For decades, conventional wisdom told business leaders to hire based on a proven track record. Find someone who has already done the job you are hiring for, and you’ve de-risked the decision. It feels safe. But a growing body of research, and the reality of today’s labor market, suggests that leaning too hard on identical experience can hold your business back.
The idea isn’t new, but it has aged well. Researchers Monika Hamori and Burak Koyuncu found that extensive experience in the same role doesn’t reliably predict future performance, and can even work against it. Their reasoning still holds. Some knowledge and habits have to be unlearned before someone can succeed in a new context. The candidate who has “always done it this way” may be the one least able to adapt when the way itself is changing.
In our industry, the way is changing constantly. Automation, workflow software, digital and wide-format expansion, and now AI-assisted tools are reshaping what print roles require. A résumé full of experience with yesterday’s processes is worth far less than curiosity, adaptability, and the drive to learn tomorrow’s. That’s why so many companies have shifted toward skills-based hiring: evaluating what a person can do and how fast they can grow rather than screening solely for years spent in a matching title.
There’s a practical reason, too. The talent pool for experienced print and manufacturing workers has never been tighter, and the workforce is aging faster than it’s being replaced. If you insist on hiring only people who have already done the exact job for which you are hiring, you may be fishing in a pond that’s nearly empty.
Here are four places to look beyond the identical-experience resumé:
Different Departments
Companies hire from within all the time, but usually along a narrow career path. Instead, look across your organization for people who show promise and drive regardless of whether their skill set matches the open role. Never underestimate someone who already knows your culture and can bring a fresh perspective precisely because they’ve been doing something different. The press operator with a knack for problem-solving may become your best CSR.
Temporary and Contract Placements
Bringing someone in for a short-term role benefits both sides. The candidate builds company-specific knowledge, and you evaluate fit under real working conditions rather than through the artificial lens of an interview. In a tight labor market, this “try before you commit” approach is one of the most reliable ways to identify people who will thrive, especially those who don’t interview well but perform exceptionally.
Volunteer and Community Organizations
People who give their time tend to bring strong work ethics and a genuine sense of responsibility, qualities that are hard to teach. Industry knowledge can be learned. Focus, dependability, and dedication usually cannot. Someone who has led a nonprofit committee or organized community efforts has shown initiative and follow-through where no one was paying them to do so.
Real Conversations, Not Just Interviews
Some of the best hires reveal themselves outside the formal interview. Seek out people whose strengths differ from your own. Ask about recent accomplishments, then dig deeper. How might a strong result in a different field translate to what your business needs now? The answer often points to a candidate you’d never have found simply by filtering for a matching job title.
Bill Prettyman is CEO of Wise in Alpharetta, GA. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms, and digitally printed products and services for resale only. For more information, visit www.wbf.com or email Bill at [email protected].
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