Blog

Innovative hiring doesn’t always mean looking in the same places.

In 2025, 30% of our permanent introductions came from candidates outside the client’s immediate sector - and the results have been telling.

Hiring from outside your industry can bring fresh thinking at a time when many teams are facing skills shortages, leadership fatigue and pressure to do more with less. While sector experience can feel like the safer option, it’s often adaptability that determines long-term success.

We’re seeing candidates from different backgrounds add real value because they bring:

- Strong leadership and people management
- Clear communication and stakeholder skills
- Practical problem-solving and project delivery experience
- Openness to new ways of working

When supported properly, these individuals don’t just fill a gap - they challenge assumptions, improve processes and help teams move forward.

Looking beyond your immediate sector isn’t about lowering standards or taking unnecessary risks. It’s about recognising that capability, potential, and impact aren’t defined by industry labels alone.

When you focus on transferable skills, leadership, and the ability to adapt, you open the door to talent that can strengthen your team in unexpected ways. With the right onboarding and support, these hires often accelerate progress, bringing fresh perspectives, challenging thinking, and helping organisations move forward at pace.

In a market where talent is scarce and change is constant, the organisations that succeed will be those willing to rethink what “the right background” really means. Because sometimes, the hire that makes the biggest difference is the one you didn’t initially think to look for.