I have noticed something, and I must say, it is one of the most frustrating and infuriating issues I have ever faced. Employers, across industries and sectors, seem to have an almost magical expectation when it comes to hiring. They want miracles. They want moonshots. They want the impossible, and they demand it as if it is a perfectly reasonable expectation.
Let me be clear—I have been job hunting, and what I have consistently observed is an overwhelming trend of employers demanding 6 months, 2 years, or even 5 years of experience for jobs that could very easily be filled by an entry-level candidate. These roles do not require previous expertise; they require a willingness to learn, adapt, and grow into the job. But no, companies seem to prefer a different approach—one that is both laughable and incredibly frustrating. They only want already-trained people, yet they are unwilling to do the training themselves.
How Do People Get Experience?
This is the age-old question. It has a very simple and obvious answer, but apparently, hiring managers have forgotten how the world works. People gain experience by doing the job. It is not a mysterious process. You hire people, train them, and they become experienced.
So why, then, do so many job listings demand that candidates already have the experience before they can be considered? Where are people supposed to get that experience if no one is willing to give them the chance in the first place? It’s as if these companies are allergic to the idea of investing in developing talent.
The real, unspoken message in these job listings is this:
"We do not want to spend money or resources training young professionals, but we expect them to somehow, magically, show up with experience from another company that did invest in them."
The logic is ridiculous. They want someone else to take the risk, someone else to shoulder the financial burden of training, and only then will they swoop in and poach the fully trained employee.
How is this sustainable? How does this encourage growth? More importantly, how is this fair?
It Takes a Miracle (or a Terrible Mistake, or Both)
Given how unrealistic these hiring demands are, it truly would take a miracle to find the exact candidate they are looking for. Because let’s be honest—who exactly are these "experienced" candidates that are desperate enough to apply for these entry-level positions?
- Experienced professionals already have jobs. The ones who are happy in their current roles are not scanning job boards looking for work.
- Experienced professionals looking for new jobs are aiming higher. They’re not looking at entry-level positions—they’re looking for something better, something that reflects their years of hard work and dedication.
- Experienced professionals applying for entry-level jobs are either settling or desperate. And when an employer gets them, they will not stay long. They will move on at the first opportunity.
The only other way an employer could get lucky is through a terrible mistake:
- Maybe the candidate was underappreciated at their previous job and is looking for something—anything—better.
- Maybe some bizarre life event forced them to take a step down.
- Maybe it’s just dumb luck.
Either way, these employers are relying on the wrong things to get the people they need. Instead of taking the obvious approach—hiring green candidates and training them—they’re waiting for miracles that will never come.
The Takeaway: Prioritize the "Green" Candidates
At the end of the day, companies need to wake up. They need to stop prioritizing unicorn candidates who don’t exist and start looking at the fresh talent right in front of them.
People are eager to work. People are eager to learn. People are eager to become experienced professionals. But if no one gives them the chance, how will they ever get there?
Companies need to invest in training. They need to give people opportunities. They need to stop being lazy and expecting another company to do the hard work for them. Because let’s be real—if every company adopted this same flawed approach, the workforce would collapse in on itself.
If companies refuse to prioritize training, then they should not be surprised when they struggle to find qualified candidates. They are the ones creating this problem. They are the ones refusing to build the workforce they claim to need. And until they change their hiring practices, they have no right to complain about the so-called "lack of skilled workers."
The little guy—the entry-level candidate—is not the problem. The hiring system is the problem. And it needs to change.