It's also quite common to interview someone for a role and find the five years experience they claim is the first year's junior experience repeated five times.

It's also quite common to interview someone for a role and find the five years experience they claim is the first year's junior experience repeated five times. Less common, but still happens, is companies having a role that delivers that ground hog day of the first year. Possibly more common in support than dev, but still exists and not exactly rare. So experience alone counts for little. It's what was gained from that experience that matters. :)