The Difference Between Job Ready and Employable

What does it mean when we hire someone who is Job Ready, and what does it mean when hire someone who is Employable? Do they mean the same thing?

In this episode of Know the Difference, we are going to explore the key differences between what it means when we expect new employees to be prepared for their new job at our company. Are they ready and able to work? And are they able to succeed, both in the short term and long term?

In the workplace, we have many expectations for new employees both how well they will take to their new job and how they will be as an employee. But, we sometimes are short-sighted in what we expect, and we are unclear of the signs that someone will be successful.

Let’s start by first defining Job Ready and Employable.

Job Ready refers to how able and prepared someone is to start a new position. Do they have the basic technical skills, proper credentials, adequate transportation, sufficient childcare, etc.?

Job Ready is mostly about their ability to reliably show up and perform the basic duties of the position. The technical skills part of Job Ready is something that we mostly expect to be taken care of by their past training, experience and education. The reliability part is something we assume is in place, especially if they have recently been employed. This expectation of skilled and reliable is at the heart of someone being Job Ready.

Now, Employable refers to how effective and consistent the person will be as an employee. Are they trustworthy? Are they trainable? Can they work well with others? Can they actually perform the technical and interpersonal aspects of the job? Will they be a good employee for the medium and long term?

Employable is mostly about how successful the person will be in their position. It is about more than just if they can show up and perform the basic functions, it is about whether they will add value to the organization or if they will be a strain on their team and manager. Employable is something that is commonly overlooked in recruitment and talent acquisition, and it is something we cannot rely on being developing in post secondary. This is because people often mistake being employable and being job ready as the same thing.

This is also not only something to consider for employees who are new to the company, its also extremely relevant when we are promoting employees from within.