Every time I view a job description and it reads something like this…
Job Requirement: 15 Years of relevant experience in a similar position.
I think to myself, Why?
More specifically, why do companies limit the candidate pool so much and use an arbitrary number like years of experience to be the filter.
I know that experience is concrete and therefore it is easier to use in sorting out potential candidates, but what is it really that makes 15 years so much better than 12 years or 7 years for that matter?
Or ask yourself this question, would you rather have a highly motivated professional who has been in a role for 7 years or someone who has floated by in a role for 15 or 20 years?
I suppose if two candidates are equal on all other fronts then maybe I’d look at those years, but for me that may be the only circumstance in which I would do so.
The bottom line is times are changing…
To explore further, let’s consider some of the various fields and the rapid market change you wonder how experience can be weighed at all.
First let’s look at Marketing.
If you have spent the past 20 years in marketing, how much is the same from the marketing that you are doing today?
Perhaps the 4 P’s of marketing haven’t changed, but just about everything else has.
How about engineering?
Did you know that for engineering students in many high tech fields they say that ~50% of what you learn in your first two years of study is obsolete by the time you complete your four year degree? (Shift Happens)
Meaning that all of those years of experience are merely years, and may actually not be nearly as relevant as one would think.
I’ve hired people both executive and rank-and-file for a decade now and I have news for you…
Experience matters, but it doesn’t mean nearly as much as one would think.
I’m sure there will be plenty of people who disagree with this notion, and I bet they all have a lot of experience.
I’m okay with that,
If you consider how little information you can gain from references these days, it is hard to even know how meaningful the “Proclaimed” experience is.
What exacerbates this are the talented resume writers (Nothing against you) who can make the Wendy’s Drive-Thru Manager have a resume that reads like Warren Buffett.
Here is what does matter.
Companies need people who are competent to do the job that needs to be done today.
Then they need to consider they type of person that can continue to learn and grow as the market changes so they can do the job that needs to be done next.
More than anything they need dedicated and capable people who are capable of building trust with their teams, partners and customers.
Years of experience really don’t tell the story there.
Leaving me to ask Hiring Managers everywhere…How do you weigh experience in your hiring decisions?
