What does experience mean to you?

Cpl Mario DiPasquale — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 17:43:18 -0500

Let’s pretend you’re a hiring manager. Does the following statement impress you? “Practical contact with and observation of facts or events.” No? Me either… that’s the first definition of experience from a Google search.

This word is held to a very high standard. It’s a requirement in more job postings than a bachelor’s degree. But, what is experience and why is it the bane of young professionals looking for a chance?

I have never understood why experience is held in such high regards, often a deciding factor when it comes to who is even interviewed. The Marine Corps has fourteen leadership traits: Justice, Judgment, Dependability, Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Endurance. These words are almost never listed in the job’s Minimum Requirements. Why is that? If I was in a position to hire, I would select an individual with these traits because, I would want leaders, not managers. Leaders don’t need a title to lead. Leaders promote things like, innovation, communication, and teamwork. I would want all my employees to be leaders.

Experience is not a trait. Your ability to gain experience sometimes comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Experience is gained through time. I could be the worst (still good, just not a top performer) at my job and, as long as I hold that position, I’m still getting the experience that is often listed under job requirements and deemed the deciding factor in many situations.

In my efforts to be the best I can be, and to take the next steps in my career, I was asked to take Gallup’s Strength Finder 2.0 assessment. First, let me assure you experience isn’t one of the possible strengths. My top five strengths (in order) are, Competitive, Strategic, Futuristic, Maximizer, and Deliberate. To me, these represent the types of qualities (strengths) I would look for in a future employee.

I don’t think hiring managers realize that losing out on a new position because of experience is probably the most depressing reason to a prospective employee. In my opinion, that is saying “We don’t believe in you.”

Employers don’t want to take chances anymore. The corporate world has created a false emphasis on experience and is giving the impression “the company doesn’t have time to train”, “training isn’t in the budget”, and/or “it is really important the individual selected can hit the ground running.”

They want someone else to deal with training. Everyone is looking for the “plug-n-play” employee. Unfortunately, I think this is because many leadership positions are filled by managers – not leaders. Harvard Business Review has a great, short article on the “Three Differences Between Managers and Leaders.”

Don’t get me wrong, I understand experience has its place. In no way am I saying any and all positions should be willing to accept the inexperienced. However, I believe there should be more emphasis placed on candidates past successes and ambition. I don’t believe experience should ever be the deciding factor in the hiring process, unless all other avenues have been discussed. With experience comes comfort, and with comfort, innovation and creativity often take a back seat. With technology constantly advancing, employees with leadership traits are the keys to staying competitive.

When experience is held in such high regards over so many beneficial traits… what kind of workforce are we creating?

Response by SSgt Robert Marx made Jan 27 at 2016 5:54 PM

SSgt Robert Marx — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 17:54:06 -0500

Experience to me means time on the job that produced meaningful engagement of resources so that the employer gained and the employee produced some quantifiable product for expended hours. This means that both the contractor, the employer, either made a profit or had its work completed while the employee engaged in productive work.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2016 6:10 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 18:10:15 -0500

Experience to me means having a body of work that demonstrates your ability to apply learned skills in a productive and meaningful way. It is very difficult to convey in a resume without being overly verbose. However, it is absolutely crucial that you convey that in a job interview.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jan 27 at 2016 6:34 PM

SN Greg Wright — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 18:34:12 -0500

"Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't."
--Pete Seeger

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
---Douglas Adams

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 27 at 2016 6:34 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 18:34:14 -0500

Experience allows you to break down a large project into many teams and tasks.

Response by CPT Mark Gonzalez made Jan 27 at 2016 7:05 PM

CPT Mark Gonzalez — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 19:05:12 -0500

You can be qualified all day, but being qualified is equivalent to raw talent or potential, which also means risk and untested. Experience is the end product and the results you can show.
A young professional who is qualified should be able to get an entry level position. However, if they expect more it may be a long road as their skills are raw at best. Plus what makes this hard is everyone sells themselves as hard-working, motivated and intelligent to the point that these subjective comments mean nothing and you need tangible results.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2016 8:28 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 20:28:42 -0500

If I am a hiring manager, and I see that someone has experience, that person should be able to clearly describe that experience. Some positions require experience, and you will not be considered without it. Sometimes there may be wiggle room, if you have a resume that is exceptional. Being nicely dressed, polished, confident, and knowledgeable about the company and position is critical during the interview.

Response by Sgt Jay Jones made Jan 27 at 2016 8:55 PM

Sgt Jay Jones — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 20:55:26 -0500

I think experience is overrated. All experience is not good or excellent experience. So people claim experience in supervision when what they really did was shift supervise pimple faced kids at McDonald's. How does that compare with a 20 year old Sergeant leading a his squad on a flanking move on an enemy held position. Both have had "leading" experience.

I think a lot of employers are too lazy to fully investigate what is put down on a resume. Until they realize they hired an non-producer then they sit there with egg on their face, trying to figure out a way to get ride of them without opening themselves up for a law suit or civil rights violation.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2016 1:06 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 01:06:33 -0500

It seems to me like all those qualities you listed should be what you are telling the hiring manager. They understand the weaknesses in the hiring system too. https://youtu.be/gQVEvkYuvWk

TED Talks | Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume - Regina Hartley

Given the choice between a job candidate with a perfect resume and one who has fought through difficulty, human resources executive Regina Hartley always giv...

Response by SFC Kenneth Kreps made May 31 at 2022 2:37 PM

SFC Kenneth Kreps — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:37:18 -0400

Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

Response by SGT Curtis Bleacher made Jun 1 at 2022 10:03 PM

SGT Curtis Bleacher — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 22:03:47 -0400

Humble yourself and ask the individuals doing the job what is working and what needs to be improved. Then get them involved with the solution and how to get it done.

Response by Cpl Michael P made Jun 1 at 2022 10:44 PM

Cpl Michael P — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 22:44:47 -0400

Experience means to be prepared for your tasks and perform them to a level even beyond your boss. Book knowledge is great and very necessary but it can only help you look or sound good, it just can’t make you be good or do better than the person with hands on activity.

Response by PO2 Mark Woods made Jun 2 at 2022 4:23 PM

PO2 Mark Woods — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 16:23:50 -0400

Experience, is developed over a time spend in area in which one is Pursuing a career or knowledge to perform an acting of something to present to others, It expresses your Capabilities and awareness that you are able to perform without being instructed or government

Response by SGT Brian Pasquarelli made Jun 15 at 2022 6:28 PM

SGT Brian Pasquarelli — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 18:28:29 -0400

The ability to perform a task that's given to with asking for assistance.

Response by SSG James Lopez made Jun 21 at 2022 12:15 PM

SSG James Lopez — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:15:06 -0400

Age. Everyday we learn something and that experience stays with you for you can pass that information to your love ones

Response by CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2022 7:15 PM

CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:15:35 -0400

Continuous Improvement. Never stop learning and you will always have experience

Response by LTJG Judy Heard made Jun 30 at 2022 2:51 AM

LTJG Judy Heard — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 02:51:29 -0400

You have been in this job successfully for at least a year. Proficient at the task

Response by PFC Harold Mikell made Jun 30 at 2022 12:04 PM

PFC Harold Mikell — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:04:32 -0400

Experience is not only getting the job done. It’s understanding how to do it from prior work.
Experience is something we earn from our duties in life. We earn the ability to help & lead others after we gain experience.
Been there & understanding where others come from while navigating the way through.

Response by SP5 Jose Elizondo made Jun 30 at 2022 8:16 PM

SP5 Jose Elizondo — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:16:56 -0400

Real world ability that has has been applied by one’s self through true knowledge of one’s given profession

Response by COL John Cornelson made Jul 14 at 2022 11:25 PM

COL John Cornelson — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 23:25:44 -0400

Experience is the result of bad judgement. Hopefully you learn from it and go on to improve

Response by SMSgt Bob Wilson made Jul 15 at 2022 11:10 AM

SMSgt Bob Wilson — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 11:10:24 -0400

I worked at trucking company years ago. EXPERIENCE to the HR department was a road test. In other words "can you do the job"? Education is great; however, again, CAN YOU DO THE JOB? If you are applying for an ENTRY LEVEL position, that means you are interested in LEARNING THE JOB. Also, that may mean you have an educational background in that field, but you have limited or no experience. The real issue is what does "EXPERIENCE" mean to the person interviewing the potential employee? If we were desperate for drivers, we would hire "the best of the worst". That means we normally would not hire any of the applicants; however, we have to put a body behind the wheel, thus "the best of the worst".

Response by SSG Conrad Sylvestrelamb made Jul 26 at 2022 1:12 AM

SSG Conrad Sylvestrelamb — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 01:12:00 -0400

KSA knowledge, skills and ability.

Response by SPC Brandon Servantez made Jul 27 at 2022 7:08 PM

SPC Brandon Servantez — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 19:08:13 -0400

Makes you the person you are today

Response by SrA Darwin Nichols made Jul 27 at 2022 7:33 PM

SrA Darwin Nichols — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 19:33:44 -0400

when you know everything there is to know about a job or business

Response by SN Michael Gay made Jul 27 at 2022 10:45 PM

SN Michael Gay — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 22:45:15 -0400

The lessons you’ve learned that life has taught you.

Response by SPC Nancy Detwiler made Jul 28 at 2022 4:44 AM

SPC Nancy Detwiler — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 04:44:54 -0400

Having the right qualifications and education for a particular skill set

Response by Sgt Leon Hoskins made Aug 31 at 2022 8:19 PM

Sgt Leon Hoskins — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 20:19:37 -0400

Being true to yourself

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2022 11:08 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 23:08:17 -0400

All the time you took doing it wrong, you finely got it right.

Response by Sgt Victor Arce made Sep 6 at 2022 11:08 PM

Sgt Victor Arce — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 23:08:19 -0400

All the things you have learned during your lifetime..

Response by SPC Robert Bobo made Sep 30 at 2022 11:46 AM

SPC Robert Bobo — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 11:46:01 -0400

Related experience is so valuable in any profession, seeking out the best qualified starts with experience followed by education, specialized training, skill sets, prior positions held, work ethic etc. Unfortunately, in today's world a high precentage of organizations are relying on computer programs to initially filter and screen applicants based on a job description, these programs will on occasion disqualify the best and brightest applicants, from 1st hand experience, some of my most suitable applicants were screened out by the program, In my case I had a seasoned HR professional with operations experience on my team looking at elements of those disqualified by program based on other criteria for key leadership or staff positions, however, this task can be overwhelming for large organizations receiving hundreds of applicants for hundreds of positions when you have limited resources. My recommendation is to try and get your resume ( 2 pages max) in front of a decision maker!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 24 at 2022 2:30 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 14:30:01 -0400

"I don’t believe experience should ever be the deciding factor in the hiring process, unless all other avenues have been discussed."

You my friend are wrong. I would take a proven commodity over unrealized potential. It's that simple.

Response by SSG Eric Blue made Oct 28 at 2022 1:59 PM

SSG Eric Blue — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:59:23 -0400

To me, experience means that chances are much greater that you'll have either THE RIGHT ANSWER or a more suitable solution to a problem because you've either been through something that pertains to the current problem or another problem that you can relate to the current problem.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 28 at 2022 7:20 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 19:20:22 -0400

The crux of the matter is there is the dialectical approach which is when someone can derive the truth with pure logic. However, a person can have a great faculty of logic, but pure logic alone cannot match the knowledge of someone with a lot of empirical knowledge which is based on observation.

For example, if your mission is to conduct a deliberate defense of a company of M1 tanks on a ridgeline, most likely you do not understand the tasks that have to be accomplished to pull off the mission. I have empirical knowledge; therefore, I can accomplish it in a few minutes. Your dialectical approach will be of no real use. Sure, you can try to read up on tanking, but you will have to know the roles of the tank crew, the performance of the tanks, understand the TACSOP, understand the tasks for each platoon in regard to the enemy forces. Then you will have to process and make sense of all the information to come up with a coherent plan to conduct a company sized deliberate defense on a ridgeline. With my experience in regard to tanking I will be light years ahead of you. The dialectical approach will only take you so far.

Now let's take this a step further. I have experience in aviation, tanks, logistics, finance, budget, national disaster planning, and strategic studies. Who would know more? You or me? If you used the pure dialectical approach, will you ever know how much I understand considering I used an empirical both approaches?

Response by A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney made Oct 28 at 2022 8:14 PM

A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 20:14:50 -0400

FIRST I Need To Explain Something.
I'm An 8th Grade DROP OUT....
Lied To Enlist In The Air Force
Where I Received A Great Education Through U.S.A.F.I.
Business Programs And A Couple Through Universities.
Got My GED, Straight Out Of Basic, At My First Base.
Continued With About 99% Business Courses,
One Right After The Next. Completed My Last One While In South Korea,
About 4 Months Before My Honorable. Was Employed By FMC As An Industrial Purchasing Agent; Just Two Yeats Later, Directly To Purchasing Director & In Charge Of The Purchasing Department In The Indiana Plant .
THAT Being Said.....I'll Take A Drop Out With Some Serious Curiosity, Long Before Some One With Just A PhD....., Curiosity To Know & Find Out, Exceeds All Other Qualities For A Great Employee....
They'll Love Their Job & Do There Best, While Having Fun Doing So.
OH.. P.S. I Was Also Self Employed For 22 Years;
And Did Well Enough To Retire At 56.

100% THANK YOU To The USAF & Their Educational Programs Through U.S.A.F.I.
You Have No Idea What All You Did For Me.

Response by SSG Steve Knox made Dec 30 at 2022 10:49 AM

SSG Steve Knox — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 10:49:49 -0500

Experience means "willing to learn more",

Response by SFC Rita Baumann made Dec 31 at 2022 9:37 PM

SFC Rita Baumann — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 21:37:33 -0500

Experience is adjusting to and learning from all your events over time.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2023 9:49 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:49:28 -0400

Did you write out a short paper for a college class and then post it on here in the form of a question?