Innovation in Hiring?

It is a widely accepted phenomenon that innovation leads to competitive advantage. Not a new thing to those who know a thing or two about Michael Porter's work. In a broader sense, yes, those organisations that break away from the pack tends to stumble upon that lush green grass on a different side of the meadow.

Breaking away from the accepted norm is a brave decision, but not for the faint-hearted. Then again, only the brave prince gets the hand of the princes!

Following the same thinking, my question here is that, are we being innovative enough when it comes to hiring new employees… OK, agreed, there are positions that demand specific sector knowledge. But there are plenty that really don’t...

“Great candidate, great track record, great qualifications & skills, but no industry experience...so… it's a No!”. Sounds familiar?

Hiring managers' brief to recruitment agencies or their HR units on the type of candidates they want in, most times includes the phrase “previous industry experience”. It is understandable why companies wish to go down this route. To start with, the new-comer can hit the ground running with little induction & familiarisation; leading to less disruption, low cost of training and less down-time. The need for recruitment arises mostly to fill a gap or replace a previous worker which frequently leads to a backlog. So a replacement who gets it, makes it easier to do the catch-up. It is also a thought that a newcomer may come from a competitor with possible industry secrets which are of value. A sneaky way of trying to get ahead, but there could be many reasons for a worker to leave that employer in the first place. And it is believed that a new comer will be able to improve on processes and bring fresh ideas to the company calling upon their prior experience. The assumption being that somebody else does it better? All this does sound like asking for industry experience is a safe-bet.

So where do those buzz words “innovation”, “thinking outside the box”, “talent”, “blue-sky thinking” come in to play? Or is it that they do not apply to hiring?

Aren't we playing a bit too safe when it comes to hiring employees? Are we being entrepreneurial enough? Are we prepared to take risks? Are we being bold enough?

The right candidate will fit in with the organisation irrespective of where they come from. And they will draw upon from their past experience be it relevant or irrelevant. More importantly, they will ask that all important question “why?”. This is what drives the process of identifying those non-value adding components that we so dearly cling on to. Or they might adapt practices that they were accustomed to, in to the new industry creating innovative products or processes.

The idea of bringing fresh blood to the organisation should stretch beyond one's clan. The modern business world learns and interacts with various non-related aspects making industry boundaries ever so fuzzier. This fact makes it very important to consider what the candidates “can do” as opposed to “where they come from”.

This is not an attempt to discount the importance of industry knowledge. But a mere message to hiring managers to be more open to the fact that it is possible for a novice to the industry to make a greater contribution that will lead to a competitive advantage.

When times are hard it can look feasible to play safe. Yet the market treats everyone the same. The signs are there… Follow the heard or take a bold step to break-away from the norm to give that entrepreneurial spirit in you a chance to shine.