Prior Experience NOT Required

Can we stop assuming that future success is based upon prior experience?

Throughout my career, the hiring process companies have pushed candidates through has been a source of frustration. Jobs that I could add great value to stated in the listing that "prior experience in <fill in the blank industry> required."

I hate to break it to you, but here's a little secret: prior industry knowledge is the least important component a candidate possesses. If you've put that in a job posting, you made a mistake.

Secret #2: Your industry isn't so left-field-different that smart folks can't figure it out in a few months.

Secret #3: If you can't bring a new hire up to speed on your industry within a few months of training, the problem isn't with your new hire. Get it?

Marketing has transformed over the past several years. It requires a different mindset. It requires us in the field to be more scientist than subject matter expert. We must state a hypothesis, run experiments and use the data to influence our original hypothesis. Prior industry knowledge does not change that methodology. In fact, prior knowledge may actually be counter-productive. If it worked five years ago, shouldn't it work today? That's an assumption that gets companies in trouble.

I wonder how many Kodak job postings listed "industry knowledge required?" Or how about WorldCom? Lehman Brothers? What do these companies have in common? They went bankrupt.

Only hiring individuals with prior industry knowledge brings you nothing new. No innovation. No different perspectives. But beyond that, placing emphasis on previous experience is lazy hiring! If that person fails, you the manager get to put all the blame on the hire. Because you get to say "well, they had all the knowledge they needed to succeed based on previous experience, so, not my fault!"

We have to change. We have to get better! Hire for attitude. Hire for grit. Hire a candidate with innate curiosity and a desire to learn! Teaching these 'soft' skills is vastly more difficult than bringing a candidate up to speed on an industry's peculiarities and regulations.

Most of the so-called industry knowledge that you prize? Can be found on Google. That problem has been solved. Besides, your industry is changing (all industries are changing). Knowledge gained from five years ago is ancient history.

You can't teach someone to have a positive attitude. You can't teach someone a never-quit-attitude. You can teach them industry regulations. That's your job as a manager. Stop being lazy and do your job; hire someone great!