Introduction
Choosing Colleges is an important task and should be done with due diligence since a good college opens up a lot of opportunities. Often college-bound kids turn to the college rankings not only to gauge their prospects of getting in but more importantly it forms one of the most fundamental criteria to decide whether they want to get in the first place or not. Let us know ‘Employers Care About College Rankings’.
Employers Care About College Rankings
While it might seem to the majority of the populace that a good college ranking is interlinked with having a better shot at dream jobs, data collected through surveys signals a somewhat different reality. According to surveys performed by Gallup, more than 90% of employers do not pay much heed to the college rankings while making hiring decisions.
What that the employers look for?
It was a long-held notion that grades and educational background is all that matter to succeed. But with changing times, employers no longer put much emphasis on grades or for that matter the educational background of the candidate, the major criterion to get employed or crack your dream job offer is to have skills. Since, as a student, you want to grab the maximum eyeballs of potential recruiters, having skills and knowing where to place on your resume is of utmost importance. Skills as mentioned are of utmost importance for employers and experience finishes as a close second. The experience that the candidate has accrued over the past years speaks volumes about the kind of work he/she was involved in and gives a gist of his/her capabilities as an employee. It does not matter from which college one graduates as long as he/she has the required skillset and experience which can make a case for their employability the chances of getting hired are quite optimistic.
The inclination of certain domains for specific schools
Though we have been stressing the fact that your skills and experience hold tremendous value when it comes to deciding your employability there is some truth behind the preference given to candidates who graduated from a certain school. It is often observed that big companies tend to hire candidates who usually graduated from top-ranking schools. Furthermore, it has been observed that this preference is not only limited to candidates passing out from a certain school but the inclination of some sectors for particular programs has not gone unnoticed. It is indeed a tough pill to swallow but certain firms do have a fondness for particular schools and programs. It is unfortunate but there is often an unconscious bias that creeps in while hiring based on educational background.
The drawbacks of having a strong intellectual background
Hiring graduates from universities with a higher ranking could have a drawback despite their somewhat better overall performance. Our findings imply that college students from top-tier institutions may occasionally unintentionally harm team dynamics. We discovered that graduates from better-rated universities frequently focus too much on instrumental duties and not enough on interpersonal relationships. In some cases, graduates from prestigious universities tend to be less outgoing, more conflict-prone, and less inclined to identify with their team. Numerous studies have demonstrated the important importance interpersonal interactions at work play in motivating employees, enhancing job happiness, and eventually improving output and advancing one’s career. Since strong interpersonal ties are essential for an organization’s success, a lack of collegiality and a predisposition for conflict could have negative consequences not just on an individual’s performance but also on the effectiveness of teams and workgroups, perhaps resulting in a net loss overall.
Especially noteworthy is the tendency of graduates from elite colleges to identify as a single group and to differentiate themselves from team members from lesser-ranked universities. This social categorization might result in us-versus-them dynamics. As a result, graduates from elite colleges could be seen negatively by their classmates and co-workers who have less outstanding academic backgrounds due to their arrogance and snobbery. Our data did not provide evidence to support this. In actuality, compared to some of their classmates from lower-ranked universities, students from more prominent universities tended to be more humble in their self-evaluations. Students from highly ranked colleges did, however, produce more conflict, participate in fewer non-instrumental dialogues, and show less team commitment and affiliation with their teams.
Preventing this unconscious bias
Educational background plays a major part in somebody getting hired or not and just to avoid this unconscious bias creeping in, many companies have decided to do away with it by deliberately hiding or removing information about educational background thus helping to vanquish any impact the educational background might have had on the ensuing hiring process. Following this track, EY one of the UK’s biggest recruiters has decided to do away with its requirement of a 2:1 degree. With such steps taken by big firms, it is hoped other companies that they would too take up similar steps so that school leavers also have the same shot at the job for which they were ineligible prior just because they did not meet the requirements.
According to research by Harvard Business School, 37% of employers consider an applicant’s experience to be more crucial than their academic background. Employers are more inclined to overlook the lack of a degree when candidates have enough experience instead of the “correct” education when a position is difficult to fill. Furthermore, experience outweighs a degree 44% of the time in large firms (those with more than 10,000 employees).
Skills matter for real
It could not be more emphasized that the skills of an individual are what eventually will lead him/her to a job. Companies too are realizing the importance of skills over educational track records and many are no longer interested in hiring from top-ranking schools. As the job market is evolving it seems that the old ways are losing their significance and this is a golden opportunity for all those who did not make it to the top schools back in the day. With the right skills and attitude, they can redeem what they once did not achieve and they can do so since the companies have dished out level playing for everyone.
You might want to concentrate on developing transferrable abilities if you want to work at a prestigious accounting firm like PwC.
PwC stated to Top Universities that they wanted to hire graduates who had specific “desired talents,” even though they couldn’t say with certainty whether an applicant’s university preference had an impact on their decision to hire them.
You can develop transferrable talents both within and outside of a university. Unlike technical business abilities, which are frequently learned in internships and work placements, soft skills, such as communication, leadership, and teamwork, can be learned by students through group projects and university societies.
How to Acquire Knowledge and Experience?
Fortunately, there are degree-alternative options that can help you expand your education and professional experience.
Communities College
If a candidate can show they have some of the needed experience, several businesses will accept two-year degrees from community colleges.
Even while you might still need to complete internships to obtain more experience, doing so in a two-year program will save you a lot of time and money. You’ll also graduate from community college with an associate’s degree. Several states have policies in place to lower the cost of community colleges.
Trade College
Students are prepared for a certain career through trade schools. You will obtain knowledge and expertise in a variety of fields through a combination of classroom and practical instruction.
Apprenticeships
Similar to trade school, but with less classroom instruction and more on-the-job training, is an apprenticeship (and earning). Employers agree to hire and compensate individuals who are eager to learn a skill or trade.
To enter an apprenticeship, typically you need a high school graduation. An apprenticeship is not available in every field of work, but in some trades, it can bridge the gap between a lack of a degree and a lack of the necessary experience. You’ll get a nationally recognized credential at the end of the apprenticeship that can aid in your job search.
Giving back
Beyond giving back to your community or a cause you care about, volunteering is a terrific method for you to develop your talents, get experience, and demonstrate that you have what it takes to accomplish the job.
Therefore, don’t allow it to get you down if you don’t get into your top university today or if you have to go through clearing. Which university you attend is not as crucial as you would believe, and it won’t prevent you from going on to make significant professional advancements.
Speaking from personal experience, employers have always been considerably more interested in my hands-on, practical experience through societies and work experience placements than the institution I attended in all of the job interviews I’ve ever had. Employers care more about college rankings who you are as a person and less about the university you attended, which is okay.
