Firms Hope Entry Level Hires Will Bring New Kinds Of Value

Written by Mike Shapiro | | November 20, 2018

You might come away from reading the WSJ article from October 31, 2018 thinking this year’s hunt for top talent fresh out of school is the same old thing with the same old purpose, started earlier and with a bigger budget.

But that would be wrong. The rush to make big-money offers to college grads with no experience represents a radical shift in what firms are really looking for from new hires.

Old mind-set

  • We’ve got a pretty good business here.
  • We’ve got good ways of doing things.
  • It’s important to bring in some smart, young folks.

Old implicit expectations

  • …so they can learn the ropes from us.
  • The goal is to groom them to take over more and more responsibility to continue the great things we’ve got going here.
  • Some experience in learning and adjusting to a company culture would be helpful.

New mind-set 

  • We’ve enjoyed some success, it’s true.
  • But our business, our markets and the world are very different from the way they were just a short time ago.
  • There will be more rapid and sudden disruption in our business, making must-have’s of new products, services and business practices we haven’t seen yet, rendering old ones instantly obsolete.
  • New products and services will likely be developed by companies with founders and creative leaders in their 20s.
  • The market for new products and services will see people in their early 20s as early adopters, with older customers taking their cue from them.
  • The things we did to get us here won’t be enough to help us survive in the future. We’re not sure what it will take to succeed in the new business environment that’s just ahead.

New implicit expectations

  • Our best bet is to do whatever is necessary to bring on as many top people in the same demographic to show us the way to innovate and sell to their peers.
  • It’s quickness, agility and savvy we value over experience.

It may look like a turbo-charged version of the old ritual of bringing in new blood to “teach them how things are done here.” But it’s different now. Incumbent power structure denizens in their 30s, 40s and 50s understand that their own tenuous grip on their careers depends on being able to respond to “what’s next,” and they know they can’t do that without smart, capable representatives of the New Order.

Seen in this light, big hiring bonuses seem like a worthwhile investment, and it’s never too early to get your pick of “the best.”