Hire for Potential, Not History

In my home, turning 16 meant two things: getting your driver’s license and finding your first job. After all, if we wanted to own a car, we needed to show that we were responsible. My two older brothers worked at the local McDonald’s, but I decided to march to a different beat. In my youthful boundless confidence, working at McDonald's seemed beneath me.

Positioned in the same lot as our local McDonald's was a Kroger grocery store. I decided to create my first-ever resume, noting my experience of picking rocks out of the lawn of a newly built house the previous summer, and entered Kroger to apply as a utility clerk (a more glorified way of saying 'bagger'). In my teenage mindset, bagging groceries sounded more appealing than flipping burgers. Oddly enough, I didn't consider it menial. However, a callback a few days later set a different course.

I sat before Leslie, the store manager, decked in my most formal tie for my very first job interview. Leslie's powerful aura was well-disguised beneath a warm demeanour, which made her hard to decipher. As our meeting wrapped up, she extended an offer. Surprisingly, it wasn’t for the utility clerk position I applied for, but a cashier role! As a 16-year-old, this was a pleasant shock—I was the only cashier of my age at that store. Emptied of the prospect of cleaning lavatories and hauling carts around, I gladly accepted.

This hire put me in the crosshairs of the existing baggers. They saw me as an intruder, the unqualified adolescent who locked down a superior position overnight. Admittedly, it was a tense time, but I rapidly integrated, even outpacing veteran cashiers who'd been there for two decades. As I neared 18, Leslie presented another golden opportunity. She invited me to join the front-office team where I’d handle scheduling breaks, managing checkouts during rush hours, processing customer bill payments, renting out movies, and undertaking end-of-day accounting.

But how did this happen? As a part-time high school worker, I found myself working alongside adults my parents’ age. That's when it hit me—Leslie screened my potential, not my past experience. I continued in this role through college, coming back to work over long breaks and summers. Kroger was good to me.

Decades later, I connected with Leslie on social media and thanked her for seeing my potential, and not just my resume. She was the first in a long chain of people who gave me opportunities not usually provided to everyone.

I wish more hiring managers and recruiters would adopt Leslie’s approach. Not every candidate will check all boxes on the job requirements list, and resumes aren’t always fully representative of job performance potential. Be more like Leslie—hire for potential, not history.