Hiring for Potential: What to Look for Beyond Experience

In my last post, I talked about why it's time to hire for promise - not just experience.

Because while it's easy to choose someone who's "done it all before," that approach has limits:

• They can struggle to adapt when things change, what worked in their last role might not work in yours.

• The role might not stretch them enough, leading to lower engagement over time.

• And too often, they default to what's familiar instead of bringing fresh thinking.

Experience shows what someone has done; potential shows what they could do.

The real differentiators now are mindset, curiosity, and motivation. Skills can be taught. Attitude can't.

So, what does hiring for potential look like in practice?

Here's what to look for:

• Drive and curiosity. Candidates who light up when they talk about learning or taking on something new.

• Growth mindset. They see feedback and change as part of progress, not as a threat.

• Self-awareness. They can talk openly about what they're still developing.

• Values alignment. They share the same "why" that drives your culture and mission.

• Adaptability. They've pivoted successfully before - across teams, tools, or industries.

To assess this, shift your interviews from credentials to character:

Ask behavioural and situational questions.

Let them tell you about challenges, learning curves, and moments of change.

Make the conversation two-way - see what they want to learn from you, too.

Because the people who are passionate, positive, and intrinsically motivated are usually the ones who grow into the roles you can't even define yet.