Do you have any experience?

Do you have any experience?
Speaking for myself here, I've always hated that question. 
In a job interview, it's one of the first things they want to know. But it's such a Catch-22, isn't it? You're there, sitting in front of the almighty gate-keeper to your Dream Job (or, at least, so you're trying to convince them, with you're willing smile and well-rehearsed spiel), hoping against hope that they'll grant you entree to said job. 
But how does that happen if you don't have experience? And how are you supposed to get experience if no one gives you a shot to even get experience? 
It's ridiculous, really. Like a dog chasing its own tail.
In my personal opinion, it's something that should happen less and less frequently as we get farther and farther out of our teenage years. 
Like zits. Zits should happen less often, too.
But that's an entirely different issue for an entirely different day.
Anyway.
Like zits, the annoying fact remains that experience is still a double-edged sword as you traverse the annals of adulthood and toil away your youth under the watchful eye of The Man.
Just today, in fact, I was informed that what I considered "experience" with one company now made me undesirable to another company. How contrary to what I've read in all those wonderful books about how to grow your career! According to the authors who pen their hard-earned experience into advice, writing for as many publications as possible is a good thing. It builds your credibility, right? 
Right.
Uh huh. Unless the people in charge decide otherwise. 
So what draws the line? Who writes the rules? 
Is it better to have more or less experience?
Maybe one day I'll finally have it figured out.