The Experience Paradox: Why Years Alone Don't Define IC Excellence

Scrolling to the bottom of job descriptions often reveals the line “Has XX years of experience.” Applicant tracking systems or the recruiters reviewing your resume may automatically throw yours out if you don’t have that magic number of years in experience.

Here’s my take: spending a certain number of years in a communication role doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re good (or even great) at it. People can spend their entire careers in communication and still be mediocre. I know this. I’ve worked for and with these people.

On the flip side, having fewer years of tenure in the field doesn’t mean you don’t have enough experience. I’ll give a personal example here. When I was 26, I took on my first role leading an internal communication (IC) function. Within three years, I had:

• Conducted an IC audit to evaluate the effectiveness of our organization’s IC

• Built a strategy and firm foundation for the IC function that transformed it from a non-descript copy-paste-send factory into a trusted strategic business partner with C-suite advocates

• Orchestrated a major intranet redesign that transformed the platform into a dynamic, user-friendly tool that boosted accessibility and usability for employees

• Served as the communication lead on the rollout of an employee app that would achieve 90% adoption in six months

• Built and led a high-performing internal communication team from the ground up

• Led crisis communication efforts during sensitive situations like the Covid-19 pandemic, business disruptions, and leadership transitions

• And a whole lot more

And I’m certainly not alone in packing quite a bit of varied experience in a short period of time. Years of experience doesn’t guarantee breadth of experience. For IC teams of one, you may be doing what some organizations consider director-level work with a specialist, associate, or manager title.

My advice:

• Applicants
  If you see a job description where your skills and expertise fit the bill but your years of experience aren’t quite there yet, apply anyway. Any organization worth working for will value your breadth of experience and be interested in learning more about you.
  

• Hiring Organizations
  Prioritize breadth of experience and proficiency over years in the field. A talented applicant with significant achievements in a shorter time frame may outperform candidates with more senior titles and longer tenures. Look beyond the checkbox of years of experience.

Ultimately, the true measure of excellence in IC lies not in the years but in the depth of experience, proficiency, and transformative contributions, challenging both applicants and hiring organizations to reconsider the significance of mere time in the field.