03 Aug Experience Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date
Lionel Messi reminded the world why evaluating people on paper can be dangerous.
At 38 years old, he scored a hat trick for Argentina in the World Cup, becoming the oldest player ever to accomplish that feat. If you looked only at his age, you might have assumed his best days were behind him. Instead, he walked onto one of the biggest stages in sports and completely took over the match.
Watching that game got me thinking—not about soccer, but about recruiting.
Because I see companies make the same mistake all the time.
The Résumé Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
In civil engineering, a résumé lands on someone’s desk showing 35 or 40 years of experience, and assumptions immediately begin to form.
Someone inevitably wonders:
“Is this person winding down?”
“Do they still have the same drive?”
“Will they fit in with a younger team?”
“Are they just looking for a place to finish out their career?”
Notice something?
Those aren’t facts.
They’re assumptions.
And assumptions are a terrible way to evaluate talent.
Years of Experience Don’t Measure Passion
Experience tells you how long someone has been doing something.
It doesn’t tell you how well they’re still doing it.
It doesn’t tell you whether they still love solving difficult problems.
It doesn’t tell you whether clients ask for them by name.
It doesn’t tell you whether younger engineers naturally seek them out for advice.
It doesn’t tell you whether they’re still the calmest person in the room when a project starts going sideways.
Those qualities don’t magically disappear because another birthday came along.
Wisdom Has Value
Some of the most valuable engineers I’ve worked with over the past three decades aren’t valuable because they’ve been employed for 35 years.
They’re valuable because of what those 35 years have taught them.
They’ve managed difficult clients.
They’ve lived through recessions.
They’ve navigated staffing shortages.
They’ve handled claims, redesigns, permitting headaches, political challenges, and impossible schedules.
They’ve made mistakes.
More importantly…
They’ve learned from them.
That perspective becomes incredibly valuable.
When everyone else is panicking, they’ve probably seen something similar before.
When a younger engineer thinks the world is ending because of a project issue, they often know the difference between a genuine crisis and something that simply feels urgent.
Experience creates judgment.
And judgment is difficult to teach.
Relationships Compound Over Time
There’s another advantage experienced engineers often bring that doesn’t show up very well on a résumé.
Relationships.
After decades in the profession, many have built trusted relationships with:
- Clients
- Municipal reviewers
- Developers
- Architects
- Contractors
- Other consultants
- Agency personnel
Those relationships weren’t created overnight.
They were built project after project, year after year.
Trust has value.
And trust tends to compound over time.
Not Every Veteran Is Messi
To be fair…
Not every highly experienced engineer is still operating at the top of their game.
Just as not every 38-year-old athlete is capable of scoring three goals in a World Cup match.
Some people do lose their enthusiasm.
Some stop learning.
Some become resistant to change.
Some genuinely are ready to slow down.
That’s reality.
But that’s exactly why blanket assumptions are so dangerous.
You have to evaluate the individual, not the stereotype.
Evaluate the Person
If a 58-year-old civil engineer is still curious…
Still engaged…
Still technically sharp…
Still mentoring younger staff…
Still building relationships…
Still learning new technology…
Still adding tremendous value…
Why would you eliminate that person simply because their résumé contains more years than you expected?
Conversely, if someone with ten years of experience lacks motivation, communication skills, or the ability to lead others, fewer years on a résumé don’t automatically make them the better hire either.
Every candidate deserves to be evaluated as an individual.
The Best Leaders Know the Difference
The strongest hiring managers I’ve worked with don’t begin by asking,
“How old is this person?”
They ask,
“Can this person solve the problems we’re trying to solve?”
Those are very different questions.
One focuses on assumptions.
The other focuses on outcomes.
And outcomes are what clients pay for.
The Paper Isn’t the Performance
Messi’s hat trick wasn’t remarkable simply because he scored three goals.
It was remarkable because so many people assume athletes eventually reach an age where greatness simply disappears.
Sometimes that’s true.
Sometimes it isn’t.
The same principle applies to hiring.
A résumé can tell you how long someone has been in the profession.
It cannot tell you whether they still have the passion, judgment, leadership, curiosity, and competitive drive that make great engineers so valuable.
The paper tells you how long they’ve been in the game.
It doesn’t always tell you how well they’re still playing.
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