Career Changers Make Great Hires

Now that the job market has improved, some employers are having a tough time hiring employees again. If you have an open position that you just can't seem to fill, consider hiring someone interested in a career change. Career changers tend to be more flexible, which might make up for some skill deficiencies. Someone on the verge of changing careers may also be willing to take a pay cut to learn new skills.

If you are in charge of hiring employees, the last thing you want to do is hire someone who thinks she knows everything and refuses to learn anything new. Because career changers are interested in pursuing new challenges, they are usually willing to participate in training programs, take classes or enroll in mentoring programs to give them a leg up in the workforce. Your company can benefit from hiring someone with this approach to career development.

Avoiding stagnation is one of the biggest challenges of running a business. It's great to have employees stay at your company for 10 years or more, but if the same people are always making decisions, your company might not be able to take advantage of new opportunities. Hiring career changers is an easy way to bring some fresh blood on board and give you a new perspective on your company's challenges.

Many career changers already have five or more years of work experience, so they tend to be more mature and more aware of professional norms. If you hire someone who is making a mid-life career change, you don't need to worry about teaching your new employee the basics of the business world. If you hired an intern or someone who just graduated from college, you might have to spend your time educating your new employee on appropriate clothing for the workplace or the importance of arriving on time for work each day.

Career changers are usually less risk-averse than people who stick with the same career until they retire. After all, quitting a perfectly good job and starting all over again at a new company is a big risk. If you need an employee who examines a problem from all angles and isn't afraid to try a risky business tactic, a career changer might be a good fit for your company.

Career changers have proof of their success. Someone who has 10 years of experience in an industry should be able to show you glowing reference letters, positive performance reviews, letters of thanks from customers or other items to prove how well he did at his former job. If you decide to hire a career changer, you don't need to worry about working with someone who hasn't proven his skills yet.

If you are responsible for filling open positions, don't overlook candidates who are looking to change careers. Although they may not have a lot of experience in your industry, career changers are flexible, reliable, mature and unafraid to take risks.

Photo courtesy of Alan Cleaver at Flickr.com