The job experience trap: Why employers may be overlooking thousands of young workers
Four in ten people hired for jobs that required previous experience didn't have it, suggesting the humble CV may be keeping capable first-time job seekers out of work.
South Africa faces a significant challenge with youth unemployment, where one in two young people remain jobless. The issue becomes even more daunting when considering that many of these young job seekers lack any work experience to list on their resumes. This puts them at a disadvantage compared to those with previous employment. Employers, aiming to fill entry-level positions, often ask for previous experience, which inadvertently excludes a large number of qualified candidates.
Recruitment platform JobJack discovered that 41% of the candidates they hired for roles that required prior experience did not have such experience listed. This suggests that employers might be overlooking thousands of potential employees due to their reliance on the CV as the primary screening tool. JobFIT, JobJack’s scoring platform, aims to address this issue by evaluating candidates based on skills that are directly relevant to the job, such as numeracy, reliability, and service orientation, rather than their previous work history.
This approach allows first-time job seekers to compete on an equal footing with those who have experience. By focusing on testable skills rather than relying on the CV, hiring managers can identify the most suitable candidates without the need for costly trial-and-error. The consequences of this mismatch between job requirements and applicants are significant.
Employers face high costs when staff turnover is high, with industries like fast-moving consumer goods, retail, and manufacturing reporting turnover rates as high as 16.4%.
The cost of replacing an employee in these sectors can range from 30% to 50% of their annual salary. Consequently, employers may end up paying for the flaws in their hiring decisions through increased turnover and lost productivity. This underscores the need for a more effective screening process that goes beyond the traditional CV, ensuring that employers find candidates who can deliver results, regardless of their work history.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
