EPIC FAIL: “Sorry, we need someone with N years of experience in a similar position.”

Have you heard this phrase? I bet you did.?

Working with many companies, including HR, showed me how unbelievably shortsighted many employers are.

This article is not based solely on my personal experience, but on the compilation of experiences of employees from all over the world.

When you read the requirements for the job, you often see things like: “5 years in marketing” or “At least 3 years in a managerial position”. I find this kind of requirement absolutely fair, because it means they probably offer you something significantly more than you already have in your current position, they only need you to show a firm background for it. Would be a bit strange to offer a managerial position in, say, the financial sector to a junior sales person from the mining business, right?

But when a company puts something like: “at least 5 years in the similar position” it makes me wonder: “why should anyone switch to the same position in a different firm???”. For 10% raise? To meet new people? To get a gym membership? Maybe I’m looking at it from the wrong perspective?

Let’s analyze it.

1. I’m an ambitious, smart and productive employee, who keeps developing and growing, which means I have a greater value than people, who do the same job for 10 years on a mediocre level. (Don’t get me wrong, those people are necessary, but we’re talking about those top-notch candidates.) And I don’t want to be one of those people, because it’ll mean degradation and stalling for my brain.
2. I am a fast-learner, who exceeds their peers and colleagues and constantly grows, which also makes me a top-notch employee. What makes you (employer) think I'll be interested in switching to the same position in a new company? Even if my current one is not perfect (none is), I know my “dump” and if it doesn’t offer options for growth, I’d rather take my time and look for an actual opportunity to take a step forward, than just change to more or less the same, but unknown.
3. If I’m all the above and my CV clearly shows a high ability to learn and develop, I’d be absolutely capable of taking up a new CHALLENGE and concur new scope of work at my best. Most probably, I will also exceed your expectations and be more valuable than the person, who already has been doing the same work for 5 years, gone bored and so relaxed with their “firm grip” on things that they absolutely neglect keeping up with a high pace market, technology etc. development.
4. I’m all the above and I would love to go to the next level in my current company, but either the company is not in the place where they need a next-level expert or it already has a next-level expert that is doing a great job and not planning to leave. Am I supposed to just stay, forget my personal and professional growth and wait for the opening that may never come? Does it make that PERFECT CANDIDATE? Not really. So what do I do? I look for the opportunities elsewhere and it doesn’t make me disloyal or treacherous. It makes me the person who knows their value and has healthy ambitions based on their abilities. Period.

Employer-employee dictionary

Now let’s look at what ACTUALLY hides behind all those: “10 years in the similar position”, “Must know this very specific product/service category”. Take it as an employer-employee dictionary, if you will.

1. “We’re looking for a mediocre employee, who has reached their limits and wants to stall in the same position for the next 5 years or till death do us part. We mention the opportunity for growth, but please don’t take it seriously.”.?
2. “We’re afraid of everything new, so we’re looking for someone, who’s proven themself in this very position for a long time and has no ambitions to develop any further. We believe that this way is safer and less risky than trusting someone more ambitious and promising in the place in their career where they’re eager to develop and learn new things. Most probably we won’t get anything extraordinary from our new employee, but at least we’ll know they have years of experience of doing the same thing.”.
3. “We know that the majority of people cannot intake too much new information, so we are highly convinced you cannot either, even if your previous experience and growth path shows otherwise. We do not trust people, who manage to learn faster than the others.”.
4. “We don’t need you to grow and develop with our company, but we do expect you to do the same job with new passion and simply give us your experience for an extra 10% and lots of colorful promises.”.

Satirical but true

That’s my satirical, but truthful view on the job market and employer-employee relations. Of course, there are companies, those very successful ones, who take risks, invest in fresh talents, who give you an opportunity to develop, learn and grow. Those firms surely make mistakes, but when they make the right choice, they get a full pay-off from those few brilliant new colleagues who drive the change and lead their squat to glory.

My advice to companies, who want to keep growing

Dear employers, don’t expect your employees to give you more than you yourself offer. Job market is a living organism and sometimes it seems like you are in a position to demand, but the truth is, it is up to your employees whether you grow or go down. You ONLY get to choose who you hire, but with this choice you determine your company’s future. And the future is always scary, because it’s unknown. Therefore, you have a much better chance with people, who aren’t afraid of change, are capable of fast learning and embracing new, than with those, who “already been there, done that” and nothing can surprise me. The change is the only constant and ability to work with it is a rare quality!