That's not quite true, at least in some companies. New college grads are typically applying for different roles than candidates with 5 (or more) years of experi

That's not quite true, at least in some companies. New college grads are typically applying for different roles than candidates with 5 (or more) years of experience. Additionally, in fast-growing companies (such as Amazon and Google), it's usually the case that candidates are measured against a hiring bar and, if they exceed, they are presented with an offer, independent of other candidates. That is, there are more openings than can be easily filled, so any candidate who meets the bar can be hired, rather than being explicitly in competition with each other.