Two things Richard Branson looks for in a new employee

When it comes to brand identity, few executives have as strong a presence as Sir Richard Branson

Two things Richard Branson looks for in a new employee
When it comes to brand identity, few executives have as strong a presence as Sir Richard Branson. The founder of Virgin, a dedicated philanthropist and thought-leader, Branson has enjoyed a long and successful career in people management and investment.

But what’s on his checklist when it comes to hiring new employees? Well, according to a recent blog post, Branson looks for two key attributes in all potential new-hires.

"I never judge people by their education and qualifications," he wrote in a past blog post. "The first thing we look for at Virgin when hiring new staff is personality, which always wins over book smarts or job-specific skills — the latter can be learned. We also give a lot of weight to experience."

This notion of going for experience over qualification is one which is gaining a lot of ground in the recruitment sphere.

A survey from ManPowerGroup found that 34% of employers are having difficulty filling jobs. The talent shortage has led to over half of hiring managers looking outside their usual talent pools, with 40% having to use alternative sourcing strategies.

Do you look at skills over qualifications? Or do you value education over hands-on experience? Have your say in our interactive Twitter poll here.

Recent articles & video

Manitoba government reinstates 1:1 apprenticeship ratio

Two-thirds of Canadian organizations expecting cybersecurity incident

Training leaders to address chronic pain issues

Employee relocation to another province

Most Read Articles

Province introducing paid sick leave as of Oct. 1

Lecturer fired for misogynistic paper published in his name

Ottawa limiting employers’ access to Temporary Foreign Worker Program