Businesses face a critical choice: should they prioritise candidates with polish (those with refined skills and polished resumes) or those with potential, brimming with untapped possibilities? Understanding this distinction is key to building a future-ready workforce through early careers programs. Below, we explore what early careers entails, paint a picture of polish versus potential, and explain why prioritising potential is essential for a successful early careers strategy.
What Are Early Careers?
Early careers refer to the initial stages of a professional’s journey, typically encompassing recent graduates, apprentices, career switchers, or self-taught individuals entering the workforce. These candidates often have limited professional experience but bring fresh perspectives, adaptability, and enthusiasm. Early careers hiring is a strategic opportunity for businesses to invest in talent that can grow, innovate, and drive long-term success. But when evaluating candidates, should you focus on their current polish or their future potential?
Someone with Polish
Imagine Julianna, a recent graduate with a polished CV. She’s completed several prestigious internships, earned a degree from a top-tier university and mastered the art of professional communication. Her LinkedIn profile is impeccable, and she confidently navigates interviews with rehearsed answers and industry jargon. Julianna's skills are refined, and she can hit the ground running in an entry-level role.
This is polish, where a candidate already shines with technical skills, professional demeanour, and a track record of achievement. In early careers hiring, polished candidates are appealing because they require minimal onboarding and can deliver immediate results. However, their growth potential may be limited if they’re already set in their ways or lack adaptability.
Someone with Potential
Now, meet Gabriel, a self-taught coder who didn’t follow a traditional academic path. Gabriel's resume is sparse, with a few online certifications and personal projects. During interviews, his enthusiasm for learning and problem-solving stands out, but his responses lack the finesse of a seasoned professional. Yet, Gabriel demonstrates curiosity, a strong work ethic and a knack for creative thinking.
This is potential- a candidate with raw talent, eagerness to grow and the ability to adapt to new challenges. In early careers programs, those with potential may need more training initially but can evolve into high-impact contributors with the right support. Their fresh perspectives often spark innovation that polished candidates might overlook.
Why Prioritising Potential Is So Important
- Adaptability to Change: Candidates with potential are often more flexible and open to learning, making them ideal for industries facing disruption, such as technology or sustainability. Their willingness to grow ensures they can adapt to new tools, processes, or market demands.
- Long-Term Value: Investing in potential creates a talent pipeline for future leadership. These individuals grow with the company, developing loyalty and institutional knowledge that polished candidates, who may job-hop for better opportunities, might not offer.
- Diversity and Innovation: Potential often lies in non-traditional candidates- self-taught professionals, career switchers, or those from underrepresented backgrounds. By prioritising potential, businesses build diverse teams that drive creative problem-solving and reflect varied customer bases.
- Cost-Effective Growth: Hiring for potential allows companies to mould talent to their specific needs. While polished candidates may demand higher starting salaries, those with potential can be trained cost-effectively, yielding high returns as they develop.
- Future-Proofing the Workforce: With skills becoming obsolete faster than ever, potential ensures employees can upskill and reskill to meet future challenges. Early careers talent with potential is a long-term investment in resilience.
How to Put Potential Over Polish in Your Early Careers Strategy
- Redefine Job Requirements: Move beyond rigid criteria like degrees or years of experience. Focus on transferable skills, learning agility and cultural fit. For example, a coding bootcamp graduate may lack a degree but have the potential to excel in tech roles.
- Leverage Skills-Based Assessments: Use skills assessments to evaluate problem-solving and growth potential rather than polished resumes or rehearsed answers.
- Invest in Training Programs: Develop robust early careers programs with mentorship, on-the-job training, and continuous learning opportunities. This supports candidates with potential to grow into high-performing employees.
- Promote Inclusive Recruitment: Partner with organisations that support underrepresented groups, such as coding bootcamps, vocational schools, or community programs, to access diverse early careers talent, or use a service like Day One, who has access to a diverse talent pool already.
- Foster a Growth-Oriented Culture: Create an environment where learning and experimentation are valued. Encourage managers to nurture potential through regular feedback and development plans.
- Highlight Success Stories: Showcase examples of employees who started with potential and thrived, reinforcing the value of this approach in your early careers strategy.
Conclusion
When building a future-ready workforce, potential trumps polish in early careers hiring. While polished candidates offer immediate results, those with potential bring adaptability, innovation, and long-term value. By redefining job requirements, investing in training, and fostering inclusivity, businesses can unlock the power of early careers talent and create a dynamic, resilient workforce. Ready to transform your early careers strategy? Check out Day One, and revolutionise the way you source, verify and hire early careers talent.
Post by Ella Doyle