What is Valued More by Employers, Experience or Enthusiasm?

When a recruiter is on the lookout for a new hire, they often have to weigh up and choose between experience or enthusiasm. Some candidates will have one without the other, and that makes for a tricky decision. On the one hand, they need experienced candidates who can step straight into a role and take command. On the other, the inexperienced but enthusiastic candidate is passionate and keen to learn. Which side do they come down on?

Surprisingly, most employers would take the enthusiasm. There can be issues with experienced candidates, valuable though they are. They can have all the experience in the world and still lack the right attitude. Sometimes – obviously not always – they might be set in their ways and resistant to change, or they may be overconfident in their abilities and want to reshape the role so it fits with their approach. Bad habits are hard to undo.

The inexperienced but enthusiastic candidate, on the other hand, is ready to be moulded to the job. They are a blank canvass and can be shaped from the start, through training and mentoring to help them quickly learn in post.

Their inexperience can often make them eager to please, so they strive to perform well and want to prove their value to you as their employer. Simply being thankful for the opportunity is often enough to keep that enthusiasm going and improve their performance.

Someone hungry for the job will throw themselves into it, while someone who has been doing it for a decade may well just be turning up for the payslip at the end of the month. That's not always the case, but the passionate greenhorn will probably embrace every part of the role.

Many employers will start an inexperienced candidate out on a trial period, to see if they're up to the job and can learn quickly. It's worth giving them a chance. Most will prove worth the risk, and worth their weight in gold.