We beat our heads against the wall sometimes when we have to remind our customers that hiring experience is not a strong hiring strategy. More times than not, all you do is recycle mediocrity from within your industry. What truly matters is to hire talent and skills. Experience does not equal success.
For instance, pro football returns this weekend so can you tell me what these players all have in common:
Chad Pennington
Giovanni Carmazzi
Chris Redman
Tee Martin
Marc Bulger
Spergon Wynn
Still wondering? All of these quarterbacks were selected in the 2000 draft ahead of Tom Brady. Tom Brady has won 3 Super Bowls, 2 Super Bowl MVPs, invited to 4 Pro Bowls and was Sports Illustrated’s 2005 Sportsman of the Year for 2005.
Brady obviously has extreme talent but he split time with another quarterback while in college at Michigan. He did not have the typical experience that NFL teams look for so he ended up being the 199th pick in that draft.
Some day he will be in the Hall of Fame.
If you are hiring salespeople based on their experience, you are probably passing on the Bradys to select the Carmazzis.