Why Hire Entry-Level Professionals?

Top 4 Benefits Entry-Level Recruits Bring & 4 Key Skills to Look for

We recently asked recruiters to share their reasons for hiring entry-level employees. We learned that companies recruit entry-level professionals for a myriad of reasons. While these vary by industry and organization, the overarching theme was that entry-level employees bring some key benefits to their employer. 

There are some employers who are concerned that the entry-level professionals’ inexperience will hinder their productivity. However, you’ll find that with the right mindset and training, your new hires can be quickly brought up to speed.

This article discusses the top 4 benefits that entry-level workers can bring to your organization, and the 4 key skills to look for when you’re looking to hire entry-level professionals.

Benefits Entry-Level Professionals Bring to an Organization

Benefit #1. New ideas and fresh opinions are represented

Employers often cite this as one of the most important reasons to recruit entry-level employees.

“One of the great things about younger employees is that they see our business with fresh eyes and not in the same way as people who have been working the same role for decades,” says David Lee of CPD Online College. “This brings new ideas and ways of working so that they can teach our existing staff something that could have been overlooked.”

Benefit #2. Staffing costs can be kept down

When you hire entry-level workers, an advantage you gain is that you can keep labor costs modest. On the other hand, you’ll need to make an initial investment to train your entry-level hires. However, your business will eventually benefit from this investment in training when your workers gain experience and increase their productivity.

If you consider that a worker in the US stays with their employer for four years on average - and that’s how long your employee stays at your organization - your company will have more than enough time to reap the benefits of your initial training investment.

In addition, if you offer employees training and progression opportunities, they are more likely to be motivated and stay on with your organization. 

Benefit #3. Diversity in the workplace can be increased

Entry-level hires - both young professionals and career changers - might help increase diversity in the workplace.

We can view diversity in the workplace as a mix of the differences in people’s values, perspectives and thinking. Such differences could stem from gender, age, ethnic background, educational qualifications, professional experience, life experience and more.

A group of team members with a high level of diversity can bring different perspectives and multiple problem-solving processes. This will help your company analyze issues differently, maximize out-of-the-box thinking and make more inclusive decisions.

Benefit #4. Employers can mentor entry-level talent

Many managers and employers do look to develop entry-level employees so that they can grow into more senior positions. The team and company will benefit from the entry-level workers’ improved skills and experience.

Further, an organization who succeeds in nurturing an entry-level professional’s talent is quite likely to be rewarded by the worker’s dedication and loyalty.

As a tech start-up with some very experienced founders (20+ yrs experience each), we purposefully employ entry level employees to:

a) balance out the demographic profile of the team

b) ensure we have fresh opinions and ideas represented 

c) help mentor graduates and help them set off on their career journey

d) keep our staffing costs modest

- Rachel Smith, Co-Founder & Director, Lifefyle

Top Skills to Look for in Entry-Level Recruits

Business owners and managers from different sectors told us what are the top traits they look for in entry-level recruits. 

Skill #1. Communication skills

Communication skills is one of the most important skills that employers look for. As Michael Humphreys, founder & CEO of Z Grills Australia, says, “Someone good at communication will be more successful, productive, and efficient at a faster rate.”

Carter Seuthe, VP of Content for Credit Summit, agrees but notes that this skill is often not taught at college. “One of the skills that's most important to me is an entry-level employee's ability to communicate,” Seuthe says. “They often don't teach this to college grads, or they don't teach it in a way that's actually useful.”

Hence, if you find that your new recruits haven’t had adequate training in effective communication, it’s worth investing in communication skills training for them. 

Skill #2. Willingness to learn

Employers overwhelmingly identified the willingness to learn as a key mindset they look for when hiring entry-level professionals. While certain skills can be developed with the right training, many believe that this mindset is essential for entry-level employees to shine in their roles.

I want people who love to learn new things on my team. In every organization I have been part of, this has been key to transforming our future. We need people who are excited to see “what’s next.”

- Brian Gawor, Vice President of Research at RNL

Skill #3. Computing and digital skills

You might reasonably expect your entry-level hires to have at least a minimum level of computing and digital literacy. However, most industries are undergoing digital transformation and your employees would need more than a basic understanding of copy and paste. 

Hence, it is essential that all your employees - not just your new entry-level hires - get the training they need to help your business thrive in the digital age.

Skill #4. Personal effectiveness skills

You may have learned that a happy and confident team member is likely to be a more productive and inspired employee. Thus, in addition to ensuring your employees have the professional and technical skills to do their jobs, it’ll also benefit both your employees and your organization to give your employees training in personal effectiveness.

Many people develop their self-management skills through their daily life interactions or on-the-job. While some are able to learn these skills effectively in this way, many more would benefit from participating in formal training courses in these skills.

Your employees can apply the skills they learn in personal development courses to different areas of their lives. They’ll also be able to practice the good habits of workload and time management throughout their careers.

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