Hiring: potential vs. experience

How often have you been faced with the dilemma of being unsure of whether to hire an applicant for a position in your organization? Their resume and past experiences suggest that they should be able to do the job, yet something intangible just doesn't feel right. Or perhaps in anticipation of changes in your industry and business you have decided to create a new role, but are unclear as to exactly what you are looking for in the right candidate?

Traditionally, when hiring for a position we look to someone's past performance to predict their future success. An individual who had a previous job doing a similar function at another company was thought to bring his experience and would rate high amongst the candidates. Yet we all know cases where someone looked great “on paper” but didn't make the transition and onboard successfully into a company.

Not only is it frustrating to make a bad hire, but it can be both a financially and emotionally costly mistake for your organization. Therefore it is important to consider modifying both your approach, as well as change the questions that you ask yourself to determine what constitutes a good hire.