Forty-eight (48) percent of resumes employers receive are from candidates who don’t meet an open position’s skills requirements. Increasingly, to the tune of 84 percent, employers are hiring and attempting to train up these job-seekers. This is all according to a new report out by Robert Half.
“When it’s challenging to find candidates who check off all the boxes, [employers] may need to re-evaluate their job requirements to hire the right talent,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. “Workers can be trained on duties for a role, but individuals with the right soft skills and fit with the…culture are often harder to come by.”
McDonald added, “Professionals shouldn’t rule themselves out for a position if they don’t fulfill all the criteria. However, applicants need to make a strong case by highlighting past results, transferable skills and a willingness to learn.”
In their survey, Robert Half asked workers, “Would you still apply to a job if you didn’t meet all of the qualifications on the job description?” Seventy-eight (78) percent said, “Yes.”
Additionally, HR managers were asked, “How open is your company to hiring and training an employee who doesn’t meet the skills requirements for a position?” Eight-four (84) percent answered that they were “somewhat open” or “very open” to training candidates who lack skills required for an open position. In fact, according to Robert Half, 62 percent of employees have been offered a job when they didn’t match the exact qualifications.
About the Research
The online surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. They include responses from more than 300 HR managers at U.S. companies with 20 or more employees and more than 2,800 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in 28 major U.S. cities.
