[gicadin]

Props for describing the problem as an optimization problem.

To add to that: Companies are not always looking to hire the best person for the job, but someone that can solve the problems they are facing. Since problems tend to repeat themselves, someone with experience has likely encountered and solved many of the problems they are hired to deal with.

This is not saying that having experience in a field means you will be able to solve a problem better than a inexperienced person, it just means they've likely encountered it before (or a variation) and managed to solve it. Business in general are risk averse, and therefore will opt for a guaranteed solution even if its not optimal.