What recruitment misses about experience – David Hopkins / Education & Leadership

Recruitment has a habit of signalling who it wants, long before a CV is ever read. You can see it in the language of the job description: “fast-paced environment”, “high energy”, or “work hard, play hard”.

On the surface, it’s reasonably harmless and may actually reflect the nature of the work and culture within. It could also be standard wording that’s been pasted from the last advert and copied from another, so they’re seen as more dynamic or an ‘active’ business. But it does something very deliberate, even if unintentionally. It tells a certain group of people: this isn’t for you.

And that group is often those with the most to offer; experience and wisdom bring something that isn’t easy to write into a job description. This is the applicant who has seen things go wrong before; they understand that fixing a problem isn’t just about the fix itself, but the wider environment that caused the fault and the environment that the fix could make a whole lot worse if not properly considered before being actioned. They know that what looks like a quick win today can become a long-term issue tomorrow.

That perspective doesn’t come easy. It comes from time, from mistakes, from seeing patterns repeat.

It also brings something else that’s often overlooked: calmness. Not a lack of energy, but control of it. The ability to pause, assess, and respond with intent rather than urgency. There isn’t always a rush to solve a problem. In many cases, rushing is the problem.

Experience builds the confidence to take a more measured approach. To ask what’s really happening. To understand that stepping back, even briefly, can uncover issues that a quick fix would miss entirely. Solve one problem too quickly, and you could create two more.

That kind of thinking doesn’t always sit comfortably in environments that define themselves as “fast-paced.” So we optimise for pace instead of judgement, and then wonder why the same problems keep coming back.

At the same time, in hushed words, there is talk of youthful “enthusiasm” as if enthusiasm has an age limit. It doesn’t. Redundancy happens at every stage of a career. It isn’t a reflection of ability, and it certainly isn’t a reflection of hunger. If anything, it sharpens it. People who have been through redundancy know what they bring. They know what they’re looking for. They’re not coasting, they’re intentional.

“Redundancy isn’t just about losing a job; it affects confidence, mental health, financial security, professional pride, and family relationships. Too often, people who have given their all to their roles are now left questioning what’s next.” – Navigating change

There’s a quiet assumption that someone who has been made redundant is somehow less than. Less capable. Less current. Less driven. Many of the most experienced people in the market right now have been through multiple restructures, organisational shifts, and strategic resets. They’ve stayed relevant because they’ve had to. They’ve adapted because there was no alternative.

And yet, the signals in recruitment don’t reflect that reality; the absence of salary in job adverts is another one. It frustrates everyone, regardless of age, but it hits experienced candidates in a particular way. When you know your value, being asked to “have a conversation” without any indication of range isn’t engaging, it’s inefficient and insulting.

“…willingness to stop perpetuating pay gaps and ensure everyone can access a fair wage; making it a fairer process; get more applicants; demonstrate you respect your employees; demonstrate a willingness to live by your org values; let candidates and staff know if they’re being paid fairly; and to demonstrate a willingness to make the recruitment selection an equal and transparent/fair process for everyone, irrespective of backgrounds or diversity.” – Show the salary

None of this is about older versus younger. That’s too simplistic, and it misses the point. Yes, energy and enthusiasm matter, but so do perspective, judgement, vision, and experience. Sometimes, the most valuable contribution isn’t speed. It’s knowing when not to rush.

The issue in recruitment isn’t who looks better on paper, or even who performs best in an interview. It’s what we choose to value, and how well our processes are designed to recognise it. Too often, the things that matter most don’t present themselves as keywords or competencies. They show up in how someone thinks, how they respond, and how they carry responsibility.

Right now, too much of recruitment is built on habit. Templated language. Safe assumptions. A narrow definition of what “fit” looks like. And in doing so, we quietly filter out people who might not move the fastest, but who understand the consequences of moving too quickly.

As I continue to search for a permanent role and see friends and colleagues navigating severance and redundancy, I feel their pain and offer my support. We’re all suffering, and we can help each other, but that requires everyone throughout the recruitment process to acknowledge their part and to play it. Stop ignoring the experienced candidates and only seeing them as a “more expensive” option; think about the experience and knowledge that comes with them. They’ve seen a lot, fixed a lot, and learned a lot from that. They are the ones who have a unique take on what is happening, or about to happen, and can offer a rounded and experienced view to a solution or way out of (or around) the coming storm.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Related