Experience does not substitute for the rule; it satisfies one of the rule's own alternatives. The Hotel Manager entry accepts a post-secondary diploma or certificate in hotel or restaurant management together with three years of experience in the field, so experience counts only alongside the qualifying diploma. Six years without any qualifying credential does not meet the entry.
Match the record to the alternative you are relying on
Set the profession entry beside the applicant's actual documents and mark which alternative the file will use. If the diploma is in hotel or restaurant management, the experience requirement is a documentation exercise: letters from each former employer stating the dates, the position and the responsibilities held, signed by someone with authority to confirm them. If the diploma is in an unrelated subject, the entry is not met by adding more years, and the honest step is to look at whether another listed profession fits the actual work or whether a different category suits the household better.
The mistake that costs the most time is assuming an adjudicator will treat long service as equivalent to a credential. The entry sets the alternatives and the file has to fall inside one of them, with the paper to show it. Hypothetical example: a marine acoustics researcher has a biology degree but accepts a role labelled environmental consultant.
Her transcript and the actual research duties, not the sales-oriented title, decide whether a listed profession fits. A first review should produce a side-by-side chart of every required element and its supporting record. If a degree subject or licence is uncertain, resolve that point before travel.
The common failure is using a broad resume to conceal a qualification gap; a transcript, licence record, or employer letter usually settles it directly.