Should you avoid hiring employees with experience?

Obviously, companies want employees who know what they’re doing. But are there cases where hiring candidates with too much experience can backfire?
Maybe, according to a recent report, “Unpacking Prior Experience: How Career History Affects Job Performance,” published by the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to the study’s authors, employees may be better off investing in developing fresh talent instead of hiring folks who’ve already built up their expertise. Why?
Mostly, it comes down to culture. While prior experience gives an employee valuable knowledge, it also leads to “habits, routines, and other cognitions and behaviors” that may cancel out the value of someone’s knowledge. (Which is made more problematic because experienced employees cost more.)
The report’s conclusions are based on an in-depth study of two companies and the successes and failures of their employees. You can download the paper here.
What do you think? Who have been the most successful candidates you’ve hired — the people with more or less prior experience? Let us know by leaving a comment below.