I know this one really frustrates people. ALL people! Recruiters, Hiring Managers… definitely candidates.

WHY do we list years of experience in job descriptions anyway? Isn’t that just another way to inject bias or keep people from getting a chance at a job they can clearly succeed in?

Well, hopefully NO.

Here’s the deal with YOE – it comes down to COMPLIANCE.

I know I know, you’re tired of hearing me blame OFCCP for everything. I’m tired too, but I also understand the logic behind it, and I’m going to do my best to explain it here (and in the accompanying video).

From the DOL website:

So how do we create these objective, noncomparative and job related requirements? Noncomparative means we are not comparing candidates to each other. We’re merely comparing them to the expectations of the role. A recruiter MUST compare the person’s resume to the JOB – and it must be objective and measurable.

“Must have excellent Excel skills” is NOT an appropriate BQ – but “must have at least 2 years experience working with Excel” is! We can MEASURE that. “Excellent” is entirely too subjective. My excellent might be your just ok. With YOE, a candidate either has the required years of experience, or not.

So how do we land on the RIGHT years of experience? This is tricky. We basically need to start from the business problem we’re trying to solve and work backwards from there. We ALSO want to minimize the YOE and make that number the absolute smallest we possibly can, in an effort to screen in as many potential applicants as possible. Here’s how that works:

ABC Company needs to hire a Production Supervisor. The Production Supervisor will oversee a team of 20 assemblers and they’re expected to churn out 100 widgets a day. The Production Manager wants someone who has experience in the widget industry AND significant people management experience, as the team is expanding to 40 in the next 18 months while also bringing a new shift online. Basic Qualifications will look something like this:

  • 2+ years people management in a warehouse or assembly environment
  • 5+ years production experience in a warehouse, logistics, or manufacturing environment

MEASURABLE! OBJECTIVE! NONCOMPARATIVE!

But why those numbers exactly? It comes back to the minimum requirements/capabilities needed to do the job. This person will be a supervisor. They MUST have some background in hiring / firing, people management, mentoring and growing employees in their careers. Someone who’s been a leader for 6 months simply wouldn’t have as much opportunity a someone who’s been doing it 5, 10, or even 15 years. HOWEVER – we don’t want to make that number too big, as we’ll rule out people newer in their career who’ve accomplished some big things. So we land on 2 years, knowing this likely means someone’s seen at least 2 annual review cycles and done some hiring or even firing in that time.

Same with the 5 years of production experience. This person will lead a whole initiative, including expansion. Ideally this person has shipped lots of widgets, built teams over time, and is well versed in the ins/outs of a production facility. Maybe they’ve even stood up new facilities. We’re not necessarily married to an industry (say consumer electronics), so we’re keeping our options open there. BUT – we definitely know we need someone who’s been around the block a few times and gotten several t-shirts.

OK FINE – but what if I only have 4 years and 6 months of relevant experience? You’re really not going to call me?

It depends. If you’re CLOSE – I recommend at least throwing your hat in the ring. It’s entirely possible that the manager isn’t finding what they need, and will be willing to reduce the requirements (this involves creating a new position for compliance purposes, but can be done). Perhaps they’re also hiring a Production Lead with a rapid trajectory towards supervisor. If you are VERY CLOSE – it may be worth applying, as long as you understand you’re competing with others who may fit the minimum requirements and then some.

A red flag to watch out for is MAXIMUM years of experience. A job post that says “2-5 years of experience in X” sets off all kinds of alarms for me. That can be (unintentional) code for “we want someone young”. Nope!

This idea around MEASURABLE requirements and using minimum years of experience has been beaten into my head as long as I’ve been in recruiting. Recruiting managers, OFCCP trainers, lawyers, you name it – they’ve all told me this is the way to do it. If someone has a workaround, please share!

Until then, I’ll be following the guidance I’ve been given and keeping myself out of the auditor’s office.