6 Things to consider before deciding whether to hire a career changer
The choice of whether to hire a career changer or someone with a long history in your industry can be a difficult one.
Transferable skills can pale in comparison to direct experience. But where you might be inclined to hire the developer with a year of experience over the sales professional with a coding hobby, it’s best to take some time before making rash decisions.
Hiring a career changer can be the best move that you make. It could also be the biggest gamble to go wrong in your business this year.
Why you should you hire a career changer
The choice of who to hire is rarely a simple one. Odds are, you’re considering the skills, personality, experience and interview performance of a few candidates and struggling to decide between them.
It can be easy to reject every applicant without an intense, long history in your industry. But here are some benefits to employing a career changer:
1 – They offer a new perspective
Career changers don’t only bring transferable skills, they bring a new mindset to your company.
This fresh perspective that someone from outside your industry can offer is invaluable. Hopefully it can inspire your team and help you engage new audiences!
2 – They’re often great learners
As career changers usually have to learn the tools of an entirely new trade while still working their day job, they’re usually great learners.
This kind of passion and proactivity is an invaluable resource. Great learners don’t usually stop learning once they’ve covered one topic, they make learning a habit.
So you can expect your career changer to keep challenging themself, developing their skills and being proactive with their learning.
3 – They bring maturity
When you hire a career changer into an entry level role, you’ll get to benefit from their added years in ways that you can’t with fresh graduates.
Maturity, confidence and self-assuredness are valuable traits that should hopefully come with every experienced worker that you hire.
Why you shouldn’t hire a career changer
Although there are loads of benefits to hiring a career changer, they’re not all guaranteed. Here are some of the possible drawbacks to putting your trust in a career changer:
1 – They might just be bored
One of the worries that come with career changers is that they could do it again.
Someone that leaves their entire industry to try out a new job on a whim is not the most reliable employee. If their decision was down to boredom, it could be possible that they’re prone to these kinds of decisions and will soon leave your company to try something new.
Tip: be sure to ask about your candidate’s long-term goals. If they align with the role and your company, great news. If you get the impression that they would leave as soon as another job that took their fancy came up, I would be worried.
2 – The dream might not live up to reality
The idea of working in a new job can often be far from the reality.
Take marketing for instance: lots of people think that managing social media accounts is just about posting the occasional Instagram story, but strategy, data and analytics play heavily into these roles. The creative idea of the role vs the practical reality is very different.
Tip: when trying to see if you candidate really knows what this job might be like, look for forethought and evidence of testing. If they have some kind of previous experience in that kind of role, their knowledge of how it will be will be a lot greater.
3 – They could be chasing the money
If your career changer is simply looking to make a few more coins, they could be in for a shock at their new role.
Long-term success isn’t usually build on desires for money, it’s built on passion.
Tip: try to ask questions to find out if your candidate has a genuine passion for your industry and the job role.
Whether you decide to hire a career changer or not, I hope that this guide helps you make the right decision for your business. If you’re struggling to find the perfect candidate for your business, browse ours today!