Judged by Experience, Hired for Potential: Cracking the Code When You're Early in Your Career
“I can’t get the job because I don’t have experience. I can’t get experience because I can’t get the job.”
If you’re a fresh grad applying for roles or already employed but told to “wait your turn” before aiming higher, this might feel uncomfortably familiar.
Heidi Grant and Sheryl Sandberg both highlighted a subtle but powerful bias in hiring: men are often judged based on their potential, while women are judged based on their experience. Beyond gender, another bias quietly rules many HR systems: experience > potential, almost always.
This is particularly frustrating for Gen Z. You grew up learning fast, thinking differently, and valuing meaning over hierarchy. But when you step into the workforce, you’re met with outdated rules:
🔹 Wait 2–3 years before asking for a promotion
🔹 “You’re not ready” (but no one tells you what “ready” means)
🔹 Apply only if you tick all the boxes
So what can you do when you know you’re capable but feel stuck waiting for permission?
Here is your strategy.
1. Understand the Bias—Then Shift the Frame
Recruiters and managers often rely on experience because it's easy to measure. Potential? Not so much. Most workplaces are risk-averse, and time served is still mistakenly seen as a proxy for maturity, loyalty, or leadership.
Here’s the key: your job is not to argue that the system is flawed (even if it is). It’s to present your potential in ways that feel safe and compelling to the people making decisions.
Think of it like reframing your story from “ambitious” to “strategic.”
2. Show Your Readiness Even If They Don’t Ask Yet
If you’re in a job already and want to grow before the official timeline says you can, try these moves:
🔹 Signal Before You Ask
Start by showing you think like the next level up, even before you're in that role. This might include:
Taking ownership of small projects and delivering results
Offering solutions instead of problems in team meetings
Volunteering to shadow a more senior role or support with stretch tasks
These are low-risk ways to get noticed without directly asking for a promotion.
🔹 Document Your Growth
Keep track of the ways you’ve added value (quantitatively and qualitatively). A self-made “impact journal” can be gold when it’s time to have the conversation.
Try this formula:
"In the last 6 months, I’ve [action taken] which led to [result or insight]. This shows I’m already working toward the scope of the next role."
🔹 Plant the Seed
Instead of “I want a promotion,” try:
“I’ve been reflecting on how I can grow further here. I’d love to explore what it would take to take on more responsibility in the next 6–12 months.”
It’s respectful of process and signals ambition clearly.
3. If You’re Interviewing: Make Potential Tangible
For job-seekers or internal applicants, don’t wait to be seen, help them imagine you in the role.
Use these tactics:
Tell learning velocity stories: “In just 3 months, I picked up X, delivered Y, and learned Z.”
Reverse the concern: “I know I don’t have 3 years in this role, but here’s what I’ve done in the last 12 months that maps to the same skill set.”
Paint your thinking: Don’t just say what you did—explain how you thought through a challenge.
Remember: they're not just hiring your past, they're betting on your future. Make it easy for them to say yes.
4. Outthink the System With Emotional Intelligence
This doesn’t mean faking confidence or playing politics. It means understanding the fears and filters of the decision-makers.
Ask yourself:
What risk are they trying to avoid?
What does “readiness” mean to them, and how can I reflect it?
Who’s been promoted recently? What behaviors or milestones did they demonstrate?
Anticipate the gap and close it before they point it out.
5. Build a Visible Portfolio of “Next-Level” Thinking
If your job title doesn’t reflect your capability yet, make your growth visible:
Start a blog or LinkedIn series on things you’ve learned.
Create a mini-case study or deck summarizing your contributions to a project.
Mentor someone newer, or run a team upskilling session.
All these signal leadership without needing a title first.
You Don’t Have to Wait to Be Chosen
The most empowering shift you can make early in your career?
Stop waiting for someone to declare you “ready.”
You don’t need to inflate your experience. You just need to show the mindset, maturity, and motivation that suggest you’re already thinking one step ahead.
Yes, the system is slow to change. But that doesn’t mean you have to be.
Your Coach,
Jocelyne
Sources Referenced
Heidi Grant – No One Understands You and What to Do About It
– On perception, performance, and how to influence how others see your potential.Sheryl Sandberg – Lean In
– Highlights the gender bias in promotions: men promoted on potential, women on past performance.McKinsey & Company – Women in the Workplace (2023)
– Discusses the “broken rung” in early career advancement and systemic biases in promotions.
https://womenintheworkplace.comLinkedIn Talent Solutions – Global Talent Trends Report (2022)
– Shows recruiters prioritize experience over soft skills and potential, despite saying otherwise.
https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blogHarvard Business Review – “Why We Keep Hiring the Wrong People”
– Discusses flawed hiring practices and reliance on experience-based assessments.
https://hbr.orgDeloitte – Gen Z and Millennials Survey (2024)
– Offers insights on Gen Z’s values, growth expectations, and challenges in the workplace.
https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/genz-millennials-survey.htmlFast Company – “Gen Z is Reshaping the Workplace”
– Highlights Gen Z’s impact on workplace norms and expectations.
https://www.fastcompany.comHarvard Business Review – “What High-Potential Employees Want from Their Managers”
– Explores how high-potentials want to be seen and developed in organizations.
https://hbr.orgThe Muse – “How to Ask for More Responsibility at Work”
– Tips for employees looking to grow beyond their current job scope.
https://www.themuse.com
Further Reading Suggestions
The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis
– Encourages embracing nonlinear growth and redefining success at work.Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
– Offers tools for crafting fulfilling career paths based on experimentation and self-awareness.The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
– A playbook for demonstrating value and leadership from day one in a new role.
