How can we get hiring managers to consider atypical paths that allow us to combat the “paper ceiling”, specifically for technical hires?
Some of the reluctancy I’ve experienced comes from concerns around time-to-productivity. There is a worry that without X degree or education level, the candidate will simply not be able to ramp up in the time needed to meaningfully contribute to company goals.
Here’s how I would encourage teams to approach this concern:
1. Proactive vs reactive hiring: In the ideal scenario, a company should know their goals for the year, be able to pinpoint key milestones and deliverables, and assess current team headcount and bandwidth. Understanding average time-to-fill and time-to-productivity for your team will allow you to identify when you actually need to start hiring in order to consider a wider pool of candidates and allow ample time to ramp up and meet goals.
2. Dig into why X is important to the hiring manager: What does having X degree or attending X university mean to this manager? Chances are, these things are signaling devices being used to assume the presence of certain technical and/or behavioral skills. Get to know what those are and work with the hiring manager to come up with a list of other ways someone might gain those skills. It is HIGHLY unlikely that there is only one way that person could gain that experience.
3. Share the data: As a recruiter, you are an advisor and an advocate. Be a strategic partner to your leadership and hiring managers and show them the benefits, backed by the data, of hiring a team from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Teams experience more engagement, innovation, productivity, retention, and ultimately a better bottom line, when they build teams that showcase different perspectives and avoid homogeny.
I'd love to know, what are other teams doing to break the paper ceiling?
#recruiting #talentacquisition #DEIB #inclusivity #paperceiling
An uncertain economy has rapidly evolved our workforce to be full of candidates with atypical career paths and unconventional experiences. Yet the paper ceiling persists throughout the hiring process.
So how can we help shred the paper ceiling so ability takes priority over formal qualifications?
👉 Create inclusive job listings – write postings that emphasize skills and experience over credentials, and encourage those from non-traditional backgrounds to apply.
👉 Recognize bias in hiring – we all have subconscious and unconscious biases to certain candidates.
👉 Learning to recognize those can go a long way.
Provide training opportunities – mentorship programs can help those without traditional experience gain practical skills.
Addressing the paper ceiling is not only fair, but it makes business sense. It widens the talent pool and provides organizations with the potential for greater innovation.
