Experience is what we are all after when looking for a new hire (obviously in addition to personality, skill set and education to name a few). However, this elusive experience is not equivalent to the number of years candidates have, but it is much more related to how were those years spent.
When looking to hire, ask yourself, better yet, ask the candidates: how much hands on experience do they have; how current and up to date are they with current regulations, protocols, and industry standards; how have their perceptions and approaches changed over time?
Always remember that quality is a lot more important than quantity.