#CareerSuccess Q&A: Do companies no longer provide continuous training or look for individuals who have great potential?

A question was asked the other day that I hear often from job seekers though asked in various manners. I wanted to take an opportunity to unpack and answer this question with each of you today.

Question: I may be missing the mark her so please let me know as this is a question that I've frequently asked in my head every time I see requirements for job postings. I understand there are requirements for jobs as you need people that have an understanding and can do the job, obvious. But, so many of these jobs read as though they're looking for an expert to come in and fully understand how their organization works, their processes and policies, along with being able to do the job that’s being asked of them at full capacity. My question is, do companies no longer provide continuous training or look for individuals who have great potential?

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Answer. The simple answer is YES. Companies are always looking for individuals to join their team who have great potential. People with great potential are hired all the time. The challenge is this. How the average employer defines potential is more laser focused and specific than how most job seekers define potential. Let’s explore how “potential” is judged by an employer.

Often, I remind my clients that an employer assesses you in context to what’s in it for them, their department, and/or the organization. This means that when you are demonstrating that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to get a job done, you must do so in context to the job the employer is trying to fill rather than as a general explanation of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. You must answer the interview questions in context to what you know is important to the employer.

"An employer assesses you in context to what’s in it for them, their department, and/or the organization."

And here is a secret. To ANSWER questions in context to what’s important to an employer, you must first ASK questions to discover what is important to the employer. You must learn what underlies the job description by finding out what the top challenges and initiatives are for this role and department. If you can position yourself as a person ready to meet those challenges and initiatives, you will be viewed as having great potential.  

To get to a place of asking questions to an employer, however, you must often first be invited to an interview. So, if you’ve not yet been invited to an interview, and you still want to position yourself as having potential to an employer, the next best way is to make sure that your resume passes the employer’s litmus test for measuring potential.

When it comes to your potential as a candidate, an employer asks themselves, “which candidate can enter this role and help me solve my problems and meet my departmental initiatives the FASTEST.” This means that you must demonstrate your potential to come up to speed with the least amount oversight and on-the-job training as possible. And you must demonstrate this with your resume.

“Which candidate can enter this role and help me solve my problems and meet my departmental initiatives the FASTEST.”

Here is a quick disclaimer. As you may know, this generalization defining potential may not apply in the same manner to ALL employers such as those that have apprenticeship and management trainee programs, etc.; however, even with on-the-job training programs like those, potential is still measured, just with different questions.

With that, here are five questions many employers ask themselves when reviewing resumes and deciding which candidate has the most potential for a job opening?

Question #1: Do you meet the basic qualifications for the role? Before you apply to a role, make sure that you can easily, clearly, and concisely articulate how you directly or indirectly meet the minimum qualifications as listed on the job description.

Question #2: How many of the desired qualifications do you meet? You do not need to meet each of the desired qualifications to be competitive for the role, but still pay close attention to them. This is what the employer sees as the most competitive candidate. If you don’t have all of the desired qualifications, consider what other qualifications you bring to this role that can be just as supportive as the ones you do not meet.

Question #3: How closely “related to” or “knowledgeable of” the industry are you? Sure, you may not currently work in the industry, but take some time and think about how he industry you are in has been or can be a compliment to the industry to which you are trying to enter. Is there an association between the two industries? Are there similarities between the work you are doing in your current industry and the work you will be doing in the next?

Question #4: Of the qualifications you do not directly meet, how many of your skills are transferable and could suffice indirectly? Many times, you will need to bridge the connection between two job titles (i.e., the one you have now and the one you are trying to enter). Do not wait and assume that the employer can make the connection.

Question #5: How close are you to being “ready now” for this job? If you are not currently doing this role, you must present yourself (on resume and during the interview process) as if you’ve mastered your current role and there’s no other more aligned next step in your career path other than the one you are interviewing for today.  

Well written job descriptions give you a major advantage and insight on how to demonstrate your potential to an employer. Therefore, your resume should be tailored to the job description to which you are applying. Your “potential” should jump off the page to a recruiter and hiring manager instantly.

Jump over to the comments and let me know if you have any additional questions related to this great topic. I’m here to help! Good luck to you in your job search!

If you liked this article, you may also enjoy this video: "How to Convince an Employer to Hire You on the Spot"