I want you for the Navy promotion for anyone enlisting, apply any recruiting station or postmaster: United States recruiting poster for women to enlist in the Navy, World War I. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The economy is coming back (right?) and qualified people are looking to either trade up for a better job or just get a job for the first time in a while.  How do you get the job, be rewarded appropriately for your experience and get the training you need to be successful in your new position?

The real question you need an answer for, however, is: will a potential employer recognize the opportunity you present as an experienced worker with many skills that may not be directly relevant to the position?  Will they invest in you, train you and help you to help them succeed? (Remember… this is really about what you can do for THEIR business, not the other way around.)

I think that some companies do invest in candidates with high potential but low experience.  Not all companies will, especially if they have recruiting processes that are over thought and set in stone.  Some, though, will realize that high potential, low experience candidates offer considerable benefits, especially when candidates have experience in a related position that doesn’t necessary directly transfer but with skills that could add real and lasting value.  It comes down to risk and reward for the employer though.  If a candidate is too high of a risk they won’t be interested at all.  If they are a medium-risk candidate but are asking for a top salary then it may still be too much for a potential employer.  To get hired, the candidate probably needs to lower the employer’s potential risk and ask for less salary.

Half-Dollar-Rev (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Want to know what happens when you come in at a high salary?  Your employer will expect you to outperform everyone with a lower salary (makes sense, doesn’t it?).  These are people who potentially have less overall experience than you but that have much MORE experience in a role that is entirely new to you.  You just cut your own leg off and made it much more difficult to advance and succeed by coming in too high.