5 Indicators Of A Candidate With True Potential

How to identify potential during the talent acquisition process

It’s no secret companies everywhere are struggling to find skilled talent to fill vacant roles. Making drastic changes to talent acquisition processes in order to fill gaps seems like an act of desperation. Yet many organizations are finding great success with a new ‘riskier’ approach: hiring strictly based on potential. 

In fact, a March 2019 survey from CareerBuilder found 59 percent of companies are now willing to hire candidates who aren’t entirely qualified but who can be trained.

While exciting to think about, this solution isn’t as simple as it seems. How do you effectively measure and assess a trait as subjective as potential? The last thing employers want to do is take a chance on a candidate, spend months pouring resources into training, only to have the employee not work out. It’s risky -- but it yields high rewards when done correctly.

Finding high-potential candidates requires knowing what traits increase the odds of their success and being able to confidently identify those indicators during the talent acquisition process. To get you started, here are five qualities and experiences that show a candidate has potential:

Forward Motion 

Numerous job hops, especially massive career changes, are often looked at as a red flag. However, if the candidate was successful after the move, it’s proof they have what it takes to grow. They can be flexible and adapt to unfamiliar roles.

Widen your search to find candidates with potential by adding keywords to your ATS resume filter that screen for transferable skills and experiences that are associated with other fields or industries. 

For example, many successful sales reps start out in customer service roles. Use your ATS to catch references of stellar customer service skills and experiences. Add words like ‘listening skills,’ ‘problem solving,’ ‘service-minded,’ ‘high-volume,’ etc. to find candidates with the skills needed to excel in your open roles.

Word of mouth

There is no doubt referrals are one of the best ways to find and pre-vet candidates. When an under-qualified candidate is referred by a trusted employee or colleague, that individual is letting you know they believe this person can get to where they need to be. 

While trust is a great basis for considering referrals, it’s important to ask for detailed stories or evidence the candidate has potential to fairly compare them against other qualified candidates. And don’t be afraid to talk about your concerns to see what their perspective on the situation is.

Self-Guided Research

Self-aware job seekers recognize when they’re applying for a position they’re underqualified for. But they’re not hoping you just won’t notice. Candidates with potential do their research and see where there are gaps in their knowledge. They develop a plan for learning the necessary skills.

Bring high-potential candidates in for a conversation. Ask how they think they’ll be challenged in the role and what they’ll do to deal with those obstacles. The right candidate won’t say ‘I’m a great problem solver’ or ‘I’ll figure it out.’ They’ll give you actionable steps they’re willing to take. Even if you don’t think their plan is the right approach, you’ll know they’re motivated.

Curiosity

Without curiosity, there’s no desire to learn. A candidate can tell you they’re willing to put in the work but if they aren’t generally inquisitive, they’ll just go through the motions. There will always be a disconnect between the employee and the role.

During the interview process, pay attention to candidates’ unprompted questions. Before you even suggest training, see how far into the position they want to dig. Are they asking follow-up questions that are outside the scope of the role? Are they interested in what other employees do? Do they want to know how the sausage is made? These are all signs they’ll learn the necessary skills and take ownership of the role.

Failing gracefully

Any time an employee is learning a new skill, there will be missteps. But in many cases, candidates who are afraid to fail will avoid talking about it during the job interview. Even when you ask them directly, they’ll give a canned response and move on quickly.

Candidates with potential won’t shy away from this conversation. They’ll be honest, admit their shortcomings, and manage to keep a positive perspective on the situation. Look for responses that go into details about what went wrong, how the candidate dealt with the fallout, and what they learned.

Another option is offering the candidate constructive criticism during the hiring process. Point out something they did or said that made you think they’re not ready. If they can respectfully process the feedback and share a concrete way they’ll improve, they’ll be able to handle similar obstacles in the future.

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