Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Latest Essay: Sales - Status, Knowledge, and Craft

Experience

There are a few obvious definitions for the word “experience.” In everyday language, experience usually refers to the practical skills and knowledge gained from doing and seeing things.

In the context of work, having experience is often one of the main criteria in any job posting. The more senior the job, the more experience one needs in order to get said job. “Experience” serves as a catch all phrase that encompasses the general idea that “vetted” industry experience is vital to getting hired. Although experience is typically defined in years, the qualitative nature of that experience is rarely made explicit.

I think an alternate, but insightful definition of experience is: learning what’s okay or “acceptable” to do.

Although the above definition doesn’t capture the entire meaning of the word “experience,” I think it highlights an important and less thought-about part of it.

A few examples from my own journey to illustrate my point:

Everyone will have different starting points based on how they were raised, their culture, etc. But the idea remains the same - you’ll learn that certain things are “okay” that you didn’t think were “okay” before. Be conscious and aware of your preconceptions and learn by observing others. Over time, you’ll add to your repertoire of behaviors and increase the amount of “cards” you can play. But of course, to do that, you’ll need exposure to all sorts of people and situations, which takes time, and hence the adage that experience comes with time.