Many recruiters advise against hiring someone who jumps quickly from job to job. People who can’t be retained, they reason, aren’t likely to bring value to an organization — resulting in turnover and increased recruiting costs.
At the other end of the spectrum are job seekers re-entering the workforce after a prolonged period of unemployment. Are individuals in this category able to contribute to an MSP in a meaningful way? There is a good chance they can, HR experts said, if channel pros are willing to hear them out.
Legitimate Reasons For An Employment Gap
Karen Young raises her eyebrows when a candidate has an employment gap of six months to a year. There are plenty of employment opportunities out there, according to the president of HR Resolutions, a human resources consultancy and services firm.
Karen Young
“I understand wanting to find the exact fit for someone’s next position,” said Young, who is also the author of “Sought After: How to Be Heard, Be Trusted, and Be Recognized for Your Experience, and Honest and Real.”
“But it’s also important to demonstrate a regular schedule, a routine, responsibility, ability. So go get a job, whether it’s in your field or not.”
That said, there are legitimate reasons for having a long gap in employment, including those that may have lasted for several years. Among them:
- Being a stay-at-home parent to young children
- Caring for an ailing parent, relative, or spouse
- Transitioning an aging parent into assisted living
- Recovering from a serious health condition
- Pursuing an education
“The punchline is that people aren’t doing nothing when they’re off,” noted Merideth Mehlberg, an executive coach and career strategist, and author of “Your Finest Work: Career Fulfillment in a Complicated World.”
Rather, MSPs should be asking, “What are they doing, and how is that building competency for their desired next step?”
How the Candidate Has Stayed Current
The nature of IT requires professionals to stay up to date on tech advancements and best practices. And in the security realm, they must be knowledgeable on new methods bad actors are employing to target their victims.
Meredith Mehlberg
But a stay-at-home parent for the last five years may have participated in continuing education or earned certifications. “That’s the tradeoff I would be looking at. What did that individual do to stay current in their profession?” Young said.
Don’t Eliminate Candidates with Employment Gaps
One of the biggest mistakes recruiters make is dismissing job seekers who have missing periods in their employment histories, Young emphasized. Referring to the legitimate reasons for not working, she encourages channel pros to assess candidates’ entire employment history to gain insight on their career trajectories. Give candidates in this position some benefit of the doubt, she urged.
“But the worst excuse is, ‘I couldn’t find a job,’” she added. “I don’t accept that. You may not have been able to find the perfect job. But don’t tell me you couldn’t find a job.”
Embrace Non-traditional Candidates
While they may be harder to assess, there are benefits to hiring candidates who haven’t followed a traditional career trajectory, Mehlberg emphasized. These individuals come into organizations with fresh eyes and a different way of thinking, she added. “There’s definitely a versatility that you’re going to see.”
Take, for instance, if the candidate took the initiative to get trained in the skills required for the position in question. “That’s a good barometer of their likelihood to be successful for you,” Mehlberg said.
Being open to job seekers who haven’t followed a conventional path extends beyond candidates with employment gaps, she advised. “There are significant advantages to someone who hasn’t had the opportunities that others have, or doesn’t have traditional education or traditional experience, or someone who’s been home with dependents — or some other situation that isn’t cookie cutter,” Mehlberg said.
“The more an organization can get solid with their strategy for vetting nontraditional candidates, the more they’re going to benefit.”
Featured image: iStock
