Today, we heard from Becky Machon of Focus HR on how embracing a growth mindset in recruitment can expand your talent pool and give you a competitive edge.

In Guernsey, the talent pool is limited. However, by adopting a growth mindset, organisations can think outside the box and explore less traditional recruitment methods.

Some of the most influential and successful business figures, such as Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Mark Zuckerberg, don’t possess qualifications in their fields. Their success stories show how embracing failures and having a growth mindset can help achieve goals beyond the need for formal qualifications.

As business owners we’re often too focused on qualifications and achievements. By valuing human potential and placing higher importance on effort over mere accomplishments, we can foster creativity, innovation, and inspiration within our teams. Avoiding challenges due to fear of failure limits our growth, but by believing that everyone and every organisation can develop helps us to rethink how we recruit and retain talent.

Today’s job seekers prioritize work-life balance, fair compensation, cultural fit, career growth opportunities, and a positive candidate experience. So it’s up to businesses to reflect on how their organisations are viewed from the outside and internally. For example, hiring for cultural fit minimise recruiting costs, maximises productivity and incentives the whole team.

According to an Intelligence Group study, 64% of millennials would rather work at a lower-paid job they love than a higher-paid, uninspiring one.

This statistic highlights that those entering the job market prioritise purpose over salary, and are more likely to select a role based on the company’s values and vision statement.

So when recruiting, we should focus on candidates’ problem-solving skills, aspirations, and values, rather than just their qualifications or years of experience.

Candidates, employees, and employers with a growth mindset are more likely to tackle challenges with enthusiasm and learn from their mistakes, becoming more well-rounded individuals. In Guernsey, we need to be open to non-traditional methods to widen our talent pool, and all it takes one pioneering organisation to step forward and try something new for others to follow.

As Stephen Bartlett says, “The most successful people in business are those who experiment faster, fail faster, and learn faster. Those who continue to experiment nearly always outpace the competition.”

How can businesses adopt a growth mindset in recruitment?

  • Revamp Job Descriptions: Focus on the skills, values, and potential growth of candidates rather than strict qualifications and years of experience.
  • Promote a Culture of Learning: Highlight opportunities for professional development and continuous learning in your job postings and during interviews.
  • Use Behavioural Interview Techniques: Ask candidates about how they’ve handled challenges, their problem-solving approaches, and instances where they’ve shown resilience and growth.
  • Encourage Internal Mobility: Look within your organization for employees who can be upskilled or reskilled for new roles. Recognize and nurture their potential.
  • Foster a Collaborative Hiring Process: Involve various team members in the recruitment process to gain diverse perspectives on a candidate’s fit and potential.
  • Offer Realistic Job Previews: Give candidates a clear picture of the challenges and opportunities within the role. This helps attract those who are excited about learning and growing.
  • Emphasize Cultural Fit: Assess how candidates’ values align with your organization’s culture and their enthusiasm for your mission and vision.

Adopting a Growth Mindset within Your Organization:

  • Change Your Language: Replace “I can’t do this” with “I don’t know how to do this yet, but I can learn.”
  • Evaluate and Reflect: Take feedback constructively and use it to improve. Understand that the most successful people had to fail several times before achieving their goals, through perseverance, creativity, and courage.
  • Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Gather data, encourage new ideas, and experiment.

By fostering a growth mindset, we can create an environment that not only attracts top talent but also helps them grow and thrive within our organizations. 

You can learn more about Focus HR here