Merit & potential > Age & experience

I received a LinkedIn message asking me if I was interested in a VP of People role. I shared that I wasn’t interested in the role, but I was keen to connect. I really admired her own career trajectory and wanted to hear about her journey. I’ve always been big on networking because I love building a community and learning.

The call kicks off, and I start to discuss my personal and professional life. I thought our conversation was going well until she said, “You’re not going to get the VP title yet. But wow… you’re young yet so mature, accomplished, and self-aware for graduating in 2015.”

Strange. I didn’t know what to think or how to respond at that moment.

While I took the intent of the comment as a compliment, it still struck a nerve with me.

This was the first time in a very long time my graduation year came up in a conversation. It brought up memories of when I was trying to transition into the tech industry and went through a series of “no’s” and hearing that I was too inexperienced.

For my graduation year and age to come up after 9 years of work experience and a track record of achievements, this took me back to almost feeling not good enough and having imposter syndrome. But don’t worry, I know my worth and value.

Nonetheless, I redirected my energy and the conversation towards a topic I’m passionate about: the coexistence of AI and humans in the workplace.

This conversation underscores a broader issue within the tech industry. On one hand you have companies preaching that years of experience doesn’t matter; yet, on the other hand and in reality, it does. We’ve made some progress but not enough.

How many years constitute being “too green”? When does one suddenly transition to enough experience and then to “overqualified”?

The People world isn’t rocket science. It demands empathy, sound judgment, and a deep understanding of both human dynamics and business needs. While many skills can be taught, certain intangible qualities — like attitude — are intrinsic and irreplaceable.

We need to focus on creating and providing opportunities based on merit (accomplishments) and potential, rather than age or years of experience alone. After all, each of us has benefited from someone taking a chance on us at some point in our careers.