Dear Readers,
As a hiring manager, I’m regularly frustrated at the typical approach corporations take to evaluating resumes, recruiting, and hiring for salaried, office positions.
A candidate must have a four-year or higher college degree to even be considered for employment in many U.S. based companies. Beyond that, which school, what degree was obtained, and even how long it took to graduate are all up for scrutiny.
Companies tend to recruit from the former universities of their top leadership or from colleges that confer some universal stamp of quality upon all who graduate from their heavily-branded halls. This may seem normal or at least understandable; after all, if the school was good enough for Madam CEO or produced 90% of the Fortune 500 executives then it’s probably a smart starting place for recruiting the next generation of spectacular leadership.
It’s also easier to manage when everyone thinks the same and has the same background. But all that familial coziness has consequences.
- Hiring from the same handful of colleges does not breed the diversity of thought that encourages critical thinking and pioneering ideas.
- A lack of variety in lived experience or socio-economic levels makes it harder to understand and therefore meet the needs of an organization’s more diverse customer base.
- Discounting the value of non-grads assumes that there are no geniuses among those who did not have the means or interest to attend a four-year college.
- According to the US census, only 38% of people over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Why would companies limit themselves to such a small population of possible candidates?
Relying on a diploma or the imprint of a prestigious college to affirm suitability is lazy and lacks imagination. It also encourages students to take a transactional approach to their higher education. Going to college incurs both direct (e.g., tuition, room and board) and indirect (e.g., time) costs. Students might naturally expect to earn that investment back with a higher salary and a perceived better job. Higher education becomes a cursory step on the way to earning money, rather than a gift of its own.
When hiring managers look beyond the diploma and instead evaluate candidates based on their qualities and experience, it reduces the pay to play taint of the college to corporate job racket.
For the view from the classroom, we encourage you to read James Falzone’s piece on three areas where higher education can improve.
Or tell us your own ideas for improving the state of hiring or higher education; you will reach a human. You can also sign up for our occasional newsletter; find us on Instagram, yesterday’s Twitter, and LinkedIn or visit our back pages.
Thank you,
Robin D Rusch
Robin Rusch
