Hiring for transferable experience takes a closer look
A civil engineer from highways might have exactly the groundworks and site management experience a water contractor needs. An electrical engineer from industrial maintenance might understand live asset constraints better than a sector label suggests.
The answer is not to ignore specific requirements. It is to identify which skills are genuinely essential and which can be learned with the right support.
Ask candidates to talk through real projects and decisions. That is how you find out whether the move is realistic.