Getting hired isn’t just about having a jam-packed résumé, crammed full of experience. Employers today realise it may not equate to the most skilled worker for the job, according to an innovative employment agency who has resorted to testing workers rather than relying on old-style CVs.
Weploy head of growth, Tony Wu, told the Courier Mail younger workers were often overlooked due to their lack of experience even in jobs for which they may be better suited.
So, if it’s about more than experience, how else can employers gauge the skills of young workers and why does thinking outside the résumé box often pay off?
Testing
Instead of relying solely on résumés, WePloy tests the skills of potential employees for the roles in which they seek employment.
“A lot of companies are skeptical of a graduate’s ability to do the job,” Mr. Wu said. “Organisations just aren’t open to giving them an opportunity like they used to.
“People reference a person’s ability based on what’s on their résumé, they see they have experience and assume that means that they are good,” Mr. Wu continued.
“But what we found is that by taking résumés out of it and grading people on their skills, that without unconscious bias, employers are finding value in candidates that would have been overlooked.
While Weploy’s method of matching candidates with jobs is innovative, it’s not the only way of ascertaining whether a candidate is suited to a job.
Workplace training
Increasingly, organisations are taking training into their own hands, seeking soft skills in a résumé and converting them to workplace skills on the job, or taking part in workplace training initiatives.
And it’s a strategy that yields results, according to Crown, who works with the Father James Grant Foundation to deliver workplace training and skills via the four-week program, Mission Engage.
They note workplace training allows an employer to put potential candidates through their paces, gauging their attitude, soft skills and willingness to learn.
“The program is like a month-long interview where we get to see employees under a number of different circumstances while sharing our industry skills,” a Crown representative explained.
Cadetships and traineeships
Cadetships and traineeships aren’t as common as they once were, but still have a valuable role in the modern workforce. They work on the premise a young employment candidate may have qualifications underway but lack on-the-job training.
And again, it’s about finding the right-minded candidate for the role, with the benefits including long-term loyalty and the potential to hone a young worker’s skills specifically for the business, while mentoring their development.
The benefits
Young workers offer business modern skills in a technologically changing world, with an attitude willing to embrace the challenge, learn and grow. And according to Tong Wu, many clients are surprised at the breadth of real skills they can bring to the table.
Mr Wu told the Courier Mail, Weploy had recently received a call praising a young worker.
He sent the employer the young man’s résumé and asked ‘would you have still hired him based on this?’ The answer was a resounding no.
“Getting that first experience is tough, that’s what we really try to do, we work with employers to be more open to opportunities and be more patient.”
What we do
The Father James Grant Foundation partners with business to provide four-week workplace training and development courses for disadvantaged young job seekers. To do this, we partner with renowned businesses, large and small, offering employers the potential to see candidates in action, while developing their specific skills for the roll.
You can learn more about our programs here or contact us for further information.
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