Employers may be expecting too much from new colleges graduates, mostly because they are putting emphasis on the wrong things. Depending on the job, the prestige of the candidate’s educational institutions or degrees, GPA, and other academic achievements may not be as meaningful as other factors. These include internships serviced, a proven track record of creativity and problem solving, and related real-world experience. To address this, experts suggest identifying jobs prone to degree inflation (e.g., jobs where experience and skills could substitute for degrees); identify job-related competencies (e.g., soft skills such as communication, creativity, innovation abilities, time management, and organization) that are important to job functions and weigh these with degrees; develop in-house or external training programs, apprenticeships, and internships to enable promising novices to gain or sharpen these skills/competencies; and invest in strategies that focus hiring on competencies and not just on credentials. Read the full article.
