Many human resources reps tend to shy away from hiring young individuals fresh out of business school, a liberal arts college or other university, due to the misconception that these new grads are immature, lazy and inexperienced. However, this may be a bad move, as, contrary to popular belief, young professionals do have something to add to the world of business, despite their limited employment experience. What's more, studies show that if you don't hire these new grads and at least give them a shot, someone else will. As a result, you could miss out on potentially important talent that could help take your business to the next level.

According to Tech Republic, human resources professionals often overlook the value of talent and passion in young applicants and instead focus on their lack of experience. While professional success and an established track record of improving businesses are very impressive and important in older workers, it is unfair to hold newly graduated individuals to this same standard, reports the business blog.

Joe Santana, a guest contributor to Tech Republic, recently shared his reasons for taking a gamble on a young and passionate, though inexperienced, individual. As an human resources representative with a long career in the industry, Santana states that his experience has shown him that talent and ambition can be more important in the long run than almost any other qualities. As a result of his hiring an operations assistant straight out of business school, the success and productivity of the company in which he worked increased. Despite the young woman's lack of experience, her motivation and drive led her to become a quick-learner who was rapidly promoted in the company.

Santana attributes the success of this young woman to the fact that while job applicants fresh out of college do not possess an extensive resume, they are more likely to be enthusiastic, hard-working and willing to work their way to the top than professionals who have been working for many years.

A study conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) on July 14, 2011 reveals that many other employers across several industries are taking the same gamble as Santana did when he hired his once inexperienced but now highly successful new graduate. According to the results of the survey, which polled dozens of companies on their hiring methods and trends over the past year, 41 percent of corporations have hired young talent in 2011. This is a significant increase over 2010, in which just 30 percent of businesses reported hiring new grads. This indicates that more companies are jumping on the young talent bandwagon and looking to take advantage of this previously untapped labor pool.

The SHRM study also polled business owners, human resources professionals and CEOs on why they decided to go with a younger applicant over a more experienced one. According to the data, more than one-third, or 34 percent, of participants stated that the younger generations are more tech-savvy, which is an increasingly important talent in a business world dominated by cloud-based programs, social media and telecommuting.

Based on the results of this recent survey, human resources representatives may want to consider seeking out young talent or at least giving them a fair chance to be hired when they apply for jobs. After all, with so many companies choosing to take on newly graduated individuals, it may be time to jump on the young professional bandwagon before all the good talent is gone.