Balancing Experience and Knowledge: Does Time in the Field Truly Enhance Skills?

Our company is now hiring for a supervisory position. I am gathering more applicants and still assessing their applications. There are lots of applicants whom I can say are overqualified for the position because of the range of salary that they are expecting. My supervisor told me that she prefers those with experience but not necessarily experts in the field.

In my own observation of the current person in the position, I can see that she has been employed by numerous companies. Given the years she has spent with them, how would you rate her skills considering she has worked for almost 15 years in the field across almost 10 companies? I am confused about whether being in the field for a long period truly develops one's skills.

I can compare myself to her as I am newly hired in this position but with a shorter period of experience. I am still learning and taking action on every new task assigned to me. My point is, do skills always take precedence over intelligence?

Regards,
Xel

Recruitment is a serious business. An organization pays a hefty price if the wrong recruitment is done. You may refer to the following post and views of various members, including mine, on wrong recruitment: https://www.citehr.com/506585-improv...on-skills.html

Factors to Consider While Recruiting

Keep the following factors in mind while recruiting for any position:

- What level of customer satisfaction is expected from this position?
- Does the candidate meet the competencies required for the position?
- Will the job candidate meet the KRAs for the position?
- Does the candidate have the potential to grow for future positions?

If the recruitment is based on the above parameters, you can eliminate the tussle between experience versus qualification/intelligence that is going on in your mind.

Understanding Experience in Recruitment

Last but not least, please note that nothing is as deceptive as the "experience" of the candidate. I am giving my views from India's business culture. In India, the length of service is considered as "experience." However, the real definition of experience is knowledge gained from one's experiments, successes, or failures. An experienced person may not be able to meet the KRAs of the position. Will you accept this candidate?

Today in India's job market scenario, there is an acute scarcity of competent professionals. This has resulted in unwarranted salary expectations of worthy candidates. Nevertheless, the real spin-off is enjoyed by unworthy candidates because of the rise in their value, though it is unjustifiable.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Understanding Knowledge and Skills

What is knowledge? Knowledge, as defined by a dictionary, means being aware of some facts, information, and data about something, someone, or someplace.

Defining Skill

Then what is skill? Skill is the ability to apply such knowledge to achieve a particular objective or purpose, be it solving a problem, repairing a machine, or reforming a behavior. A civil engineer may design a building but may not be able to build it. Only a mason can build it. An electrical engineer may design a circuit but may not be able to do wiring in his house. It is only an electrician who knows this skill. A bright management graduate fresh from an institute may speak eloquently about the theory of industrial relations but may not be able to handle any crisis in industrial relations in his company.

An employer needs not only a civil engineer but a mason to build employee relations and not only an electrical engineer but an electrician who can prevent short circuits by skillfully wiring the positive and negative energies of employees' emotions.

Acquiring Skills

How does one acquire this ability? One acquires this ability not at once but by continuously working on the problems or situations. What the employer needs apart from academic intelligence is occupational intelligence—which means intelligence that saves his business and keeps it running by employing knowledge and skills at one's command.

I repeat a story that was quoted in one of the threads in this forum to drive home the point.

The Scholar and the Boatman

Once, a scholar in Astronomy working abroad as a research fellow came to India to visit his village, his native place. To reach his village, he had to cross a small river. Therefore, he engaged a boat that ferries passengers to his village. He got into the boat, which was manned by a boy, and the boat was sailing in pleasant weather. The scholar had always had a poor opinion about the not-so-well-lettered village folk and did not let any opportunity go to flaunt his knowledge to taunt them about their ignorance. So he asked the boy who was manning the boat skillfully whether he knew about stars, Moon, Sun, and the Planets. The boy expressed his ignorance. The scholar said, "Look, I studied Astronomy and learned about this universe, went abroad, and am well-placed. You did not study and therefore are content with ferrying passengers."

In the meantime, the weather suddenly changed. Clouds started hovering in the sky, and winds breezed at 200 KMPH, rocking the boat menacingly. The boy told the Scholar, "Sir, we are in the midst of a storm. Do you know swimming since that is the only way to save your life?" The Scholar replied, "I do not know." Then the boy said, "but I know. Here I go. Good luck to you." Saying so, he jumped into the river and swam across to the shore.

The employer requires such skills to handle crises in his business. I do not know nor express any opinion as to who (whether you or your supervisor) is right. I just want to address your confusion about knowledge and skills specific to a particular business.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & IR Advisor

Thank you for your additional information, sir. It really gives me an idea of how to select a suitable applicant for our desired position. I wholeheartedly agree with what you just mentioned, "False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance."

Thanks a lot.

Regards,
Xel