When you apply for a job, chances are you will be up against hundreds of other people. While graduates with glittering academic records are always in high demand, do the employers of today place a higher value on a degree or do they prefer to see candidates with more hands-on experience?
There’s clearly room for both book-learning and practical experience. In a fiercely competitive jobs market, which is now more important?
The Degree
A degree certainly shows that you have something between your ears, and employers are impressed by strong academic records. Regardless of which subject you studied and which university you attended, having a degree proves you have certain so-called ‘soft skills’ which make you suited to the world of work. An ability to think independently, strong research skills and self-discipline are all evidenced by your degree, and they’re among the top things employers look out for in their job candidates.
A degree also shows you have an in-depth knowledge and expertise in a particular field. If the vacancy you are applying for is related to your area of study, then you can easily impress a potential employer with your proven academic record. Sometimes a degree also shows that you can turn your hand to anything – you might have a specialist knowledge of one subject, but you’ve proved you have the research skills and drive to get stuck into learning about something new. Transferable skills always look good on a resumé.
On the flip side, having a degree but little experience means that all you’ve done is prove that you can learn things by rote. Of course there’s more to a degree than simply reading textbooks and sitting exams, but some employers might not see it that way. To some recruiters a degree is simply a piece of paper which says you have a handful of letters after your name and can recite the answers your tutors have fed you. An ability to think and develop your thoughts might not always be obvious from your first or 2:1 classification.
The Experience
The workplace is now a much more diverse place, and there are many more ways into a good job than by gaining a degree. As university tuition fees rise, more and more people are entering the workforce through apprenticeship schemes and converting internships into fully-paid positions. Employers love to see candidates with a proven track record of on-the-job learning and experience.
Whether you have any formal qualifications or not, experience in your chosen profession – paid or unpaid – goes a long way to proving your commitment. Employers now place greater emphasis on seeing candidates with real-world experience, and you can come across as a more well-rounded candidate. If you’ve had the motivation to work your way up from entry level, potential employers know you are in it for the long-haul and take your work seriously.
On the downside, not having a degree means you might have to fight harder for the vacancies which arise. You’ll see plenty of job ads asking for candidates with a 2:1 or higher in a relevant subject, which means you could all too easily be screened out of the recruitment process before you even get the chance to demonstrate your skills and commitment.
The Verdict
Ultimately it depends on the sort of role you’re applying for and the sort of career you want to forge for yourself. There’s room for both the academically gifted and the candidate with meaningful hands-on experience, but all roles and all recruiters are different and are on the lookout for different things.
If you can somehow combine the two then you stand the best possible chance of securing your dream job. If you don’t have a degree then it never hurts to take a few practical qualifications on the side – an NVQ or an apprenticeship which leads to a qualification show you’re keen and eager to succeed, and they add an extra string to your bow when it comes to firing off those applications.
If you’ve been to university and graduated, then it never hurts to gain some practical experience before you start applying for those higher-level jobs. Doing an internship to gain some work experience looks great on your CV and shows you’ve developed skills beyond book-learning. No education ever goes to waste, whether it’s in the lecture halls or doing a summer internship before you start looking for graduate-level jobs.
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- What is More Important: A Degree or Experience? - June 28, 2023
