Help Wanted…Only those with current experience in our market, industry, product, technology, systems, etc. need apply.…Many companies believe that in today’s environment the best candidates are those whose prior experience closely matches the company’s situation. On the surface, this seems a logical approach. With so many people seeking work, whether they are employed or unemployed, this will screen out many candidates. Also, many believe that hiring a leader with the experience that closely matches the organization’s context is best poised to deliver results and deliver them quickly. Unfortunately, too many leaders have seen experienced hires deliver average or even below average results. That hasn’t stopped managers and executives from keying on experience as the make or break requirement.
A current best selling non-fiction book, Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin, captures in a quick read what researchers have known for a while: that experience does not necessarily make one better at what they do. Colvin states in his book: “Researchers from INSEAD business school in France and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School calls this the ‘experience trap.’ Their key finding: while companies typically value experienced managers, rigorous study shows that, on average, managers with experience did not produce high caliber results.’ ” Colvin goes on to cite a number of examples where many professionals auditors, stock brokers, surgeons, college admissions officers and the like, “were no better at their jobs than those with very little experience.”
What implications does the “experience trap” have for selecting people?
• While experience certainly should not be dismissed as factor, key in on the candidate’s personal traits/characteristics and “mutual fit.” At best, much of the “experience” considered so important as a hiring criteria is largely dated one to two years after a leader comes on board. More often, new hires fail not because they are too inexperienced to do the job but, for poor fit.
• Make sure your interview process methodically evaluates quality. Executives and managers, not just human resources professionals, should be skilled in interviewing using a model such as the one presented in The Evaluation Interview, by Richard Fear and Robert Chiron.
• It would seem easy to measure personality much as one would measure intelligence. Yet more important than the mesure of a candidate’s personality traits is how the candidate has managed and developed their personality over time. Has the candidate modified certain personality behaviors as a result of feedback, coaching, or self reflection and practice? Making continuous improvement over a sustained period of time is the mark of a top performer.