Is experience overrated?

It's not unusual to find a certain level of relevant experience as a requirement in a job description or posting - employers want to see that you have gained enough experience in the area to be able to do the job effectively. 

However, a lot of candidates are often burdened with the catch-22 phenomenon of "how can I get the experience if no one will hire me without the experience?" On a similar note, there are many candidates who may be looking to venture into a new industry or field, and although they are probably capable of doing the job, they may be overlooked for their lack of previous relevant experience. 

Lou Adler, best-selling author of Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007), poses the following question: "Who’s the better candidate: someone who can do all of the work with half the skills and experience, or someone with all of the skills and experience?" 

Here are some lessons he shares with us in a recent article: 

1. Experience and skills are overrated. A continuous track record of exceptional performance in a variety of increasing complex situations isn’t.
2. When interviewing someone for any job, get into the weeds and benchmark their performance against their peers. Look for the “Achiever Pattern” in each of their positions. This indicates they’re always in the top 25% of whatever they’re doing. Mary is clearly an Achiever.
3. The best people are those who accomplish the most with the least amount of skills and experience.
4. If you’re a candidate without the full complement of skills and experiences, make sure you can demonstrate you’re an Achiever and someone who can get great results regardless of the circumstances.

As a recruiter or hiring manager, you do need to follow certain guidelines in terms of job requirements and necessary skills and qualifications. However, we should try not to overlook candidates who have a prove track record of high performance and achievement, just because they don't have "5-7 years previous relevant experience." 

Do you agree with Lou? Have you ever potentially overlooked a great candidate because they didn't make it through the rigid filters? Do you feel you have been overlooked as a candidate when you know you are fully capable of succeeding in a role?