When a candidate has an interview, a common question that will be asked is “What recent experience do you have?” You need to prepare what to say as your response will provide the hiring manager insight into whether they want to continue with the interview. Having recent experience is a quality and skill that managers would like in a professional. The three reasons why having recent experience matter include: up to date knowledge, excellent soft skills, and that you are an independent professional in the industry.

1. Up to date knowledge will demonstrate to the hiring manager that you can bring ideas, suggestions, and proposals that will be a benefit to the company. If you are in the clinical industry, it will also show that you have knowledge in recent regulations and in good clinical practice.
2. Along with techniques and skills, excellent soft skills also come from recent experience. It will be difficult for the hiring manger to determine if you have great communication skills if you do not have recent experience in the industry. Soft skills are an important skill to grow and without recent experience; one cannot practice and demonstrate on an everyday basis. Having excellent soft skills is a quality that hiring managers would like in a candidate as strong communication skills is important in every position.
3. The third reason why it matters to have recent experience is that it will show that you are an independent professional. A hiring manager’s desire will be to hire an individual who knows what to expect in the industry and knows what to do with concerns or ideas without having to be coached and trained on the basic aspects of your job. Having an individual that can come into an organization as an independent because of recent experience will highlight to the hiring manager that they will not have to hand hold individual and is an attractive trait to all hiring managers. Not only does this show the hiring manager that they can avoid spending more money and time in training you but will also show that you can help grow the company.

If you do not have recent experience, there are steps you can take to gain access back into the industry and to gain the experience that hiring managers look for. If you would like to gain experience and get back into the industry, you will have to start from the bottom to show your dedication. You can start by taking clinical courses such as the ACRP and gain clinical certifications, applying for entry level positions, and communicating with past mentors and old managers to help build your network. Networking is such an important task to do and you should do it at all times. By networking, you can start to gain experience and stay up-to-date with the knowledge of the industry. You can also use your network to communicate where you desire your career to go in the industry. Likewise, by connecting with your past mentors and managers, this will help grow your networking by introducing you to new professionals in the industry and will help broaden your chances to gain additional experience needed.

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Written By: Natalie Prigge 

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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