Paper qualifications are only a rough approximation of how capable a candidate is. We show you what really matters when hiring.
As an employer cum hiring manager, the clear and proper listing of job requirements is very important to your hiring success. After all, clear requirements attract clear-minded jobseekers who are very certain about what they want in a job.
But employers often don't pay enough attention to arguably one of the most basic requirements: minimum paper qualifications. And what many don't realise is that they may end up setting the bar too high for jobseekers.
The Degree Decree
Very simply, paper qualifications are good only for one purpose: as a concrete benchmark of the jobseeker's aptitude. Traditionally, jobseekers with a Bachelor's degree are presumed to have in-depth professional knowledge, management and critical thinking skills, all of which are important for career progression.
When hiring, employers are more likely to choose the candidate with the higher paper qualifications, especially for entry-level positions. This can be useful if you're looking for jobseekers to fill certain professions, especially those that require analytical skills and technical know-how – for instance, policy planners and engineers.
Academic Overkill
But many other positions don't require this level of education. For instance, jobseekers in the media and advertising industries usually learn many of their skills on the job, skills that can't be effectively learnt in the classroom.
In fact, entrants to certain fast-moving industries (such as graphic design) may find that what they were taught is now outmoded and has to be 'unlearned' before they can acquire up-to-date skills. As the employer, this can sometimes be more challenging than hiring a talented jobseeker with no formal training.
Find Candidates with the Right Skills
Another factor that you, the employer, should consider is this: with the ever-increasing number of degree graduates looking for jobs, a Bachelor's degree is no longer a good indicator of a jobseeker's suitability.
Instead, you should take a long, hard look at your job requirements: does the position actually require a degree graduate? Could a diploma graduate do it equally well?
For instance, an effective salesperson isn't defined by his or her educational qualifications. A salesperson's performance is gauged by whether they can close the deal. Lose out and that sterling résumé is worthless; close a major deal and he or she will be in your good books, even without a diploma to their name.
In addition, a jobseeker with relevant work experience can often outperform a more highly-qualified (albeit less-experienced) jobseeker, even if the latter looks better on paper. For instance, a designer who's worked on several major client projects will bring more to the table than a graduate from a reputable university but whose experience is largely limited to the textbook and the classroom.
Paper qualifications can be a good starting point for determining if the jobseeker deserves a face-to-face interview – but they are only that, a starting point. As an employer you need to consider the following:
– Have a clear and accurate list of job requirements
– If the jobseeker will fit the team/company culture and working environment
– What technical and 'soft' skills an ideal jobseeker should have
– How to test the jobseeker for these attributes
At the end of the day, hiring is still a very personal process and one that requires close attention to detail on your part – all the best in your hiring endeavours!
