The Benefits of Hiring Non-Traditional Employees

Sometimes, HR leaders don’t see the benefit in hiring non-traditional employees because all they can see are some of the hurdles they’ll encounter. However, there are problems with the traditional employment model, and going outside of the traditional talent pool may actually benefit your workforce.
When we say “non-traditional” employees, it could refer to almost anything. It might be someone who is a little bit older, someone who is returning to the workforce after a long absence, someone who doesn’t have experience in your industry or even in their role, or something else altogether.

5 Benefits To Hiring Non-Traditional Employees

Not sold on hiring someone outside of your standard hiring group? Here are some reasons why non-traditional hiring might be the best thing you do.

Tap Into Underutilized Knowledge Sources

One of the best ways to enhance your workforce is to tap into underutilized knowledge sources. The most significant sources of knowledge that we don’t tap into enough? Older applicants! A young workforce can be extremely beneficial because they have the energy, thirst for knowledge, and technical experience to help them in their jobs. However, older applicants have historical knowledge and muscle memory for a lot of different things.

Get Broader Expertise and Life Experiences

The most diverse your workforce is, the more knowledge you will have as a collective. If you keep hiring the same types of people, from the same collegiate systems, the same areas of the world, and the same phases of life, you will only get their perspectives. While we can (and should) broaden our own perspectives and skills, it is important to diversify your workforce where you can. Bringing people from different phases of life and backgrounds can help you to see things in newer, more exciting ways.

It can also make your workforce more sympathetic to different people and perspectives, which is always a good thing.

Change Lives

Sometimes, people just need a chance. When you hire someone who isn’t a traditional employee, you are giving someone an opportunity that can change their life. People who don’t come from conventional backgrounds often have a thirst to prove themselves and for knowledge – they are willing to put in the work to be good and even great employees.

When you hire someone who has had a tough life or hasn’t had the most traditional background, you are giving them a chance that many others wouldn’t. You probably got into human resources for this kind of work, changing lives and giving people chances. Of course, there are going to be some non-traditional hires that go wrong, so you need to be prepared as an organization. You’ll be surprised just how extraordinary non-traditional employees can be and the difference they can make.

Training Is Easier Than Continual Hiring

It’s easier to train employees than it is to hire the exact fit for the position in many cases. Why? Too often, the person with the perfect experience or skills will be too expensive, too picky, or will eventually ghost you. Depending on the position you’re hiring for, there may not be many employees, and there might be many openings. As people leave the workforce, you might be tempted to fill their space with a carbon copy of them, but going outside could be easier.

Training employees is much easier than hiring the exact fit. When you invest in a learning management system that helps onboard, close skills gaps, and bring them up to speed on things, it’s easier to take the time to hire someone outside of your norm. Focus on building a great onboarding experience for your employees, investing in good training materials that cover various topics, and take the time to hire someone who fits for culture, which is much harder to teach.

Improve Company Culture

Company culture is an essential part of keeping your best employees. There are challenges in the traditional employment model that can turn company culture sour. However, interjecting someone new can help keep your employees motivated and engaged. They want to talk to new people, hear new experiences, and maybe even team up with that employee to do something great.

Non-traditional employees may need a little instruction about your company’s culture and what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Your new non-traditional employee might need to take a course on your culture and what “normal” is at your company, read an employee handbook, and talk to different departments. You can also anticipate that they might slip up or do something wrong. This doesn’t mean they aren’t a good fit; it just might mean they need some additional coaching.

Use the Trakstar Platform To Develop Your Hires

It doesn’t just stop at building a team of diverse, talented, interesting individuals. You will need to nurture your non-traditional hires, put them through the onboarding process, monitor their performance, gauge happiness, and much more. Do you set your talent up for success at your company when you’ve done so much work to get them there? With Trakstar Hire, you can gather information about skills, talents, experience, and more to enroll your new hires in the best possible training courses so they make the most impact from day one. With non-traditional employees, it’s important to get all of this right.

Hire also helps streamline the hiring process and automate workflows so that your hiring team can do their jobs while still finding the right person, even if they are slightly outside of your normal hire. Whether you’re looking at older employees or someone who doesn’t have experience in their specific field, you need to do more than hire them. Trakstar is one of the only companies offering a talent development platform.

Hiring is difficult, but we help simplify the process by streamlining your tasks, identifying the best performing job boards and descriptions, and providing you with meaningful insights you can use to take action. For more information about applicant tracking, hiring team collaboration, and more, you can contact Trakstar today for a personalized demo to see what this would all look like for you.

Trakstar Hire is considered the most user friendly hiring software on the market. If you’re ready to take your recruiting and hiring to the next level, request a Trakstar Hire demo today.