More than 40% of employers have difficulty finding entry-level candidates, says research from The Rockefeller Foundation and Edelman Intelligence. In part, this is because hiring managers may be putting too much emphasis on college degrees.
A college degree may be losing its relevance because 9 out of 10 graduates are learning skills on the job. In fact, 49% of grads are not using their college knowledge on the job. Also, 25% of degree-holding employees were reported to be overqualified for their jobs in 2014.
When employers are still using the bachelor’s benchmark to filter talent, they are excluding a large pool of potential employees who can learn skills on the job anyway. Recruiters can look for ways besides degree status to assess candidates. They can also ask for clients to elaborate on their education requirements for when and if college degrees really are necessary for a given position.
Source: Market Watch, Why a college degree could be one of the worst ways to find a new employee
