Hiring For Potential: Why Attitude Still Trumps Experience

Forbes

25-07-2025

Young businesswoman wearing pink blazer and glasses giving thumbs up
Reshma Saujani founded Girls Who Code in 2012. On paper, you'd expect her to have a deep background in tech: a computer science degree, or perhaps years working in software engineering. But look closer, and you'll find something else entirely.
Saujani studied political science and law. She built her career in legal and political activism, not technology. It wasn't until she ran for U.S. Congress—the first Indian American woman to do so—that a stark gap came into focus. On the campaign trail in 2009, visiting schools in the Bronx and Queens, Saujani noticed something striking: almost no girls in computer science classrooms.
So, she did what great leaders do: she spotted a problem and built a solution. Saujani didn't need to code. She needed to lead. And that's exactly what she did. She used her voice, her policy background, and her storytelling skills to build a movement. And in doing so, she helped hundreds of thousands of girls reimagine their professional futures.
What Saujani's story shows is this: expertise isn't always what it looks like on a resume. Leadership doesn't always come with the 'right' credentials. And that's exactly why skills-based hiring—while smart—can't be the whole story. Two-thirds of employers now say they use it to guide decisions. Experience might be trendy. But character still wins. It's a lot easier to teach someone how to use AI than it is to teach them to show up with curiosity, initiative, and drive.
That's the problem: we've developed hiring systems that reward polish over potential. Asking for five years of experience using a tool that's only existed for two doesn't just send the wrong signal. It sends the wrong people away. These systems are not just unrealistic; they're exclusionary. And they're part of the reason entry-level jobs are quietly disappearing.
The result? Candidates stretch for roles they're overqualified for, while the ones they're actually right for go unfilled. Great people get passed over because they didn't go to the 'right' school or intern at the 'right' company. And the cycle of inequity repeats over and over, especially for people who were never invited into those rooms to begin with.
Hiring 'safe' can feel comforting. But it often leads to underwhelming results. If you only hire for what someone's already done, you pass over the people who can grow with you. There's a better way. Stop padding job descriptions with laundry lists of software and skills. Start focusing on traits like adaptability, curiosity, coachability, and a growth mindset. This is what it means and how it looks to hire for potential.
These qualities are much harder to teach than technical skills. And to uncover them, your interview questions must go deeper, beyond surface-level answers and into moments of reflection and growth. Try thoughtful questions such as:
These types of prompts surface how a candidate thinks, adapts, and learns. That's where the real potential lives. Hiring for potential isn't soft; it's smart. High-potential hires often ramp up faster than expected, stay with a company longer because they see growth ahead, and help build strong, resilient cultures from the inside out.
Take Menlo Innovations, a software design and development firm. Instead of relying solely on resumes, they put applicants through real-world challenges that mimic the workday and pair up candidates on paper-based tasks that reflect daily responsibilities. Those who support their partner and collaborate effectively move forward in the hiring process.
And it's not just Silicon Valley tech firms. Big consulting players like Bain & Company use online assessments to evaluate a candidate's situational awareness, numerical and verbal aptitude, and logical reasoning before a technical interview is even scheduled. They're not just hiring what someone knows; they're hiring how someone thinks.
When you're championing a candidate who doesn't check all of the conventional boxes, help leadership see the long view. Reframe it as a long-term investment, not a short-term plug. Point to past hires where you made a similar bet and it paid off. Highlight how this candidate's mindset or learning velocity aligns with real business needs. Be specific. Tie it to outcomes, not job titles.
Because here's the truth: the strongest teams aren't built by playing it safe. They're built by taking smart, strategic risks on people with the drive to grow into the work and beyond it.
You're not just filling roles. You're shaping the future of your team. A team that can stretch, adapt, and evolve alongside your company. When in doubt, hire the human, not the resume.