What are the most important sections on your CV or resumé? Most people may say their education and work experience. The received wisdom is hiring managers are impressed by a degree from a prestigious university and a track
record of jobs in blue chip companies.
Recent trends suggest traditional perspectives are changing. For example, Google no longer asks for a degree for the majority of their open positions. Their starting position in the Google assessment process is to candidate competency defined by skills and experience.for the job.
Supporting this approach, Emily Rose McRae, a research director at industry analyst Gartner, said in a March 2023 report: “…the most successful companies this year will be the ones more comfortable assessing candidates solely on their ability to perform in the role, rather than their credentials and prior experience.”
According to complimentary research, half of all hiring managers fail to check education credentials in any event. There is a large body of evidence emerging suggesting employers now value experience far more than education. They are hiring for competencies. Candidates are being assessed based on their experience, cultural fit within the team, attitudinal orientation, or their work ethic.
Perhaps this should not be a surprise. A quick search of old HR studies indicates that, as long ago as 2006, companies were assessing using
competencies. The primary components of competency assessment included relevant work experience, good attitude and fit with the team culture…with the candidate’s degree a distant consideration.
Perhaps our vision has been clouded by the marketing teams at every business school endlessly publishing reports showing the vast salaries their graduates are attracting. The is a growing body of evidence expressing a move towards competencies is becoming the dominant driver for candidate selection.
LinkedIn has identified individuals are focusing on the way they present themselves to potential employers. They are adding skills to their profile. They are offering opinions and ideas about their industry. They are demonstrating they have relevant experience and skills of value. LinkedIn saw members add 286 million skills to their profiles in 2021. This is an increase of 22% on the 2020 number.
In some jobs, a formal qualification is essential. Nobody wants to be talking to their Doctor just before a major operation only to hear them mention to a colleague: ‘I’ve never tried this procedure, but I watched a few videos on YouTube so it should be OK.’
But look around at many professional jobs where a degree has traditionally been seen as essential just to score an interview. Marketing, software development, finance, currency trading, sound engineering, even HR managers. It is possible to develop these skills just by starting as a junior and working your way up. Young city traders used to earn their well-paid positions by processing tickets in the back office and learning the business inside-out before getting a chance on the trading floor. They didn’t need a degree. They just needed a chance to build on their hard work.
I believe the direction of travel is both interesting and correct. A degree has always been a signifier of ability, but in a world that is now changing so fast, isn’t it only natural to focus more on cultural fit, ability to learn, and
adaptability?
A degree in HR can help to form a strong body of knowledge before embarking on a career, but how much of what was studied during those 3-4 years is still valuable even a year into that initial job? Did they talk about ChatGPT at your university?
Switching those ‘must have’ requirements into ‘nice to have’ can open your company to a rich new seam of talent that was previously ignored. 87% of companies say they have a skills gap right now or they expect one in the next few years. Opening your recruitment funnel to new ideas and talent can dramatically help to avoid a skills crisis.
This has long been an issue in the customer service industry. Some customer service specialists make the bold claim ‘we only hire graduates to work in our contact centres.’ But when a customer calls for help, do they ever ask the agent where they went to university? They want someone empathetic, knowledgeable, and helpful – that’s it.
Hiring for skills and experience, rather than education, sounds like an egalitarian recruitment strategy, but it really just embraces the reality of the 2020s. It may be desirable to hire an intelligent candidate with a good degree, but don’t ignore the person who skipped university, started work at 16, and has now been promoted multiple times because they adapt quickly to new situations. They just may be the perfect fit for your business
