Young and inexperienced. How younger workers make companies successful
Experience and professionalism are closely linked to each other and one cannot come without another, right? HR-managers are taught to pay close attention to the experience of applicants; sometimes it becomes more important than education or charismatic behavior.
Business owners prefer older candidates, as it typically means that they have more specific knowledge and skills required for the position. A rule “the older, the better employee” is more of a stereotype than actually a rule. Young applicants have a lot of talents and unique skills which are extremely useful for the development of your business.
What are the benefits of young employees?
Ready to learn. Young people who have recently graduated college or university are still closely connected to the educational system. They feel ready to implement their knowledge and skills; however, they also understand that they need practical experience. That is why younger employees are open to learning, as they want to become professional as soon as possible.
Moreover, younger inexperienced workers are better learners as they do not have a lot of experience. It is always easier to teach someone how to complete tasks in a manner which you prefer or require, rather than retraining more experienced workers.
It should be pointed out that more experienced workers may feel intimidated if they are asked to take a course or learn a new skill as they already feel professional enough. Younger coworkers can motivate them to broaden their knowledge and become better.
Energy. A lack of experience can become a significant help as it makes a working process more exciting. Work saturation and consequent burnout are typical for employees who tend to overwork themselves. On the contrary, their younger colleagues become a breath of fresh air, bringing positivity and energy to the team.
Interestingly, young personnel impact the performance of the whole group, as their interest and enthusiasm are captivating. Favorable atmosphere at the workplace improves the overall motivation and makes the working process more efficient.
Adaptability. One of the psychological effects that needs to be taken into consideration by any business owner is called ‘mere-exposure effect’. Basically, it means that people develop preferences based on familiarity, so they tend to choose and like something that is better known to them.
Analyzing behavioral patterns of people, the researchers come to the conclusion that older people are more likely to be close-minded and conservative in many fields, including politics, business, morals, etc. That is why more experienced workers who have a vast knowledge in their field of work are less adaptable when it comes to new trends or innovations. Traditional working methods, or those that they use more often, seem to be more reliable and trustworthy in comparison to unexplored techniques appearing over time.
On the other hand, younger workers are only starting their journey in the world of work, so their tastes and preferences have not been formulated yet. It is a great opportunity to try interesting approaches, suggesting young specialists to try them. Not only are they ready to do it, they also may add something new to the suggested strategy, making it even more efficient.
New perspectives. Inexperienced workers are able to look at problems or challenges from a different angle. Those who have recently graduated may know something about new technologies that their company wants to implement, or be well versed in recent studies regarding their professional field. It allows new young workers to add creativity to the working process.
Additionally, educational programs get updated constantly, which means that freshly graduated students probably know more about the latest information connected to the new tendencies in business: development of soft skills and cultural intelligence, implementation of progressive technologies with AI, multicultural approach in business, advertising via social media, etc.
Connection to younger audience. To understand the youth, you need to know their interests and think like they do. Nobody is able to do it as well and effectively as young workers. Being active users of social media and surrounded by young people, they are able to suggest great promotional ideas that can easily reach younger clients. Their new perspectives are especially relevant when it comes to attracting new audiences.
On top of that, young workers could have experience of communication with foreign people, as internet and social media allow them to do it. Because of it their cultural competence is developed naturally. This means that they can attract not only a wider range of consumers, but also expand the scope to an international audience.
Conclusion
A lot of business owners neglect the idea of giving young and inexperienced applicants a chance to work in their company. However, young talents can bring a lot of benefits and make any business more up-to-date and profitable.
