Ruling out the ‘experience’ rule of thumb
For those looking for their next hire with the criteria of 2-3 years of experience, here is something to think about:
Normally, I would comment that is a fairly standard requirement – a rule of thumb – and very normal when looking for years of experience.
BUT in this climate, it is something that is highly unattainable – A box that may be hard to tick on your checklist! For many, there’s a career GAP, a hiatus, a pivot or even a lag in career or skills growth.
Let’s cast our minds back to 2 to 3 years ago … Australia (and the rest of the world) was technically speaking, on it’s head!
Covid, lockdowns, boarder closures, redundancies, unemployment on the increase, and sectors experiencing negative growth. It was uncharted territory, and the fallout was felt for many months to follow.
The impacts of this period on the current employment market are:
- Candidate shortage due to low job seeker numbers entering the workforce when compared to 5 years ago, pre-covid.
- Very limited international visa holders
- Stilted career pathways
- Little or no development
- Forced change of industry (rarely for the better)
- Low entry-level numbers available for the next career advancement
So, if one of your key selection criteria is 2-3 years of experience, it is safe to say it could be a little tough to tick that box!
For this experience timeline, my advice is to rule out that experience rule of thumb. Be open-minded to career gaps or lagging experience and focus on the last 6 months or prior to COVID.
Please reach out to the mme crew for advice on the employment market, to discuss your recruitment needs and business plans for 2023.
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