Posted on : 2023-10-29 21:47:05
Article : 30th Oct 2023, Good morning Management Solution for the TASK 265- Would employers limit themselves by considering only degrees when hiring?
More employers are starting to embrace skills-based hiring practices. Large companies, such as Boeing, Walmart, and IBM have signed on to the Rework America Alliance, the Business Roundtable’s Multiple Pathways program, and the campaign to Tear the Paper Ceiling, pledging to implement skills-based practices. So far, they’ve removed degree requirements from certain job postings and have worked with other organizations to help workers progress from lower- to higher-wage jobs.
In this back ground should we feel that would employers limit themselves by considering only degrees when hiring? The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a potential recession, still-rising inflation rates, and the Great Attrition have driven employers to rethink their approach to human capital and talent management. Namely, they’re moving beyond degrees and job titles to focus more on the skills a job requires and that a candidate possesses. Companies have recognized that skills-based practices are a powerful solution to challenges that have intensified since the pandemic. Employers have struggled to find the right candidates for important open positions and then keep the talent they hire. Through a skills-based approach, companies can boost the number and quality of applicants who apply to open positions and can assist workers to find more opportunities to advance internally, which can help employers improve retention. It also helps communities by creating more and better job opportunities for a broader, diverse pool of workers.
The interest in skills-based practices isn’t limited to the private sector. In May 2022, the state of Maryland announced it would no longer require degrees for almost 50 percent of its positions, opening thousands of jobs in healthcare, corrections, policing, skilled trades, and engineering to a bigger pool of applicants. Now just let us think that, what matters most when it comes to getting a job is a debate as old as higher education itself. Does that higher degree get your foot in the door, or does your past work experience count for more? And beyond simply obtaining a job, will your experience or your education serve you better in terms of staying employed, growing in your career, and making a good living for decades to come?
The arguments for higher education versus work experience (and vice versa) are varied, but some of the main ones go like this:
• Obtaining a higher education only proves you can succeed in academia, not in a real-world job situation. Success in actual work tells prospective employers more about what you have to offer.
• Work experience can make you a good match for a particular job today but without higher education, you may lack the skills that are important for advancement tomorrow.
• A degree can show that you have the specialized knowledge or technical skills that an employer is looking for and that can be transferred to the workplace with minimal on-the-job training.
On the other hand, if you obtained your degree 15 or 20 years ago, especially in a technological field, it is almost irrelevant now—at least as evidence of what you have to offer an employer today. You’ll need to show potential employers that you’ve continued learning, kept up with industry trends, and acquired whatever new skills are required by the employer. Further education, such as participating in a relevant certificate program, can help as well.
Do Employers Prefer Experience or Education? That depends on the type of job and the hiring person’s preferences. Surveys over the years point to most employers valuing higher education. However, experience can also play a critical role in deciding who to give a job or promotion to. Some professions demand a certain level of higher education as an entry requirement. Others, such as a job in sales, tend to value results and work experience more. Can Education Replace Experience? In some cases, yes. The completion of a relevant course could be viewed by employers as the equivalent of actual work experience. If that course was highly regarded, it may even be valued higher than time spent in the field.
End point-In the long run, the bottom-line benefit of higher education is difficult to dispute. In the ideal case, the job candidate, can show prospective employers that you have both the education and the experience that you need to excel in your chosen line of work. That mix can vary from field to field and may not require a more advanced degree than, say, a bachelors.
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