Recruiters use experience as a proxy.
They don’t actually care how many years you’ve worked somewhere.
What they care about is: can you do the job?
But they can’t know that from a resume. So they use proxies = signals that predict whether you’ll deliver results.
Years of experience is one proxy. But it’s not the only one. And it’s not even the best one.
Think about it:
If you were hiring a mechanic for your car shop, and you had a crystal ball that told you “this person will do excellent work,” would you care how many years of experience they had?
No. You’d hire them.
Experience is just a predictor. It’s not the thing itself.
So what’s a better proxy?
Proof.
A project that shows your thinking. A GitHub repo that proves you can build. A dashboard that solves a real problem.
Recruiters have seen a thousand resumes that say “completed Machine Learning course.” That means nothing.
But a deployed model? A real AI project? A portfolio piece they can click on and explore?
That’s a proxy they can trust.
The shortcut:
You can’t fake 5 years of experience. But you can build proof in 6 weeks.
One real project (built properly, documented clearly, pushed to GitHub) is worth more than 10 certificates.
If experience is working against you, let proof work for you.
Build your proof,
Kirill
P.S. In interviews, a solid project shifts the dynamic. From interrogation, to you showing them something cool you’ve built. Much easier to win that conversation.