The HR chief at a $12 billion cybersecurity company says the best person for the job isn't always the most qualified. Here's why more execs are adopting the same mindset.
- Symantec HR chief Amy Cappellanti-Wolf considers whether candidates have the potential to learn on the job.
- Employers are increasingly looking for people who are excited about learning and tackling new challenges. That's even more important than their previous professional achievements.
- Adaptability is key in fast-changing industries. US employers are also reevaluating what it means to be a fit for the job because of the tight labor market.
- Looking beyond traditional qualifications is one way to cultivate diversity in the workplace.
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In a fast-changing workplace, the best way to get hired may be to show that you can learn on the job.
At Symantec, the $12 billion cybersecurity-software company, that means the most obviously qualified candidate doesn't always land the position. Symantec's chief human-resources officer, Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, urges Symantec's hiring managers to consider whether they see potential in job candidates.
"I'm not talking about competency," Cappellanti-Wolf told Business Insider, meaning the specific skills a candidate already has. "I'm talking about capability. Because sometimes people have the potential to do more. They just need some time in the position."
Symantec's hiring strategy is a prime example of a growing trend across organizations and industries. Execs say they increasingly value a candidate's ability and willingness to develop new skills as the business evolves - what some HR experts call "learnability." And in many cases, learnability trumps past professional accomplishments.
Broadening the talent pool is also a way to cultivate diversity in the workplace. Smart, talented people who didn't attend an elite college or work at a flashy consulting firm now have access to prestigious job opportunities they previously wouldn't have.
This new definition of what it means to be qualified for the job is especially relevant now, given the tight US labor market. A 2020 report from the job-search site Indeed indicates that today's US employers are more open to hiring workers who don't seem like exact fits, including workers without college degrees.
As Cappellanti-Wolf put it, the candidate who has "80% of what you wanted" in a new hire may be a better bet than the candidate who appears to be 100% qualified.
Symantec's HR chief says looking beyond traditional qualifications can help cultivate diversity
Cappellanti-Wolf has made diversity a top priority at Symantec.
She said she wants hiring managers to rely less on referrals, or employees' friends and former colleagues who get recommended for job openings. Within most companies and industries, referrals are a main source of new talent, since current employees can attest to candidates' trustworthiness, and the value they can add to the organization.
But Cappellanti-Wolf cautioned that referrals are often "reflective of you," the referrer. "You might end up bringing more homogeneity in than diversity."
With hiring managers, Cappellanti-Wolf breaks down the robust business case for cultivating diversity.
Specifically, she explains "how it might provide even better performance" on their teams. Research suggests that people from different backgrounds may bring different perspectives to the same problem, making the group more creative and more innovative. (The idea of justifying diversity with a business case is admittedly controversial, since it sometimes emphasizes how people in power can profit from diversity.)
Many top employers look for candidates who are excited to tackle new challenges, even if they don't have fancy credentials
Employers' tendency to value a candidate's potential - how they'll take the job and run with it - isn't new. A 2012 study from Harvard and Stanford found that hiring managers often prefer potential over past achievement.
But today's employers are even more focused on what a candidate could do, given the right resources, than on what they've done. Many top companies - including Amazon, Accenture, and PwC - have launched programs to retrain employees on new technical skills, which those employees didn't have when they were hired.
Google, meanwhile, talks about hiring for specific skills, versus seemingly impressive credentials.
Google talent chief Kyle Ewing previously told Business Insider that if you want someone with, say, strong sales skills, you don't necessarily need someone who's worked in sales. "You might need someone who's motivated by quotas, or who's really good at reaching ambitious goals," Ewing said. That person could just as easily come from the nonprofit world.
Professional-services firm EY Global offers employees the chance to earn "badges" by completing online courses on analytics, blockchain, and emerging technologies. As EY Managing Partner Andy Baldwin told Business Insider's Cadie Thompson at the World Economic Forum, relevant job skills "are constantly going to change."
Baldwin mentioned adaptability, or a positive attitude toward change. Adaptability, Baldwin said, "is actually more of a mindset around this notion of lifelong learning."
Other organizations, including Microsoft, look for candidates who display a growth mindset. That means they see challenges as opportunities to learn and develop. (By contrast, if you approach challenges with a fixed mindset, you might assume you'll fail.)
At Symantec, Cappellanti-Wolf knows hiring diverse talent is only the first step. Building a workplace that's inclusive of people from all backgrounds is essential. She said, "We're creating a place where you feel like your voice is heard and you bring your best self to work every day."