At Betts Recruiting, we see first hand the ever-changing shifts in the job market. Businesses are rapidly launching and growing, and over the past few years there has been an influx of job seekers pouring into the job market. With each year, different hiring trends surface, driving and directing the job market. This year, we’ve seen the following shifts in the importance of professional experience.
THE FALL OF TENURE
Hiring managers are much more interested in up and coming candidates than ever before. The need for 10 or more years of work experience has come and gone. For example, Periscope, a company we have partnered with, hires Account Executives starting with one year of closing experience. The Vice President of Sales, Jerry Clarno, focuses more on intangibles, such as sales DNA, hustle, and competitiveness instead. These aspects focus on meeting candidates in person, concentrating on culture fits, and identifying hone-able skills to create an ideal revenue-generating employee. Similarly, at BrightTalk, another partner, the VP of Sales Ryan Ashburn, highlights the great internal growth path within the company. They aim to hire young professionals who match with their company’s philosophy and vision, and help them craft their careers within the company. They recognize that experience doesn’t carry over from job to job, and instead, want employees to learn the skills specific to their company regardless of previous exposure.
In today’s job market, you don’t need to push papers and get coffee for ‘X’ amount of time before you get to step up to the big leagues of a decision making role. Hiring managers are recognizing talent and want to utilize employees to their full potential. The concept of growing within a company has become the new norm.
THE RISE OF TECH EXPERIENCE
Technical experience has become a hot commodity. Understanding the rapidly changing technology market is key to almost any function of the business (i.e. sales, marketing, engineering, finance, etc.). Employees with technical experience have become keystones to many young tech corporations. Some companies I have partnered with that focus on technical acumen and experience selling to technical decision makers includes; RainforestQA, Indeni, and Takipi. These companies are looking for candidates that can articulate their product and processes inside and out. This type of experience is hard to learn on the job. If a candidate with high potential and technical experience is looking to make a career change, hiring managers are jumping at the chance to interview. Today’s market is built on the ever-changing tech space. Hiring managers are taking notice of the need for experts.
Beyond specific technical experience, companies are also learning to read resumes more efficiently for comparable industry understanding. With the onslaught of online applications, longer resumes are burdensome and often hide true experience amongst unrelated background information. Hiring managers are valuing succinct, organized, and targeted information. The importance of a relevant background, whether through department exposure, industry relevant prior careers, skill sets, or knowledge are more valuable than generic professional experience.
Overall, job seekers don’t need to be seasoned business veterans; yet, the experience they have must be focused and relevant. In 2016, businesses are aiming for quality employees over quantity. They are focusing more on culture fits and potential. These trends are paving the way for these employees to advance quickly. By finding and recognizing talent as well as being strategic with their hiring, companies will be able to find and retain top talent regardless of the job market.