Company Blog

Help Wanted. Requirements: Zero Talent

by Adam Zack — January 27, 2021

Keep the job and succeed.

A lot of employers and a lot of potential employees put too much emphasis on skills they think are necessary to do the job. Experience and skills are, of course, necessary in many jobs. You don’t put a guy who has only ridden a bicycle behind the wheel of a big rig. The balloon guy at the circus doesn’t qualify as an anesthesiologist because he knows how to turn on the helium tank. Cousin Larry, who does wonders with his set of crayons is not automatically qualified to be a graphic designer. In our food business, emphasis on experience for jobs like prep cook, cashier, stock clerk, meat cutter, and customer service supervisor often are given the criteria by store management of experience needed to get the interview for the job. With the labor market still tight and looking to get tighter (and more expensive) – even with Covid layoffs – hiring criteria and the interview process needs to evolve. I recently came across a list that I think gets to the core of what to look for in a great new employee. And none of them require talent, skill or experience. Potential employees who realize these things, and present themselves accordingly, are far more likely to land the job, and more importantly, keep the job and succeed.

10 THINGS THAT REQUIRE ZERO TALENT