You want to strive to become a senior employee, but how long does that process take? Let’s explore this issue with headhunting company HR channels below.

1. David Slattery, Google Recruiting (2018-present): Degrees Become More Important Than Years of Experience

“Seniority” is increasingly based on work capacity rather than years of experience. Particularly, in today’s ever-changing business and technical environment, years of experience are no longer equivalent to seniority. Team management and adaptability skills and abilities become much more important.

Think about it this way: would you hire someone with 10 years of experience in a mediocre role or a candidate with 3 years of excellent experience and the ability to elevate those around them? Nowadays, many companies approach candidates based on their abilities.

2. Joe Homan, COO, 34 years of consulting, assistant professor: the need to analyze data correctly

To calculate an average, you need reasonable data. Otherwise, it is best to give a few examples.

Here is my example from a previous company. This structure has been used by many companies I have worked for in the past. The graphic has been slightly edited and nothing in this graphic is proprietary to the company. I think this illustrates how some employers apply at the “senior” level.

Some companies may only care about years of experience. In this case, note that each seniority level is determined by a combination of expertise and experience.

Chris Davis, PhD, University of Michigan (1999): based on your definition of “high end”

This depends on many factors, including your definition of “premium”. When I started becoming a department head, I was 25 years old. At that time, my company was smaller (around 70 people) and had 2 levels of management: director and department head.

The board originally had a candidate for the position, but he didn’t want to change jobs. I had several years of experience and was recommended for this position.

Then, a year later, my boss left. I was the most experienced of his department heads and he asked me to temporarily fill his position. So, at the age of 26, I became a senior candidate for a management position. I was opposed to it due to my age, but was ultimately approved.

Starting a business is a quick way to become an executive. In general, new hires will be below you, so the sooner you start, the sooner you will become “senior”.

For long-established companies, the promotion path is based on the number of years of experience and achievements you have made during your work. But it is difficult for these companies to adapt to new technologies and working methods. And I don’t want to become a “senior” employee in a company that doesn’t have such a future.

3. Brad Weaver, senior recruiter at Randstad Holding: There is no set number of years

Last week I met two people at Equifax, both vice presidents. The Vice President reports to the Senior Vice President and the Senior Vice President reports to the Chairman of the Board of Directors. So it’s only 2 levels below the position of president in a $3 billion company.

One is only 29 years old, while the other is 51 years old. So there is no fixed “number of years” to become a senior employee. Typically, you need 5-7 years of excellent experience, while average experience may require 10-12 years.

4. Laura Eells, professor of sociology at McPherson College: It depends on your field of work

Your answer does not contain the information necessary for me to respond. Leadership positions also depend on the field you work in. If you clarify your question further, I will be happy to answer it in detail.

5. Bri Cass, Advisor: minimum duration of 5 years

Generally, it will take at least 5 years if you have a good degree. Indeed, for the IT field, you need almost 8 years of experience for a management position and the number of years of experience depending on the field will vary.