Insights

​In today’s fast-moving environment, hiring based on experience alone is a safe but limiting choice. As skills evolve more quickly, roles appear and disappear, and adaptability becomes essential, many organisations are rethinking the traditional “five years’ experience” rule.

The smarter bet? Looking at potential. In this blog, we explore when experience matters, what “potential” really looks like, how to assess it during hiring, and how to balance the risks and rewards – all with an eye toward building a future-ready workforce in Melbourne and across Australia.

Experience still matters, but it’s not the whole story

Experience brings value. A seasoned professional has knowledge, judgement, and confidence that comes from time in their field. In some roles – particularly those in compliance, safety, or regulated industries such as finance, health, and infrastructure – experience remains critical to managing risk.

But in fast-changing or innovation-driven environments, strict experience requirements can narrow the field unnecessarily. In Australia’s current job market, many roles are evolving faster than job descriptions can keep up.

Indeed’s 2024 Jobs & Hiring Trends Report notes that although talent demand is gradually easing, labour markets remain tight – employers still face pressure to find adaptable, high-capacity people.

Meanwhile, Morgan McKinley’s 2025 Salary Guide reports that 65% of Australian organisations found hiring very or quite competitive in 2024, and 75% lost potential candidates due to uncompetitive salary or benefits.

In other words, employers are fighting over a smaller pool. Relying only on experience risks overlooking talented people who haven’t yet had the opportunity to build long years in a role.

Jobs and Skills Australia’s Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey (REOS) also found that while hiring challenges have eased slightly in 2025, it still takes time to fill technical and high-skill roles. That underlines the value of widening the candidate lens beyond years of experience.

Experience is a useful signal, but its predictive power fades in roles that demand agility and curiosity. In many cases, adaptability and mindset can matter more than tenure.

What ‘potential’ really looks like in candidates

If you want to hire for potential, here are the qualities to look for:

1. Learning agility
   The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn quickly is a strong predictor of long-term success. Research describes learning agility as a mix of mental flexibility, openness to change, self-awareness, and results focus. Because it’s difficult to measure precisely, it’s best used as one indicator among several.

2. Self-awareness and humility
   People who recognise their strengths and limitations, seek feedback, and share credit tend to grow faster. Self-awareness helps them adapt when things don’t go to plan, rather than becoming defensive.

3. Intrinsic motivation and drive
   Potential shows up as initiative. Candidates who have taken on projects beyond their core role, volunteered, or explored different responsibilities demonstrate a natural drive to stretch themselves – a sign they’ll bring energy and growth to your team.

4. Transferable skills and adaptability
   Someone who can move across different types of work – for example, from marketing to operations – shows they can apply core skills like problem-solving and critical thinking in new contexts.

5. Cultural fit and values alignment
   Potential isn’t only about growth, but direction. A candidate whose values align with your organisation’s purpose is more likely to apply their capability in the right way for your business.

Here’s an example: A candidate might not have formal product management experience, but if they’ve led a student project, organised community events, or volunteered in roles requiring coordination and problem-solving, they’ve demonstrated transferable skills. That’s the kind of potential worth recognising.

How to assess potential in the hiring process

Moving from theory to practice, here are ways to bring potential to the forefront of your hiring process:

1. Scenario and behavioural interviews

Go beyond “Tell me about your last job” by asking hypothetical or forward-looking questions. For example:

• “Here’s a situation your team could face; how would you decide what to try first?”

• “We’ve noticed this metric dropping over time. What might you test to turn it around?"

These questions reveal how candidates think and solve problems, not just what they’ve done before.

2. Practical tasks or short case studies

Give candidates a small, time-limited exercise that tests how they approach new information. It doesn’t need to mimic your exact work – the goal is to see how they handle ambiguity and reasoning. For example, ask them to suggest an improvement to a process they’re unfamiliar with, and explain their approach.

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3. Reference checks that focus on growth

Questions like the following validate learning ability and resilience. When speaking to referees, ask:

• “Can you give an example of when this person had to adapt after a plan didn’t work?”

• “When have they taken on something new or outside their comfort zone?”

• “How do they respond to feedback?”

4. Blend experience and potential criteria

You can still set a minimum experience level – for example, two years in a related environment – while placing more weight on problem-solving, motivation, and learning. Tools such as work samples or structured scoring guides can help keep the process fair and consistent.

Balancing risk and reward

Hiring for potential can feel uncertain, but the risk is manageable when approached deliberately:

• Start small: Trial this approach in one role or team to measure outcomes.

• Pair new hires with experience: Combine emerging talent with mentors or senior leads to share learning and reduce pressure.

• Be clear and check in often: Regular feedback keeps development on track.

• Review performance data: Compare how “potential hires” perform and grow relative to traditional hires.

• Encourage learning: Mistakes are part of growth. Treat them as opportunities for improvement, not failure.

Over time, hiring for potential builds stronger internal pipelines, broader thinking, and more resilient teams.

Future-ready teams value capability and character

Experience may open the door, but potential drives progress. In a labour market defined by change, adaptability and mindset increasingly matter more than tenure.

By clearly defining what potential looks like, building structured ways to assess it, and piloting your approach, Melbourne employers – and organisations across Australia – can create teams built for growth, not just longevity. At Becks Wiggins Stokes, we know how to recognise both experience and potential. If you’re reviewing your hiring process or want a partner who sees promise beyond the resume, we’d love to help. Get in touch with our team today at careers@bwsrecruitment.com.au