As HRs or organizations, how are you determining your criteria for selection and how are you developing people for better performance and business results?

 Most jobs ask for long years of experience, education, or skills which some job seekers think is unfair for job seekers who fall short of one of the following criteria: Experience, Education, and Exposure.  One candidate told me, “Jonah I spent 6 years in undergrad and grad school; those tough years alone were torture and represent my experience and exposure”. The candidate even argued that he is not working, How do I expect him to get the required experience?

Time in and time out, I found solace in Charles Jennings’ 70:20:10 Learning Mode. Charles’s research concluded that 70% of our actual learning comes through Experience. What is experience? I.e. actual practice, including On Job Training; 20% is through exposure to informal, social learning & coaching, and only 10% through formal classroom courses and other Education.

Most of us run to complete Grad programs immediately after undergrad; without any prior experience (OJT-on-the-job training, volunteer, internship, etc.). Even after the Grad program, you still do not have the equivalent experience to land you a job that is proportional to your degree. Should employers hire you or hire someone with an undergrad degree but with long years of experience and exposure? 

Additionally, when developing our learning and development strategy, it is good to consider the experience, exposure, and education of each of our staff. Some staff may only need experience over academics and some may need exposure over experience.