05 May College Degrees May Not Be Needed To Fill Positions

The word on the street is that many CEOs are considering dropping the 4-year degree requirement from the recruitment process. Many of them are of the opinion that it will widen the talent pool plus open doors to many candidates who would, otherwise, never be considered for the role, making it a win-win for both, the companies and candidates.

There are a number of reasons why many youth are unable to secure education degrees. For starters, a college degree in many developed countries burn a large hole in your wallet. While there’s a small section who come from wealthy families, there’s a large chunk who land up getting buried under education loans. So, many students attend community college or secure small certificate courses or diplomas to build their skills. Thus, for no fault of theirs, they are automatically put into the reject pile when it comes to corporate jobs.

Secondly, some protected classes like women, minorities, or members of the LGBT community are unable to complete college degrees due to harassment or the feeling of not being included, or simply because they had to leave halfway to earn a living and support themselves and their families. So, denying them a job because of circumstances they couldn’t control is unfair, according to many leaders today.

Furthermore, if you only widen your horizon, you’ll be surprised at the amount of natural talent that’s available in the market. Through self-learning, many young people have gained knowledge of computers, technology, digital tools, etc. And many are naturally talented in sales, business writing, public speaking, etc. This is making many leaders invest in people who are skilled and competent even though they don’t possess a college degree.

Through assessments, on-the-job trainings, and internal examinations, it is possible to provide opportunities to many deserving candidates. This way, the company can genuinely say that they have hired the best and the brightest because being having a 4-year degree doesn’t make you the best. It is your willingness to learn, ability to grasp, and alignment with the company values that make you the most deserving candidate.