What Weighs More, Accomplishments or Tenure?

By Heather R. Huhman | Published: February 17, 2010

I just returned from moderating Washington Women in PR‘s “Mind the Gap” panel, and the conversation left me excited to return to my computer.

Near the end of the discussion, I asked each of the panelists (Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomer) how they felt about Millennials freelancing and/or doing contract work until they landed (or in lieu of) full-time entry-level jobs. A member of the audience argued they had no business doing so — they weren’t experienced enough.

“Experience” is such a loaded word, in my opinion. While accomplishments and experience are not necessarily mutually exclusive, you can certainly have “experience” and nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, you can have accomplished a lot in a short period of time.

Take, for example, Crystal C. Yan. She e-mailed me her elevator pitch to post on my blog surrounding Friday’s HAPPO. Here’s what she wrote:

“I tell your story like it is. You won’t be just tweeting out press releases and you’ll sound genuine on social media presences with my help. You need someone who speaks at conferences about engaging audiences through new media tactics, consults at a consulting firm for client organizations with 50 centers in the Bay Area, and who has done public relations work for: Rotary International, Kidango, Space Cookies, California Bay Section Future Business Leaders of America, Gumball Capital, and many more.”

Want to know how old she is? 17. Yeah, that’s right.

There’s a reason my bio doesn’t read exactly how many years I’ve been doing this. It’s not because I don’t have the numbers — it’s because I think my accomplishments speak louder than tenure/longevity ever will.

I mean, it is perfectly possible to be in the same job/industry for 20+ years and do an average or below average job the entire time. So, simply “having 20 years experience” is not enough, in my book. Talk (tenure) is cheap. Show me what you can do (and have done)!

What do you think?

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  • Deborah

    Heather,
    It is not that years=accomplishment, or that you can’t be accomplished if you are younger, but the older you are, the more life experience you have. Also, you have seen more, heard more, and so on. You learn from life and that gives you maturity. Perhaps in some careers, maturity and perspective aren’t important, but in some, it is essential.

  • Deborah

    Heather,
    It is not that years=accomplishment, or that you can’t be accomplished if you are younger, but the older you are, the more life experience you have. Also, you have seen more, heard more, and so on. You learn from life and that gives you maturity. Perhaps in some careers, maturity and perspective aren’t important, but in some, it is essential.

  • Heather R. Huhman

    Deborah,

    So glad you weighed in on the continuing conversation! You are absolutely right that life experience definitely gives you maturity, and that’s incredibly important in some industries.

    However, I think you’d be surprised at how mature many Millennials are at a very young age because of the “routines” their parents put them through.

    There are definitely two sides to this story. Thanks again!

    Heather

  • Heather R. Huhman

    Deborah,

    So glad you weighed in on the continuing conversation! You are absolutely right that life experience definitely gives you maturity, and that’s incredibly important in some industries.

    However, I think you’d be surprised at how mature many Millennials are at a very young age because of the “routines” their parents put them through.

    There are definitely two sides to this story. Thanks again!

    Heather

  • StephM

    I think that accomplishments definitely contribute more to experience than years spent at a job. I am a college senior and am currently doing an internship, the first one in my college career. So while I don’t have the internship experience some of my colleagues might, I have made sure that I’ve involved myself in activities at my university that will further my aims of becoming a public relations professional. I think that I have a lot of invaluable experience, but unfortunately I feel that most people won’t accept it as credible “experience.”

  • StephM

    I think that accomplishments definitely contribute more to experience than years spent at a job. I am a college senior and am currently doing an internship, the first one in my college career. So while I don’t have the internship experience some of my colleagues might, I have made sure that I’ve involved myself in activities at my university that will further my aims of becoming a public relations professional. I think that I have a lot of invaluable experience, but unfortunately I feel that most people won’t accept it as credible “experience.”

  • Bob Tarver

    I believe its the accomplishments outweigh tenure

    If you can do more by your work ethic and can contribute to the success of your organization instead of “hanging around like a bump on a log”, The recognition will come your way.

    I think people in general will take notice in what you do in the long run. Have to have those quantifying numbers to justify your spot.

  • Bob Tarver

    I believe its the accomplishments outweigh tenure

    If you can do more by your work ethic and can contribute to the success of your organization instead of “hanging around like a bump on a log”, The recognition will come your way.

    I think people in general will take notice in what you do in the long run. Have to have those quantifying numbers to justify your spot.

  • http://www.twitter.com/veebrown Veronica

    Great post, Heather. Like you, I’m a firm believer that accomplishments outweigh simply having several years of experience. I also believe, though, that there are certain aspects of the PR/communications profession that require several years of experience to hone and perfect.

    As a millenial myself, I know a host of talented young professionals whose advice I gladly seek on everything from social media to creative public awareness campaigns. If I’m looking for a crisis communications expert or an all-star media trainer, however, I’m going to seek out professionals who have both accomplishments AND several years of experience under their belts.

    In my mind, it’s not a matter of intelligence or talent – it’s a matter of having been a practicing communications counselor long enough to have seen and worked on a wide range of issues and crises. Experience is imperative when it comes to being a lead counselor on high-stakes crises or business issues.

    Here’s another way to think of it – and this is how many potential clients are likley to see it, too — if I’m going skydiving for the first time, someone with fewer jumps under his or her belt might get me to the ground okay, but given the choice, I want the most experienced, accomplished professional to be the one jumping out of that plane with me.

  • http://www.twitter.com/veebrown Veronica

    Great post, Heather. Like you, I’m a firm believer that accomplishments outweigh simply having several years of experience. I also believe, though, that there are certain aspects of the PR/communications profession that require several years of experience to hone and perfect.

    As a millenial myself, I know a host of talented young professionals whose advice I gladly seek on everything from social media to creative public awareness campaigns. If I’m looking for a crisis communications expert or an all-star media trainer, however, I’m going to seek out professionals who have both accomplishments AND several years of experience under their belts.

    In my mind, it’s not a matter of intelligence or talent – it’s a matter of having been a practicing communications counselor long enough to have seen and worked on a wide range of issues and crises. Experience is imperative when it comes to being a lead counselor on high-stakes crises or business issues.

    Here’s another way to think of it – and this is how many potential clients are likley to see it, too — if I’m going skydiving for the first time, someone with fewer jumps under his or her belt might get me to the ground okay, but given the choice, I want the most experienced, accomplished professional to be the one jumping out of that plane with me.