re less likely to fall victim to “that’s not the way we do things around here” type thinking, bringing more of a beginner’s mindset to matters. This creates fertile ground for novel ideas and solutions to emerge.
A rookie's fresh thinking is not only valuable for existing problems but also for the new, disruptive problems that tend to arise all the time in this chaotic business landscape. Problems we've never seen before and could never have predicted; ones that are evolving all the time and fast become unruly. Here, a tried and tested approach rarely works.
From finding a “good fit” to hiring for transferable skills
When it comes to building a great team, I’m not advocating for you to set loose the extremely valuable experts in your team. Nor am I saying you should pass over candidates who seem tailor-made for you in favour of someone with no relevant experience. Instead, I recommend keeping the door open to candidates with transferable skills and a demonstrable history of creative problem-solving.
Focus on building a richness of perspectives, backgrounds, skillsets -- all sorts. A diverse mix of skilled problems solvers can help you move through barriers faster, craft better solutions, and deliver in new ways your competitors might not have thought of.
Beyond hiring, it's also important to encourage the participation of those who may not have cut their teeth in this area before. Consider how you might build in freedom and candour, level the playing field, and increase psychological safety to encourage open sharing of perspectives.
My advice? Don’t be afraid to take a punt on someone who isn’t an exact match for the job. A "rookie" hire might just be your secret weapon.
I work with leaders to deliver on their strategy and sustainably win in the market by crafting the conditions for people and organisations to thrive.
Interested? Let’s talk.
