Experience vs Education. What counts for more when hiring?
This article from Ira Wolfe has been bouncing around my brain the last couple of days. (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/irawolfe/)
It’s not a new subject matter: what’s really under discussion here is the age-old experience vs education debate.
What’s more valuable when determining a candidate’s suitability for a role – an excellent education or x number of years’ demonstrable experience?
Maybe there’s an optimal blend of the two to look out for? The ‘holy grail’ of candidate qualifications! (If only!)
Ira makes a valid point when he states, “education alone is a poor predictor of job success”. I agree that there’s more to hiring a future star than college grades. And I absolutely agree that we must move away from writing job ads that stipulate a specific number of years’ experience or education level.
However, there are some additional considerations I’d like to throw into the mix…
What happens when you’re hiring for a graduate program and all you really have to go on is education and a few extra-curriculars. Recent grads usually haven’t had chance to gain much real work experience.
And then of course there are the applicants with specifically vocational degrees. Does a recent degree in a specific area outweigh on-the-job experience in that field?
I’m interested in what others think about this.
Have you been beaten to a job by a rival with more/less experience than you?
Recruiters, do you prioritize one or the other when sifting through resumes?
Let me know in the comments or tweet me @SjoerdGehring.
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5 年This is an important topic - a combination of skills, knowledge, abilities, and demonstrable competencies as ascertained via education and vocational experience would be ideal. The main differentiator is likely Motivation - this feeds into leadership behaviours, and cultivate a desire to harness opportunities for growth and to further deepen the holy grail quadro-grail of knowledge, skills, abilities and demonstrable competencies —> with performance increase an inevitable aftermath. Though, context remain key!
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6 年Work ethic and Intelligence ( Problem solving, communication skills and adaptability) need to be extracted from your two broad categories. Find the diamond in the ruff and mold train to the position - within reason.
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6 年I've never had to hire but only contributed to firing decisions which is easy because there are clear rules. I imagine you recruiters need some metric to if nothing else feel like you are being fair in your deliberation/comparison. However I believe you guys miss out if you write off the degree-less applicant who is clearly teachable but probably demands a lot more work and time on your part looking at projects and collaborators/employers. Yes, I have felt passed over because I didn't have the traditional pedigree, but everyone who gave me a chance has always been glad. On the other hand I also understand why many recruiters may not consider anyone without "the" degree.? If the hire ends up being below par then they can point to the degree as their due diligence, besides it must be exhausting verifying sporadic work experience.