Episode: 473

Episode Title: A Better Benchmark Than the Degree

Using the college degree as a hiring benchmark is hurting both companies and the candidates they could be hiring. Stay tuned for more, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 473 show:

Welcome to The Perna Syndicate! I’m the first to promote the college pathway for young people whose career aspirations demand it. But I’m also the first to question if every job, in every industry, every time, really and truly needs the applicant to possess a college degree in order to perform well. 

So why do companies do this? Why do they require college degrees for every role, even the ones that may not really need it? Don’t they see they’re shooting themselves in the foot and crippling their own recruitment efforts?

The problem is, hiring managers tend to associate certain skill levels with a college education. At a minimum, having that degree shows that a person can complete something. But too often, that’s all the good that the degree does. The real skills to do the job aren’t so easily quantified. 

There are many perfectly valid reasons that people might choose not to complete a four-year degree. Maybe they just couldn’t afford it—or feel comfortable with the debt it would bring. Maybe it was never presented to them as an attainable option. Maybe there were family obligations that took precedence over their higher education. 

Rejecting a candidate simply because they don’t have a degree is a mistake that organizations shouldn’t be committing in the age of the Great Resignation. Yes, some roles absolutely require a college degree. But for many others, we need a better benchmark than whether or not they have letters behind their name. 

Tomorrow: Is there a dark side to automating the screening process? On the next episode of The Perna Syndicate, we’ll cover why this timesaving technology could actually be hurting a company’s recruitment efforts. Take care and we’ll see you then!