EXPERIENCED HIRE VS. GREENHORN HIRE

INTRODUCTION

Experienced hire or greenhorn hire? Let us have some preambles before delving into the core of the issue.

For an organization to succeed, the triad of People-Process-Technology (PPT) should be given adequate consideration. All of the components are equally important, but the process and technology are driven and used by people. Therefore, it is not out of place to assert that people are the most important component of an organization.

But the people in question must be the right ones so that they will be able to implement the processes and also make good use of technology for better efficiency. This is where the question of whether to opt for an experienced hire or a greenhorn hire comes up.

The term “experienced hire” simply refers to people who have previously, consistently worked, and held full-time employment in a particular career path. Greenhorn hire can refer to inexperienced people. Ideally, these are young school leavers who have not worked. They may have good knowledge. But that will not suffice for the productivity required on the job.

Because most universities do not provide the necessary practical skills to be effective on the job, experienced hires are also better than new ones, especially for organizations that place much importance on productivity and staff experience. 

Viewed from another context, inexperience is not synonymous with age in this regard. We live in an ever-changing world where new jobs are evolving and some industries are going into extinction, thereby making people switch careers. When people switch careers, they necessarily become greenhorns in their newly-found fields of endeavour.

However, another dimension to this argument is that the so-called experienced personnel were also, at some points in their careers, green-horns. They only acquired experience because some organizations provided opportunities for them to learn.

WHY ARE EXPERIENCED HIRES CONSIDERED BETTER THAN GREENHORN HIRES?

Recruiting well-qualified candidates is, without a doubt, the most difficult part of any business. However, experienced hires are not only better than their inexperienced counterparts; they also end up saving employers money too.

Experienced hire pays your company in direct and indirect ways.

1. Training experienced hires is far less expensive than training junior hires.

2. They learn the ropes in less time before hitting their stride.

3. Experienced hires will avoid costly mistakes that could have been avoided with experience.

4. They also make fewer demands on company resources like time and resources like office space, equipment, etc., leaving more for other projects where it might be necessary.

5. Experienced personnel can easily turn things around in times of crisis and emergencies.

THERE ARE, HOWEVER, SOME TWISTS TO THIS. EXPERIENCED HIRES HAVE THEIR OTHER SIDES TOO.

1. The majority of experienced employees may be difficult to manage, rigid, and have a rigidly defined approach to problem-solving.

2. Experienced hires are also in high demand and may cost the company a lot of money.

3. Experienced employees may show resistance to learning new methods of accomplishing tasks because they rely on tried-and-true methods that have always produced the desired results.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED WITH HIRING AN INEXPERIENCED CANDIDATE?

The major challenge in hiring an inexperienced candidate is the lack of experience. Because they do not have any experience, they will need to be trained for it. They may not even know what to expect from a workplace environment, and that will require more investment on the part of the employer.

You may also want to read this: HOW YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN PROFIT FROM TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

HOW TO HIRE AN EXPERIENCED CANDIDATE

The simple truth is that hiring the right candidate takes time. There are steps you can take to ensure that your hire is experienced, and not just a fresh graduate who requires training.

The first step in seeking experienced hires would be to narrow your scope. It’s better to have one great employee than ten mediocre ones, so if it’s important for you to find experienced workers, then write down all the skills necessary for the job before even starting any search and interview.

If you are looking for an experienced candidate, you need to look at their skills (e.g., level of proficiency on Microsoft and other relevant applications) and experience. Take into consideration that they have been working on other projects or jobs before applying for yours. If the person has been doing similar tasks to what you want them to do when hired, that is one of the indications that they might be the right candidates. They are experienced.

Though qualifications and professional certificates cannot be translated into experience, they still need to be checked too.

Candidates’ brief of self is also an important factor to note.  

Sometimes, to get the best results, you may need to outsource the recruitment process to a specialist recruitment consulting firm.

You may also need to use your existing network to get the most experienced candidates.

CONCLUSION

A lot has been said about the question of either hiring experienced workers or greenhorns. Many people might prefer experienced hires.

However, one cannot outrightly skew the argument in favour of either of the two groups (experienced hire/greenhorn hire). They are both needed in an organization. The right mix should be determined based on the objectives of the organization.

We hope this article has been helpful! In case you have questions or opinions about this article, please let us know by commenting in the comments section below. Do stay tuned for more educative insights on more business topical issues. If there is anything else, we can do for you, email us at: talktous@parlanceps.com. If you prefer, you may call us on 0806-917-5860. Thanks for reading!