Comments on: Does experience matter when hiring?

By: Public stupidity at the NY Fed

Public stupidity at the NY Fed — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:34:52 +0000

[...] month I wrote an article linking to a study at Harvard on the dangers of hiring based solely on [...]

By: Another silver bullet MAP story

Another silver bullet MAP story — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:19:00 +0000

[...] Jim didn’t look for exact experience—he wanted people who could learn on their feet; he wasn’t worried about multiple jobs as long as the reason for changing wasn’t just money. Schools and grades didn’t impress him; they were just part of the package. The only things Jim really cared about were attitude, passion, smarts and commitment. [...]

By: Miki Saxon

Miki Saxon — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:46:35 +0000

Hi J, I owe you a major apology for not responding much sooner, no excuses, I just messed up.

I won’t argue with your examples, I’ve seen the same ones over and over.

But I will say that your attitude could make it difficult to land the kind of job you want. Rather than offering up public comments on what I think you should do, I’ll offer my phone number in case you’d like some free help.

Give me a call at 866.265.7267 or click the email link in the right frame next to my name. If you email be sure to put ‘about Leadership Turn’ in case it’s caught in a filter.

Again, my apologies for the delay.

By: JDub

JDub — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:41:07 +0000

Being currently unemployed and looking for work, I wish that more people could grasp the concept that direct experience pales in comparison to certain other attributes, like competency and intelligence.

I could tell you stories of promotions and hires that make no sense given a person’s actual capabilities but, for some reason, many companies still believe that length of employment or a previous job title matters. In the last position I held, a guy I worked with moved companies for the same job, although he was TERRIBLE at his job. The other company say he had the job title and gave him the position. I bet they are now wishing they had looked beyond a title. My boss in that same company was given her role b/c she was in the right place at the right time. She has no managerial skills and no idea what her employees are up to on a daily basis and yet, people think the world of her.

Now, maybe I am bitter b/c I am an intelligent, competent person with 2 degrees and the best job that I seem to be able to get is as an idiot’s assistant but it would seem to me that when you have a history of a system that doesn’t work and you are repeatedly hiring and firing (and wasting money doing it to boot) wouldn’t you want to try a new system … although that idea leads to the concept of company evolution and a quick look at really anything gives direct evidence that people fear change more than anything.

Sorry about the rant, I am just frustrated.

By: Around the Business Channel: Does Experience Matter?

Around the Business Channel: Does Experience Matter? — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:14:11 +0000

[...] Miki Saxon at Leadership Turn, notes that most managers look first for direct experience when interviewing, but is that a good thing? Experience in general has enormous value, but by holding out for direct or exact experience you can shoot yourself in the foot. [...]

By: The b5media Business Channel Bloggers Ask - Does Experience Matter?

The b5media Business Channel Bloggers Ask - Does Experience Matter? — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:46:53 +0000

[...] At Slacker Manager, Phil and David tackle the question head on: Experience or Attitude: Who would you rather hire? Similarly, at Leadership Turn, Miki notes that most managers look first for direct experience when interviewing, but is that a good thing? [...]

By: b5media - Does Experience Matter?

b5media - Does Experience Matter? — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:27:50 +0000

By: Mike King

Mike King — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:54:29 +0000

Oh great points! When it comes to experience, I look for experience that shows learning, motivation and overcoming challenges. If they can do that, I don’t care if the experience itself is the same type of work or not, just that they have those traits in their previous roles.