Does Experience Equal Competence in 2025?
A talent acquisition specialist recently shared a growing challenge in hiring today: traditional resumes don’t always tell the full story.
“In today’s job market,” she explained, “many resumes are crafted using AI tools or professional writers, making it harder than ever to assess a candidate’s actual skills. More and more, we’re realizing that experience and ability are not the same thing.”
I asked her to elaborate.
“Well,” she continued, “experience can be misleading. Someone may list five years in a role, but if they haven’t developed new skills in four of those years, how valuable is that experience? Simply measuring time on the job doesn’t guarantee expertise or capability.”
In 2025, skills-based hiring is addressing this disconnect. Instead of relying solely on tenure, companies are prioritizing verified skills, practical assessments, and real-world competencies. The focus has shifted from what’s on paper to what a person can actually do.
Because in today’s fast-evolving world, it’s not about how long you’ve been in the game—it’s about how well you’ve played it.
Why Skills Matter More in 2025
Does Experience Mean a Person is Competent?
A placement specialist told me about a problem people in her profession have in matching people with jobs. “today” she explained, “most resumes are prepared by experts for a fee. It’s getting harder and harder to determine a person’s real qualifications because of the way most resumes look and read. A key point those of us in placement recognize more and more is that “experience” and “ability” often do not equate.
I asked her to explain.
“Well,” she went on, “experience can be very misleading. For example, five years’ experience may only mean a person has been employed five years but has learned nothing for the past four years. Experience measured only be years-on-the-job in no way indicates a person’s expertise.
Excerpt from The Magic of Thinking Success by Dr. David J Schwartz – 1987
For decades, job seekers have been told that experience is the key to career success. Hiring managers have relied on resumes that list years in a position, assuming that more time in a role equates to higher expertise. But in today’s rapidly changing workforce, does experience really mean competence?
The Resume Illusion
Current perspective:
“Resumes today are often polished by AI tools or professional writers, making it increasingly difficult to assess a candidate’s actual qualifications. We know that ‘experience’ and ‘ability’ are not the same thing.”
This raises an important question: If someone has five years of experience, does that mean they have five years of growth, or did they stop learning after year one? Experience alone doesn’t guarantee adaptability, problem-solving skills, or innovation—the very traits companies need to stay competitive.
Why Tenure Doesn’t Equal Talent
Measuring experience by years-on-the-job is an outdated approach. Consider these scenarios:
- A marketing professional who has been in their role for 10 years but hasn’t adapted to new digital tools may struggle to compete with a newer candidate well-versed in AI-driven strategies.
- A construction worker who has spent five years on job sites but hasn’t gained new certifications may not be as valuable as someone with fewer years but a broader range of verified skills.
- A software engineer who has worked on the same legacy systems for years may not be as innovative as a coder with fewer years of experience but expertise in cutting-edge programming languages.
This highlights the problem: experience doesn’t guarantee skill progression.
The Shift to Skills-Based Hiring
To address this, many companies in 2025 are embracing skills-based hiring—a model that prioritizes what candidates can do rather than how long they’ve been in a role. Instead of relying solely on resumes, businesses are using:
✔ Skills assessments – Practical tests that measure real abilities.
✔ Project-based hiring – Evaluating candidates through work samples.
✔ Digital credentialing – Recognizing industry certifications over traditional degrees.
✔ AI-driven talent platforms – Matching candidates based on verified skills rather than job titles.
This approach is more inclusive, opening doors for career changers, self-taught professionals, and workers from nontraditional backgrounds. It also helps businesses find the right talent faster while ensuring they don’t miss out on highly skilled individuals who might lack years of experience but have exceptional capabilities.
Rethinking Hiring in 2025
Companies that cling to experience-based hiring risk missing out on top talent. The workforce is evolving, and the ability to learn, adapt, and apply skills is far more valuable than time spent in a role.
As organizations shift toward skills-first hiring, the question for job seekers is no longer “How long have you done this?” but rather “What can you do?”
And in 2025, that’s what truly matters.