Rethink Qualified: Creating a More Well-Rounded Workforce

When you think about what it means to be “qualified,” where does your mind go? Do you think about someone who has every required skill for the job? Do you picture a candidate that checks a list of boxes to fit a position and nothing else? We believe that’s just the start of it.

The idea of a “qualified” candidate these days is so much different than it may have been in the past. Now it’s important to take in a much larger picture when considering someone for the role they’re applying for. While it’s important to have the baseline skills that a position needs, it’s just as crucial to have something of an “x-factor” on top of that. Take a look at a stay at home mom, for example. Her list of intangibles is every bit as deep and impressive as any of her traditional professional qualifications. There’s no doubt that she’s mastered budget management or the ability to handle challenging personalities. At CareerCircle, we believe that these are the kinds of skills that should be highlighted and celebrated when representing the workforce.

In most of us, there’s hidden potential. Talents that are arguably more beneficial to the role they’re after than the standard ones that the job listing may call for. We acknowledge these hidden traits, and look at the entire candidate to present the best, and truest, version of themselves to potential employers. When we pledge to “rethink qualified,” we’re making a promise to challenge a dated process. 

For the workforce, we do what it takes to uncover their hidden soft skills, boost confidence, and utilize our training courses to upskill them so that they can feel truly qualified for any role. When it comes to employers, we inspire them to think differently about hiring, to take the entire person into account when choosing the right person for the role. We do this by showing them that when they, too, “rethink qualified,” they will no longer simply fill in roles, but instead begin to build a longstanding talent pipeline that will actively grow their workforce from within.

We believe qualified talent is where you’d least expect it. Whether it’s that stay at home mom from above, or a construction worker that has hidden skills that would make them the ideal software engineer, we know that sometimes all they need is a little extra help. We “rethink qualified” because we want to help more people find their true calling. By putting a little bit of extra thought and heart into it, we can give the workforce, and employers alike, the confidence to achieve something more.