Employers typically have a laundry list of required skills in bulleted format on each of their job postings. Who is selected for interviews, moved forward in the process and ultimately hired, is based almost exclusively on how their experience matches up with their view of "ideal candidate." Surveys in recent years have found that 56% of executives foresee critical gaps in filling senior level positions in the near future. So, how can companies navigate through the hiring process to select candidates that align with current and future goals? Hire for potential, not experience.
Not all positions require advanced degrees or years of direct experience. When it comes to a job function, like sales for example, a hire with the right experience but maybe outside of the industry could be one of your best employees - given some time. They've already established themselves as a successful sales professional, you can teach anyone about your company's products or services.
Attitude is the top predictor in new hire's success rate and personality and cultural fit should play an important part in the hiring process. It's better to have an employee with a great attitude and average skills than great skills and poor attitude. Skills can be learned, but a person's personality is not likely to change all that much. Research has shown that nearly 49% of new hired will fail within the first 18-months and of those, 89% will lose their jobs due to a personality conflict (lack of coachability, poor emotional intelligence, low motivation or bad temperament). The remaining 11% are terminated due to technical or performance issues.
"Must have 7 years' experience in 'XYZ' to be considered." We've all seen those lines. But, what if I check off all of the boxes and only have 5 years of experience? It's unfortunate the companies are limiting their candidate pools with such stringent (and silly) requirements without even taking 15-minutes to schedule a phone interview to chat about a candidate's background. You could be missing out on a really passionate candidate who is looking for a new challenge and would love nothing more than an opportunity to prove themselves.
An individual's experience with another organization does not necessarily guarantee success in yours. While hiring for personality does bring some uncertainties, it can also be invaluable in providing fresh perspectives and adaptivity. 
