Untrained Workers - The Necessity It Seems No Business Wants

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It's a ritual that many job seekers have become accustomed to. Settle in for the evening, pull up your job search website of choice, and scroll through to see what postings have appeared in the last few days. The reasons for looking are different across the board; Some are wanting to upgrade from what they just got home from, others are seeking to move laterally and grow their career in a different company. If any of the postings catch their eye, they open it and browse the requirements, deciding if the position, the potential pay bump, and the career benefits are worth the effort of going through the application process. After all, who wouldn't want an extra 20k in their pocket for doing what they were trained to do?

It's here that we hit on the other side of the coin. Indeed, this is the process that occurs when trained professionals go job hunting. For workers looking to move between industries or, dare it be mentioned, considered untrained or unskilled, job search sites do not represent an open buffet of options that can be selectively picked through at leisure. No, they are a battlefield that needs to be carefully yet aggressively navigated in search of any glimmer of hope. For untrained workers, finding work is exactly this: It's a battle.

So why is it that much harder for the untrained worker to find success? Why do companies view them as a risk? And what can untrained workers bring to the table in the long run?

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But what does it mean to be Untrained?

It's important to explain who we're referring to when talking about untrained workers. Not only is it a deceivingly large group, it's also a catch all for the much more popular term "Unskilled Worker", which implies that workers in certain positions are unskilled because their job is easy. Let's be fair through, very little work is truly unskilled, especially with a little experience under the belt (people criticize burger flipping at McDonalds but I've seen some of your barbecue and you're not exactly Gordon Ramsay either). But that's exactly it: Time spent gaining experience leads to being a trained worker, but it takes months or years to get there. Everyone starts at the same point; They are untrained, but not necessarily unskilled.

All this training is great... if you remain in that industry. Yes, some skills are transferable like "working in a group setting". Wonderful! You know what else required me to work in a group setting? Kindergarten. And companies know it too. If that were the skill ceiling required for positions to be snapped up, we wouldn't be here. Our concern is with relevant training. Specific training. And that's the hard stuff to get.

Simply put, the untrained worker is one who possesses skills they gained from their past experiences as well as training they gained along the way. What makes them untrained is that the training is not directly transferable or relevant to the position they want to apply to.

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The Business of Risk

Companies are simple entities when you boil it down. They exist to make money. Period. The benefit is that they can be successful enough that they provide a way for those that work there to also make money. In order to keep doing that, they need to ensure that they maintain a level of quality in their organization. Inherently, the path of least resistance is going to be attractive. What does that look like? Minimize risk, do not gamble, do not take chances. Only green light the most safe options that will have the best chance of success and the smallest blowback if something goes sideways. Sounds great! Here's the thing though...

Unknowns. Are. Risky.

The hiring process for any company is, by default, always a massive risk. They are essentially sending out a call to action to literally anyone to come knocking at their door and request getting a paycheck to run a part of the company. Ask any small business owner how that makes them feel and 9 times out of 10 they will tell you that's a scary proposition. So how does a company minimize the risk they take on when they submit a job posting? The best way is to limit who can apply.

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The Dreaded Job Requirements

For applicants, this laundry list from hell is typically the first stop in any posting. Forget the pay and the fancy title... do I even qualify? For the company though, it's a way to deflect anyone who does not have the necessary abilities from consideration. It's risk mitigation, but it's also a balancing act. Too much restriction and you turn away good people, too little and you get an avalanche of submissions.

And once again, for the trained professional, it's a great system! Three years using this software? I've got six. Four years working in this capacity? I've got five directly related and another two if I spin this other employment correctly. Do I have the diploma in the field? No, but I've got eight years experience in it regardless. But notice that all these requirements represent training, not skills. This is why untrained workers will find this roadblock a mountain, not a molehill.

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Entry Level isn't a Safe Bet Anymore

It's a commonly accepted strategy. New to the industry? Find an entry level (sometimes considered Junior) job and work your way in. Sounds good... in theory. In reality, it leads many untrained workers, be it a fresh graduate or an ambitious person looking for a career shift, to disappointment. A large number of postings list that to qualify for the "Entry Level" position, the company wants 1-3 years of experience in similar positions (This, by the way, makes the position not entry level). And that's on top of the other training requirements asked of the applicant.

And if you should find a posting that truly asks for no prior experience outside of the standard educational requirements, may the odds be ever in your favor. While these postings are much more achievable from a qualification standpoint, it opens the floodgate for others in the same situation. The result is that the competition for these positions can be hundreds if not thousands of people. In an applicant pool that large, standing out becomes that much more difficult.

Unpaid internships remain as an option that allow untrained workers to accumulate such experience, but they come with a large drawback to the workers. Yes, the company has reduced risk and operating cost, but the worker is not getting paid. The experience and training is valuable, but it does not pay bills (seriously, compensate your workers). As competition for these entry level positions continues to bottle up with each new wave of workers, sacrificing a paycheck for a shot at getting an edge down the line becomes more enticing.

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It Takes a Village

So which company is responsible for providing a large number of opportunities to allow the wave of new work to enter the industry? Not us! exclaims what seems to be a growing number of organizations. Because untrained workers represent risk to these businesses, and businesses don't want to take risks. The prospect of poaching already trained workers from other companies represents a better investment in the view of the company. And gone are the days where a firm handshake and beautiful smile were enough to land the position of your choice.

So that leads to the question of where all the new talent is coming from? Who is responsible for generating trained workers? Would it not make sense to bring on a large (or at least a moderate) amount of people and train them under your corporate structure? What would be the effect if several companies actively onboarded multiple new workers? What if no companies onboarded anyone new?

New blood entering these industries quite literally gives the industries life. So yes...

Untrained Workers are Necessary

They offer new perspectives and ideas, bring in fresh knowledge, and allow companies to naturally grow. Inherently, there will always be risk in bringing in new team members. That being said, the reward for bringing on and trusting an untrained worker and growing them from scratch within your company culture is huge. Job seekers are more than willing to take on the responsibility if given the chance. The more companies work in tandem to foster growth collectively, the greater the benefit that will be felt by all across the board.

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Breaking the Bottleneck

The biggest change that could happen to open the floodgates and allow more people into these industries is for companies to onboard more untrained workers. This means requiring less and hiring more. In the meantime, job seekers will need to continue to play by the currently established rules to seek out new openings. Taking on extra training and seeking out any learning opportunities remains the best option to get a leg up in a tight job market.

~IR

Do you have any good tips for job seekers? Maybe any hints on how to be a more effective applicant? Or maybe you just have a comment to add? Check out the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn page and let everyone know. Don't forget to follow or like the page for updates! And share this article if you feel others should give it a read!

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