Why You Need to Prioritize Second-Chance Hiring to Compete for Top-Tier Talent

Talent recruitment has transformed into a battlefield in today’s highly competitive business environment. In our desperate efforts, we rush to search for that “perfect” candidate whom we think should have certain degrees, many years of experience and skills as long as our arm that we justify as a necessity for a job. But what if such relentless pursuits of the “ideal” impede our growth?

Enter (what I call) the “Second Chance Advantage.” This is a game-changing way my company looks at talent acquisition. We are challenging the conventional means of hiring and letting loose a treasure trove of untapped potential from those who, perhaps, have fallen through the cracks because of gaps in their resumes, unconventional backgrounds or non-traditional skill sets.

Related: If You Want to Be a Good Leader, Understand Your People — Here’s Why the Best Entrepreneurs Make Time to Understand Their Employees

Why second chances matter

The traditional resume-centric approach filters out several individuals with immense talent and potential. Consider these factors:

The skills gap: Technology evolves, and the skills considered “essential” five years ago are often old today. Experience-based mindsets may need to catch up on people who are fast learners and adaptive to changing landscapes.

The stigma of job swapping: Thousands of talented professionals opt to take off for personal reasons or to test different career directions, or they just get kicked off the ladder because of changes in their industry. This resume gap should not be the death knell.

The untapped potential: Background diversity and their experience bring fresh perspectives. Concentrating on just the orthodox qualifications precludes an untold reserve of creative and problem-solving talent.

The second chance advantage

Rethinking talent acquisition calls for this new mindset. Here’s how to unlock the potential:

Hiring for skills: Rid yourself of the standard but restrictive case of “years of experience.” Identify the core set of skills and required competencies that underpin the work. Test for them — the skills — by simulations, competency-based interview techniques or actual working tests.

The experience redefined: Appreciating that the experience is not a resume clocked in chronologically but the experiences that manifest themselves in different ways — that volunteer, that personal project, or that less-than-linear career path.

The embrace of diversity: Tap talent pools that reflect the diversity present in the rest of the world. Bringing in people from different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking drives innovation and creativity and deepens the understanding of the people you serve.

The benefit of the second chance

Let’s consider a theoretical example: Acme Inc. is hiring a marketing manager to lead their work with social media campaigns. After the Second-Chance Advantage, rather than looking for a candidate with five years of agency experience, they find Sarah, a stay-at-home mom with evident digital social media engagement experience.

They also find David, a new college graduate who loves social media and has an uncanny ability to read trends in data, as exhibited in his freelance work.

Neither Sarah nor David may be a “perfect” person for the role, but their skill sets may be what Acme needs.

Creating a second chance culture

Creating a second chance culture can be done more than just through policies. It starts with a change from the top. Here are some critical steps:

• Invest in training your team on unconscious bias and skills-based hiring methodologies.
• Mentorship programs match experienced workers with transitioning individuals to help with knowledge transfer and provide a support network.
• Share diverse success stories: celebrate how these non-traditional backgrounds added value to the company.

The future of talent acquisition

By tapping into the Second Chance Advantage, companies expand their talent acquisition to increase innovation and scale. Further, organizations reduce the cost of hiring by focusing on skills, not resumes, leading to a slimmer and more cost-effective hiring process.

Boost efficiency in attracting top talent. Attrition ratios improve since a culture emphasizing diverse hiring leads to an inspired workforce that is more likely to develop better employer brands. Companies that promote second chances in hiring get an inspired and engaged workforce and potential candidate pool.

Related: Starting or Growing a Business? Here’s How to Know When You Should Hire Your First Employee.

The future of talent acquisition

The Second Chance Advantage is not about lowering standards but identifying untapped potential. By moving beyond the limits of conventional hiring practices, affordable talent can be released, and our businesses can optimize and achieve new heights.

Our people are the most important asset of any company. Let’s embrace diversity of experience and redefine what we think is the “perfect” candidate. The future of talent acquisition is giving everyone a second chance to shine.