What Are Employers Looking for in High Potential Employees?

A couple years ago during a 1-1, I was giving an employee feedback. It wasn’t harsh, nor was it a compliment. It was… feedback. As I delivered it, I could see the dissatisfaction rising in her; and without missing a beat, she confidently countered: “Julie, you hired me because of my skills and experience. Let me do my job.” (As an aside, she often educated me on why I did things or what my job should(n’t) be; I told you that our feedback system is 2-way, ha!)

In lieu of a response, I observed and absorbed. And although her point of view was inaccurate (I’ll explain in a moment), it was clarifying for me to hear. Upon reflection, I realized yet another thing I needed to explain in my leadership approach: how and why I hire high potential employees. Because unbeknownst to her, I didn’t hire her, for her experience and skills. Of course: there was a baseline of these I was seeking in the hiring process. But in the end, I hadn’t extended an offer based on her past work; I’d asked her to join our team for her future potential.

Admittedly (surprise, surprise), this approach is counter-cultural. It’s not the way business at scale and business of the past, has operated. After all, it’s a lot of f***ing work to constantly be on-boarding, training, and upskilling – no matter how exceptional someone is. It’s a huge investment of money, time, and emotion. In our own business, for example, financially, we barely break even on a Strategist at the end of their first year with us. Alongside the work to train someone, it’s a financial risk. Every single time.

So when we hire, our team certainly looks at someone’s past experience as a qualifier. But I dive deeply into their experience to uncover: do they have high potential? And today I want to pose to you: as employers, this is what we should look for. Especially if you’re a small or knowledge-based business.

Why Potential Matters More Than Experience

1. The Business Landscape is Always Changing

Past success is in the context of past circumstances. Markets evolve, technology advances (big time!), and client expectations increase. If you’ve had extensive experience and success in a certain environment, I want to be assured that you can adapt your skills to a new environment and set of circumstances. That means: I can’t solely rely on your outcomes of the past, nor a fancy MBA (please note: I say this poking at myself as much as anyone). I really want to know: what are you made of? Are you curious, adaptable, and experienced in failure? These are a much better indicator of your aptitude to evolve.

2. What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There

A growing business requires constant, well… growth. So employees must be willing to refresh and upskill themselves, to grow with the business.

When our clients have employee turnover, they’re often (rightfully) nervous about the optics. This is a fair fear, and I firsthand understand it. In fact, I’d be shocked if people haven’t talked about Ellevated Outcomes’ employee turnover in our 7+ years in business. While I’m not naïve about what that perception could be, the hard truth is that turnover can be one of the most integrous signals of growth. Whenever my own moments of fear about this seep in, I reground in this tough but timeless business truth:

The people you started the business with, are not the people you grow the business with.

When you hire for potential, you’re hiring for what will get you to the next “there” you’re seeking. You’re not hiring for what your business has already done; you’re hiring for what your business will do next.

3. Skills Can Be Taught, but Attitude is Harder to Change

A candidate with decades of experience might have deep knowledge, and they may have incredible achievements. But if they’re resistant to new perspectives or reliant on their trohpy wall, they may create a bottleneck in your organization. Or worse: they become carbon monoxide – on the surface they’re producing output, but silently beneath the surface, they’re poisoning your culture.

Employees with potential bring a can-do attitude about their work and themselves. They want to learn; they want to be challenged; and they’re willing to go through the learning pit. Best case scenario? They learn to embrace it. Cara Jackson has made the learning pit normal, and dare I even say funny in our team, by asking, “Can someone throw me a snack while I’m down here?” (Her snack of choice is home-delivered Crumbl cookies, if you’re wondering).

What Are Employers Looking for, in High-Potential Employees?

Here’s my personal account of what Ellevated Outcomes looks for, in high potential employees:

1. Humble in Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Employees with true potential recognize that growth requires adaptability. They’re willing to question what they (think they) know, embrace new insights, and continuously refine their skills.

In this list, “unlearning” is key. One of the questions I’ve started asking people in interviews is: “Knowing what you do about Ellevated Outcomes, what will you need to unlearn?” An answer that smells something like “to not work as hard as I did in corporate” is a throwaway to me. That’s the modern-day version of “My weakness is to not care as much as I do.”

One year ago, when I asked Julia Sweitzer this question, she thoughtfully replied, “I’ll need to unlearn getting my validation from impressing other people.” I made the offer the next day.

2. Self-Aware and Emotionally Durable

The best employees can go through and climb out of learning pits- moments of challenge and discomfort that come with growth. They’re not just achievers focused on external accomplishments, but individuals who can push through difficulty without losing heart and momentum.

One time I interviewed someone who said she’d never been through a difficult conversation at work. I knew we weren’t the right place for her, as I don’t want to be someone’s first taste of that. I’ve learned the hard way that’s emotional upskilling; and these days, I’m unapologetic to draw a line and say: we’re a business, not a therapist.

Personal agency is also an important part of self-awareness. It’s a delicate balance at Ellevated Outcomes: we’re a team of strong, self-possessed professionals. So when we bring someone in, they need to have enough agency and gravitas to take up the appropriate amount of “space” among a team of brilliant people (who will be much better than them at this job, for awhile). AND they need to have enough agency and confidence to admit “I don’t know” and proactively ask for help before they’re in too much pain.

3. Experience with Perspective

While hiring for potential doesn’t mean ignoring experience altogether, it means seeking candidates who have enough career and life experience to have perspective. They should be able to self-reflect, ask for help when needed, and understand that personal and professional growth is ongoing.

I want to see that people have enough life and work under their belts to have come out of tough moments stronger – and have the wisdom to discern which tough stuff is worth taking up headspace and airtime.

Convincing Employees to Embrace Potential-Based Hiring

From the standpoint of employers looking for high potential employees, we face this challenge: candidates want to be hired and compensated based on their past. So, how do you shift the conversation?

1. Highlight Growth Opportunities – Show candidates that your business invests in development, mentorship, and sponsoring of their career. If there’s a clear path forward, they’ll understand the value of being recognized for potential, rather than just past achievements.
2. Create Compensation Models That Reward Growth – Map out milestones and link compensation to them. Reward employees not just for what they’ve done, but for how they improve, innovate, and contribute value over time.
3. Reframe the Narrative – Potential-based hiring isn’t about undervaluing experience; it’s about valuing growth. Make it clear that employees hired for their potential will have more opportunities to upskill, take on leadership responsibilities, and make a real impact.

Final Thoughts

If your goal is business growth, you must hire for potential. It’s a smarter long-term play for your business and your employee. The right candidates will see: “There’s runway for me here.”

The question isn’t just, “What did you do in your past job(s)?” but “What are you capable of doing here?” In a rapidly evolving world, answering the second question will create growth for your business and growth for your people.