Train employees for skill – but hire for raw talent
Are you a seasoned bank employee looking to upgrade your role to branch manager? Well, then this job opening at National Australia Bank is not for you, according to NAB retail executive Tony Story who posted the vacancy on LinkedIn. And for the hundreds of people who agreed with him, the advert was a lesson in how to “think differently” when recruiting.
To find the right talent from a diverse pool, Story began his post with an unusual callout. “Please do NOT apply for this job if you have many years of relevant experience in banking, delivering to the highest standards, demonstrating exceptional capability and have consistently been rated highly by your banking bosses,” he said. “I’m sick of fishing in the same pond of people jumping from bank to bank.”
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The executive followed his statement with questions aimed at non-bankers. “Are you a barista who knows how to work under pressure with a smile? Please apply. Do you know how to manage a busy clothing store whilst delivering a great in store experience? Apply now!” The point of the post: career progressions aren’t always linear, so people end up developing skillsets that some recruiters often don’t consider to be the most relevant or most impactful in a role.
“One of my highest-performing home lenders worked at KFC a couple of years ago until he decided he was ready to make a move,” Story shared. “THAT’s what we are looking for with this new branch manager opportunity at NAB Wollongong. Amazing people who work hard, know how to lead, want to deliver for customers, and bring a big smile and great attitude to work.”
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Sharing his views with Get Hired Australia, Story said: “I believe you hire for raw talent and train for skill. Obviously you need banking skills to be a good branch manager — but we can teach you that. What we need you to bring is a great attitude, work ethic, growth mindset and love for customers. And plenty of people have that!”
Even when career changers find themselves in unchartered territory, it’s important to be bold, Story advised. “Don’t fake your knowledge gap. Own it and be open about it. Pivot to your strengths. But fake your confidence,” he said.
