02 Oct 2026

Experience vs Potential: What Should Matter Most When Hiring?

Experience vs Potential: What Should Matter Most When Hiring? Hiring the right person is rarely as simple as matching a CV to a job description. When filling a critical role, employers often face a familiar dilemma: should you hire someone who already has the experience you need today, or invest in a candidate who has the potential to grow into what you'll need tomorrow?

It's easy to understand why experience carries weight. Candidates with a proven track record often feel like the safer choice. They have worked in similar environments, managed comparable responsibilities, and can point to tangible results. On paper, the decision seems straightforward.

You find someone with:

• Relevant industry experience
• Familiarity with the right systems and tools
• The desired qualifications
• A comparable job title
• Several years in a similar role

Tick enough boxes, and the recruitment process can feel almost automatic.

But hiring is rarely that simple.

Technology changes rapidly, organisations evolve, and job requirements rarely stay the same for long. As a result, the candidate who looks perfect for today's role is not always the person best equipped for tomorrow's challenges. The real question is not whether experience or potential matters more. It is understanding how to balance both.

Experience Provides Proof

One of the biggest advantages of hiring experienced candidates is certainty.

Past performance offers valuable evidence of what someone has already achieved. If a candidate has successfully delivered similar projects, managed comparable stakeholders, or worked within related business environments, they are often able to contribute more quickly and require less time to become productive.

For roles involving specialist expertise, tight deadlines, or significant responsibility, that experience can be invaluable.

Experience can demonstrate:

• Technical knowledge and expertise
• Industry understanding
• Familiarity with relevant methodologies and tools
• Exposure to similar challenges
• The ability to perform at the required level
• A history of delivering results

However, experience should never be evaluated purely by the number of years listed on a CV.

Ten years in a role does not automatically translate into growth, adaptability, leadership capability, or strategic thinking. Two candidates may have the same number of years of experience, yet possess very different levels of capability. Experience tells an important story, but it is only part of the picture.

Potential Reveals Future Value

Potential is often harder to assess because it focuses on what an individual is capable of becoming, rather than what they have already accomplished in an identical role.

A high-potential candidate may not meet every requirement on the job description, but they often stand out in other ways.

They demonstrate qualities such as:

• Curiosity and a willingness to learn
• Adaptability in changing environments
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Initiative and accountability
• Resilience under pressure
• Sound judgement
• Effective communication and collaboration
• Openness to feedback
• A desire to take on greater responsibility

These attributes are particularly valuable in roles that are expected to evolve.

A candidate may lack experience with a specific platform, process, or methodology, yet consistently demonstrate an ability to learn quickly and succeed in unfamiliar situations. Similarly, someone who has never officially led a programme may already be displaying leadership behaviours through cross-functional projects and informal influence.

In these cases, the focus shifts from what they have done before to how effectively they can adapt to what comes next.

So, Which Matters More? There is no universal answer.

The right balance depends entirely on the role and the context surrounding it.

If an organisation needs someone who can deliver immediate results, navigate a complex project, or provide highly specialised expertise, direct experience may be non-negotiable.

On the other hand, when a role is expected to grow over time, potential may deserve greater consideration.

This is often true when:

• Required skills are changing rapidly
• New technologies are being introduced
• Leadership succession is a priority
• The role is likely to expand in scope
• Talent shortages make perfect matches difficult to find
• Transferable skills can bridge gaps in direct experience

The strongest hiring decisions are rarely about choosing experience instead of potential. They are about understanding how much of each role requires.

A Practical Framework for Evaluating Candidates

Before beginning the interview process, it can be helpful to separate role requirements into three categories.

1. What Must They Already Know?

Identify the skills, qualifications and knowledge that are genuinely essential from day one.

This could include specific certifications, regulatory expertise, technical competencies, or specialist methodologies that cannot realistically be learned in a short timeframe.

Being clear about these non-negotiables helps avoid unnecessary bias during the selection process.

2. What Can Be Learned?

Not every capability needs to be present immediately.

Many technical skills, systems, processes and tools can be learned through training, mentoring and practical experience. Candidates who demonstrate strong learning agility may quickly close these gaps.

This is often where high-potential candidates distinguish themselves.

3. How Could They Grow?

One of the most overlooked aspects of hiring is evaluating future potential.

Ask yourself: "If this person is successful in the role, what could they be contributing two or three years from now?"

The answer often reveals whether you're simply filling a vacancy or building long-term organisational capability.

Assess Potential with the Same Rigour as Experience

Potential should never be based solely on intuition or interview chemistry. A candidate may appear enthusiastic and confident while lacking the behaviours required for long-term success. Conversely, someone less polished may demonstrate exceptional adaptability, resilience and learning capability.

The key is to assess potential through evidence. Instead of asking candidates what they would do in a hypothetical situation, focus on examples from their past experience.

Questions such as:

• Tell us about a time you had to learn something completely new under pressure.
• Describe a situation where you solved a problem without having all the information available.
• Tell us about difficult feedback you received and how you responded.
• Explain a time you influenced stakeholders without having formal authority.
• The responses often provide valuable insight into how candidates think, learn, adapt and lead.

Don't Confuse a Skills Gap with a Capability Gap

One of the most useful distinctions employers can make during recruitment is the difference between a skill gap and a capability gap.

Skills can often be taught.

Capabilities are usually far more difficult to develop.

For example, a candidate may not have experience with your preferred project management software. With the right support, they can likely learn it quickly.

However, qualities such as stakeholder management, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, resilience and sound judgement are often much harder to build from scratch.

The question to ask is not simply, "What are they missing?" It is, "Can they realistically develop what they are missing?"

Hiring for a Future That Will Keep Changing

Businesses are operating in an environment of constant change. Technology continues to evolve. Teams restructure. Priorities shift. New skills emerge while others become obsolete.

As a result, hiring decisions should not focus solely on a candidate's ability to perform today's job.

Forward-thinking organisations also consider whether that individual can adapt as the role evolves. This is why learning agility has become one of the most valuable predictors of future success. Employers need people who can not only perform, but continue learning, adapting and growing as business demands change.

Getting the Balance Right

The best hiring decisions are rarely based on a single factor. Experience provides evidence of past achievement. Potential offers insight into future contribution.

The goal is not to choose one over the other, but to understand which qualities are essential today and which can be developed over time. Sometimes the right hire will be a seasoned specialist who can step in and deliver immediate results. Sometimes it will be a promising candidate with the mindset, capability and drive to grow into the role. And, occasionally, you will find the rare candidate who brings both. The key is making that decision intentionally, rather than allowing years of experience alone to dictate the outcome.

Looking for the Right Talent for Your Next Role?

Finding the right candidate goes beyond matching qualifications to a job description. It requires balancing experience, capability and future potential to ensure long-term success.

At PM Connection, we connect organisations with vetted professionals across contract and permanent roles, helping businesses secure the specialist talent they need in an ever-changing environment. Make the right connection - contact PM Connection today.