We work in an industry that is notoriously difficult to hire in. As a small business, we’ve felt the sting of trying to find quality job applicants with years of experience. So, we tried something different. We hired a fresh graduate and a current university student.

What they lacked in hard skills, they more than made up for in adaptability and a willingness to learn. This experience taught us a valuable lesson about hiring during a talent shortage: potential can be more valuable than a perfect resume. It’s about looking for culture fit and key soft skills, not just a specific list of past experiences.

We work in an industry that is well known for being difficult to hire in. As the technology industry grows, so too do the number of jobs, but there simply aren’t enough qualified or experienced candidates to fill all those roles.

As a small business, we’ve felt the sting of trying to find quality job applicants. A small hiring pool, education programmes that don’t produce enough graduates or who lag behind changes in the industry, increasing competition between organisations for skilled employees, enormous IT/tech changes, plus high job turnover amongst the younger generation all make hiring a difficult task.

Recruitment is a common concern across many industries that struggle to find experienced hires. Whether you work in technology, IT, accounting, legal, or advisory fields, it can be hard to find applicants with the right level of experience or technical skills.

Plan B: Hiring graduates & prioritising culture fit

Recently we had a fresh graduate and a current university student join the team at SuiteFiles. Starting out, we didn’t mean to hire graduates or interns. However, it has ended up being a hiring path that is working well for us so far. There are pros and cons that that come with this method:

Cons:

Lack of technical skills and knowledge
Little to no experience of working in a professional environment and/or working with clients
Require a large investment of time and resources for training/mentoring

Pros:

Open to learning new skills and about different parts of the business
Can train them in the specific skills you need for your business
Quick to pick up new knowledge and skills
Usually technology savvy and open to how technology can solve problems or improve processes

It would also be disingenuous of us not to mention that students, graduates or interns are generally cheaper than more experienced hires. However, cost should not be the main driver in hiring someone with less experience.

Instead we’ve looked for culture fit and complementary soft skills alongside experience and knowledge. Not only have our graduate and intern hires been a great social addition to our team, but they’ve also contributed to improving our processes and helped highlight areas we need to work on.

We’ve found that what they’ve lacked in hard skills is made up for in their attitude and adaptability to change. However, discovering this about them happened well before we took them on formally.

Takeaway: Hiring graduates or students could work well in your business. What they lack in experience could be made up by IT/tech savviness, adaptability, and forward thinking.

While technical skills are undoubtedly important, how can you still hire good employees when experience is in short supply?

For us, there were two things we value alongside experience – culture fit and specific soft skills. We prioritise these because, as a small team, they can mean the difference between a productive employee and one who needs a lot of hand holding.

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What Does Culture Fit Really Mean?

Culture fit is difficult to define, but it’s usually something you notice if it’s missing. For example, if you’re a social, team-focused organisation but someone prefers to work alone, that might not be a good culture fit.

Culture in an organisation is made up of two core parts – the personalities of the existing team and what is encouraged and cultivated by the heads of the organisation. It manifests in things like an organisation’s language, processes, and daily work practices.

When hiring for culture fit, here are two points to consider:

Culture fit is: Finding someone whose values, beliefs, outlook and behaviour fit in with your organisational culture
Culture fit is not: Hiring someone exactly like you

Hiring for culture fit is about finding someone who aligns with your organisation’s values and ways of working. That doesn’t mean they need to be exactly like everyone else on the team, and that’s a good thing.

For example, SuiteFiles is made up of a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds, ages, interests and goals. That difference means that people ask questions and make observations that others might not have. But we all agree on the important stuff – what we want SuiteFiles to achieve, how we’re going to get there, what we value in the way that we operate as a company, and how we work as a team.

Why Focus on Culture Fit in a Talent Shortage?

Multiple studies have been conducted into the importance of culture fit and its effect on staff retention. Employees who fit well with their organisation and co-workers tend to report greater job satisfaction, commitment, and a higher likelihood of remaining with their organisation.

Culture fit and company culture in general also helps to determine the productivity and outcomes of an organisation. Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn and host of podcast ‘Masters of Scale‘, talked to Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, about how important company culture is, not only to retain the right people, but also to keep the wrong people from coming on board. Hastings discovered this when the people he’d hired couldn’t change with the times, particularly when huge digital transformation hit.

So how do you build a great company culture?

Hoffman elaborates in ‘Masters of Scale’ that ‘truly strong company cultures emerge only when every employee feels like they personally own [it].’ He continues that ‘ strong culture should be an articulation of how your employees’ work at their best. It should be grounded in a shared mission [and] it should be understood by everyone and built by everyone.’

Takeaway: Culture doesn’t come out of a bottle. It’s something that’s built and developed over time. Hiring for culture fit doesn’t mean hiring someone exactly like you, but bringing someone in who can work with the diverse members of your team and aligns with your organisational vision.

We’ve found that hiring for culture fit and particular soft skills requires time and intentionality. Not only do we need to know what our workplace culture is like, but we need to know what soft skills we want to look for.

Is It a Talent Shortage or a Hiring Problem?

When you’re struggling to fill a role, it’s easy to blame a “talent shortage.” But what if the problem isn’t a lack of qualified people, but a hiring process that’s unintentionally filtering them out? Many skilled candidates are actively looking for work but find themselves shut out by broken systems. Before you can find the right person, it’s worth looking at whether your own process is the real roadblock.

From unrealistic expectations to poor communication, several common issues can make it seem like there’s no one out there to hire. Let’s break down some of the most frequent problems that might be holding you back.

Unrealistic Job Requirements

Have you ever seen a job post asking for five years of experience in a technology that’s only been around for three? It happens more often than you’d think. Companies sometimes create job descriptions with a “wish list” of qualifications that no single person could realistically possess. As one job seeker noted, this leads to a situation where “many skilled people are looking for jobs and can’t find them.” When requirements are too rigid or don’t match the reality of the market, you drastically shrink your pool of potential applicants from the very start.

Poor Communication and Candidate Ghosting

The candidate experience matters. When applicants put time and effort into an application or interview, getting nothing back is incredibly frustrating. Complete ghosting or a generic rejection with zero feedback leaves a lasting negative impression of your company. This not only discourages the current applicant but can also damage your employer brand for future candidates. A little transparency and communication can go a long way in building goodwill, even with those you don’t end up hiring.

Over-reliance on Automated Filtering

Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to manage high volumes of applications. While these tools can be efficient, they often filter out great candidates for the wrong reasons. These programs scan resumes for specific keywords, and if a perfectly qualified person uses a synonym or phrases their experience differently, their application might never be seen by a human. This over-reliance on automation means you could be missing out on top talent without even knowing it.

An Unwillingness to Train New Hires

There’s a growing expectation for new employees to be experts from day one, requiring little to no training. This “plug-and-play” mindset ignores a fundamental truth: every company has unique processes and systems. An unwillingness to invest in training not only limits your candidate pool to a handful of people who have done the exact same job before but also overlooks promising candidates who have the potential to grow into exceptional employees with a little guidance.

Alternative Hiring Strategies to Attract Talent

If your current hiring methods aren’t bringing in the right people, it’s time to think differently. Instead of competing for the same small group of candidates, you can make your company a more attractive place to work. Simple, thoughtful changes to your compensation, benefits, and work environment can make a huge difference in attracting a wider range of talent.

These strategies focus on what modern employees truly value: flexibility, respect for their time, and a supportive workplace. By adapting your approach, you can stand out from the competition and find the skilled people you’re looking for.

Improve Compensation and Benefits

Let’s start with the most direct approach. In a competitive market, compensation matters. According to the Harvard Business Review, sometimes you simply have to “pay more during a labor shortage.” If your salaries aren’t keeping pace with the market, you’ll consistently lose out on top candidates. Review your compensation packages to ensure they are competitive, and consider what benefits you can offer that go beyond the standard, such as professional development funds or better health coverage.

Make Commuting Easier

The daily commute is a major factor in an employee’s quality of life. A long, stressful commute can be a dealbreaker for many candidates. You can make your company more appealing by finding ways to reduce this burden. Even small adjustments can show potential hires that you respect their time and well-being outside of the office.

Offer Flexible and Remote Work

The demand for flexible work arrangements is here to stay. Offering remote or hybrid options can significantly widen your talent pool, allowing you to hire people from outside your immediate geographic area. Research shows that job seekers value remote work so much that it’s equivalent to an 8% pay raise. If fully remote isn’t possible, consider a hybrid model that gives employees more control over where they work.

Adjust Schedules to Avoid Rush Hour

Another way to ease the commute is to adjust work schedules. You could implement a four-day workweek with 10-hour days, which cuts commute time and costs by 20%. Alternatively, you could offer staggered start times that allow employees to travel outside of peak rush hour traffic. These simple changes can make a big impact on an employee’s daily routine and overall job satisfaction.

Hire from Overlooked Talent Pools

Don’t get stuck fighting over the same few candidates everyone else is pursuing. There are many overlooked talent pools filled with skilled and motivated individuals. Consider hiring people who are re-entering the workforce after a break, career changers with transferable skills, or candidates from different industries. By broadening your search, you can discover hidden gems that other companies have missed.

Prioritize Workplace Safety and Well-being

A safe and supportive work environment is non-negotiable. Be transparent about the steps you take to protect your employees’ health and well-being, whether it’s through clear safety protocols or mental health resources. When employees feel that their employer genuinely cares about their safety and well-being, it builds trust and loyalty, making your company a more desirable place to work.

Formal Frameworks for Smarter Hiring

Attracting candidates is only half the battle. To build a strong, resilient team, you need a structured approach to hiring and onboarding. Formal frameworks can help you make more objective decisions, identify high-potential candidates, and set new hires up for success from day one. These methods move beyond gut feelings and create a repeatable process for building the team you need.

By implementing clear guidelines for evaluation and development, you can hire with confidence, knowing you have a plan to turn promising candidates into long-term, valuable employees.

The 70/30 Hiring Rule

The perfect candidate rarely exists, and waiting for them can mean leaving a position open for months. The 70/30 Hiring Rule offers a more practical approach. The idea is to hire someone who has about “70% of the skills and experience” needed for the job. The other 30% is based on their attitude, potential, and cultural fit. This framework allows you to prioritize candidates who are adaptable and eager to learn, rather than just those who have already done the exact same job before.

Plan for Training and Development

Hiring based on the 70/30 rule only works if you’re prepared to close the 30% gap. This requires a clear plan for training and development. Before a new hire even starts, you should have a structured onboarding schedule, mentorship pairings, or online learning modules ready. Using a centralized system like SuiteFiles for document management can help you organize training materials and templates, ensuring every new employee gets a consistent and thorough introduction to your company’s processes.

Address Manager Concerns About Onboarding

Hiring managers might be hesitant to take on a candidate who needs training, fearing it will slow down their team. It’s important to address these concerns directly. You can do this by setting clear timelines for when new hires are expected to master certain tasks. Show managers examples of how quickly other employees have learned in similar roles and provide them with the resources they need to support the new team member effectively.

Using a Probationary Period Effectively

A probationary period shouldn’t be seen as a threat, but as a structured evaluation for both the company and the new hire. It’s a dedicated time to assess performance, cultural fit, and whether the role is a good match for the employee’s skills and career goals. When used correctly, it provides a clear framework for making an informed, final hiring decision.

Understand the Legal Considerations

If you use a probationary period, it’s crucial to handle it correctly from a legal standpoint. You must document everything. If you decide to let an employee go at the end of their probation, you need clear, written reasons for that decision. A secure document management system is essential for storing performance reviews, feedback, and other related documents. This creates a clear record and ensures you are “acting as proof” of a fair and consistent process.

Provide Clear Goals and Regular Feedback

A probationary period is useless without clear expectations. From the start, you should create and communicate specific goals the employee needs to achieve. Schedule regular check-ins to provide constructive feedback and monitor their progress. This not only helps the employee understand what they need to do to succeed but also gives you the concrete information you need to make a fair assessment of their performance.

5 Soft Skills That Signal a Great Culture Fit

In the absence of experience and technical ability, soft skills become even more important. Here are the five soft skills we generally look for in an applicant:

Emotional intelligence
Critical thinking
Openness
Trustworthiness
Adaptability

These soft skills are valued because an applicant that exhibits them will probably perform the way we need them to. For example, emotional intelligence and critical thinking demonstrates a thinking brain that doesn’t turn off once the list of ‘To dos’ stops. We can trust them to get on with things, but to ask questions when they need to. All of this is vitally important in a small team.

Takeaway: Hiring for culture fit and soft skills takes time, forethought and intentionality. You won’t know what you’re looking for if you don’t think about it now.

How a Coffee Chat Reveals True Culture Fit

The moment we all met our intern, Jack, we knew he’d be a good fit. Not only did he have a dry sense of humour (a must in the SuiteFiles office), but he was and is remarkably unfazed by challenges and change. Importantly he also approaches everything with a ‘give-it-a-go’ attitude. We felt the same when we met Jamie, who asked us questions and proposed ideas that we’d never even considered before. But we only discovered all this by having coffee with them.

Yes, coffee.

While our hiring process still includes an assessment of technical ability, knowledge and experience, it also includes an informal chat over coffee. Why? Because it provides a casual environment where we can gauge who they are and how they fit in with other members of the team. And because, at the end of the day, we need to be able to have a drink with them.

A big part of our work practice is chatting over food or drink. We bond, laugh and make business decisions as a team. We not only all contribute, but we also expect contribution. The only way to see if an applicant can work well with us, is if we all meet them.

Takeaway: Getting an applicant to meet everyone on the team is not only great for staff engagement as you gather their thoughts and opinions, but it’s also a more accurate measuring stick – they might see something the manager doesn’t.

Here are some questions we tend to ask applicants during the hiring process:

What does your ideal work day look like?
Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team?
Describe the type of work environment in which you are most productive

We’ve also been known to throw in the occasional political question, like ‘Trump or Hillary’.*

While our hiring process isn’t overly complicated, the opportunity to see how an applicant reacts during informal hang-outs (especially when they’re not trying to “sell” themselves during a formal interview) contributes to our success with it so far.

Informal chats and meeting everyone in the company might not be appropriate for everyone, but simply inviting the applicant to have coffee with some members of your team could be a good way to introduce company culture to the applicant and see how they fit in.

Trying to hire in an industry where technical skills and experience are in short supply can be frustrating. However finding applicants who fit well into the organisational culture and demonstrate key soft skills you want can be another way to find talented employees. While it does involve an investment of time to train them appropriately, we’ve found that hiring graduates and interns that exhibit these soft skills and attributes still makes them successful team members, despite their lack of experience.

*There is no right answer (although some might argue…), we just like hearing people’s opinions and justifications.

A Look from the Candidate’s Side of the Table

While we’ve been focused on what we as hiring managers need, it’s helpful to flip the script and look at the hiring process from the other side. For many job seekers, the experience is frustrating and feels broken. They face automated rejection letters, unrealistic job requirements, and a complete lack of communication from potential employers.

Understanding their perspective isn’t just about empathy; it’s a strategic advantage. If your hiring process is a black hole, you’re likely losing out on great candidates who get tired of waiting or accept an offer from a company that communicates better.

The 7-Second Resume Review

Think about the last time you reviewed a stack of resumes. How long did you spend on each one? If you’re like most hiring managers, it was probably about seven seconds. That’s the average time a recruiter spends scanning a resume before deciding to keep it or toss it.

In those few seconds, you’re not reading detailed job descriptions; you’re scanning for keywords, job titles, and company names. Before a resume even reaches you, it has likely been filtered by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that weeds out candidates who don’t have the exact right phrases.

This process can easily filter out highly qualified people. As one job seeker noted, many candidates aren’t unqualified; they’re just filtered out by computer programs before a human ever sees their application. This is why the most determined candidates are finding ways to get around the system.

How Candidates Stand Out in a Crowd

The savviest candidates know their resume might not make it past the digital gatekeepers. So, what do they do? They go around them. Instead of just hitting “apply,” they find the hiring manager on LinkedIn and send a direct message. They don’t just attach their resume; they explain exactly how their skills can solve your company’s specific problems.

When a candidate does this, it’s a huge green flag. It shows initiative, research, and a genuine interest in the role. They’ve moved beyond being a passive applicant to becoming an active problem-solver. This is the kind of person you want on your team.

On the flip side, a clunky, impersonal process can drive these people away. If your team is disorganized, dropping communication threads or “ghosting” applicants, you’re building a reputation you don’t want. Using a central system to manage documents and communication, like SuiteFiles, ensures every applicant’s information is in one place and that follow-ups don’t get missed. It creates a professional experience that reflects well on your company and helps you keep track of those standout candidates who make the extra effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t it a huge time investment to train someone with no experience? Yes, there is an upfront investment of time and resources. However, think of it as shaping an employee to fit your specific needs from the ground up. You get to teach them your processes and systems without having to help them unlearn habits from a previous role. We’ve found that graduates are often quick learners whose adaptability and fresh perspective can actually highlight areas for improvement in our own workflows.

“Culture fit” sounds vague. How do I define it for my company? Culture fit isn’t about everyone having the same personality or hobbies. It’s about aligning on the fundamental ways you work. Start by asking questions about your current team. How do you solve problems? How do you communicate feedback? Do you value collaboration on every project, or do you prefer focused, independent work? The answers to these questions form the core of your culture. You’re looking for someone whose natural approach to work complements that environment.

How do I hire for culture fit without just hiring people who are exactly like me? This is a critical point. Hiring for culture fit should never be an excuse to build a team of clones. It’s about finding people who share your company’s core values and mission, not their background or interests. A strong culture thrives on diverse perspectives. The goal is to find someone who adds to your culture, not just assimilates into it. They should be able to work well within your team’s framework while still bringing their unique viewpoint to the table.

The 70/30 rule makes sense, but how do I decide what skills are in the essential 70%? To figure this out, separate your job requirements into two lists: “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.” The 70% are the non-negotiable skills someone needs to even begin doing the job. These are the foundational abilities. The other 30% includes skills that can be taught, such as proficiency with your specific software, knowledge of your internal processes, or more advanced techniques. This approach prioritizes a candidate’s potential and willingness to learn over a perfect, pre-packaged skill set.

My hiring process is already packed. How can I add informal chats without making it too long? An informal chat doesn’t have to be an extra step. It can replace a more traditional one. For example, instead of a second formal interview focused on competency questions, schedule a 30-minute coffee with the candidate and a couple of team members. This casual setting often reveals more about a person’s communication style and how they interact with others than another structured interview ever could. It’s about working smarter, not adding more steps.

Key Takeaways

Look for potential, not just experience: In a tight talent market, the best hire might be someone with strong soft skills and cultural alignment who you can train, rather than someone who simply checks every box on a job description.
Fix your process before blaming the market: Unrealistic requirements, poor communication, and an unwillingness to train can make it seem like there are no good candidates. Auditing your own hiring system is the first step to attracting better applicants.
Use both formal and informal methods to assess fit: A structured approach like the 70/30 rule provides a clear framework, while an informal coffee chat can reveal the personality and adaptability that a formal interview might miss.