Why Skills, More Than Degrees Shape the Future of Work
Having a degree will get me a job... right? Well; that’s not entirely true – and this is the mentality we need to shift.
Robin DeLucia - Founder of IMPower Coaching discusses the reality of finding work in today’s post pandemic world; and essentials employees will need to land them a job.
As members of society; we hang onto the ideas that we think will better ourselves in the future, everyone does it right? We hear things like.... “Getting a degree will get you work”, “You will earn more money from having completed a degree”, “You will have more job security that way”...
While some of these commonly heard statements may be true, major changes in the current job market and emerging roles tell us otherwise. A survey analysed by Talent Inc (New York, 2019) revealed that employers value a job seeker’s potential over their education.
Here are the top 5 reasons why experience and skills may matter more than a degree.
More Job Seekers - Post Covid, uni graduates are now competing for entry level jobs with more qualified job applicants who have found themselves back looking for jobs after being let go.
Experience Wins over Education - Experience shows you’ve done the job, whereas a degree shows you know about the job. Experience means you will hit the ground running, where as education means you will need more time and training. These days more employers say universities are missing the mark in exposing students to what the real-world job looks like. I found this true when hiring a Marketing Graduate to manage my marketing channels. His words were “I’ve learned more from working with you in 6 months, then I did throughout my studies.” I was honestly surprised by this comment.
Any Work Experience a Plus - Experience allows you to gain problem-solving skills, ability to deal with customers both internal and external, learn how to work with a diverse group of people and potentially influence others to accomplish business outcomes even if it’s in Hospitality or Retail.
Higher Expectations - Employers perceive that if you have a master’s degree, your pay expectations may be higher as well as expectations with career growth. You may also be perceived as a flight risk if the job doesn’t meet your higher expectations and something better comes along.
Life Experience Matters - A qualification alone doesn’t show how you work with people – customers, management, peers, subordinates and even suppliers. Sometimes high school graduates choose a gap year before they study, and upon their return they often say how much more motivated they are to study, and the “life lessons” they gained from working part-time give them a bit more maturity.
Skills, practical ability & experience.
Having a degree – is awesome. Although, it is not essential to finding work, or a well-paying job for that matter. Many employers are looking beyond the certificate. Employers are looking for intangible things like how you work in a team, potential, can-do attitudes and diverse experience is highly sought after.
Degrees or any qualification for that matter do not completely determine your employability; it’s essential for you to showcase your transferrable skills and traits that prove you will be an asset to any employer, or role. Skills and character; as simple as your reliability, ability to work in a team and work ethic for example, seem obvious but people forget to emphasise these attributes.
How can you prove this to employers?
Talent Inc revealed the most common ways employers evaluate a candidate’s potential is through:
1. Reviewing your resume
2. Assessment of you during an interview
3. Analysing a series of hard and soft skills in different ways
So how should you prepare?
Get out of your comfort zone.
· Prioritise connecting with people over online applications – ask them what it takes to work in their role or industry. Networking with people who have experience is key!
· Get out there and get any sort of experience you can like;
o Internships in the industry you’re targeting. It’s a great way to network with professionals in your chosen industry and develop your skills. If you do well, you could also ask for a letter of recommendation or ask someone to be a reference for you. It holds more weight coming from an industry “insider”.
o Work experience is an opportunity for you to prove and demonstrate your existing skills. It also offers the same benefits of an internship but in a shorter timeframe.
· Recently a film grad client completed his internship with a corporate video business. Fast forward 3 months and he kept in contact with the business for casual work and when he mentioned he applied for a job with a different media company, the business owner contacted the hiring manager to endorse him. This led to a job interview and we’re waiting to see if he got the job, but what a valuable experience!
· Consider short online courses and other forms of virtual learning that are free / low cost when you can. This adds to your resume and demonstrates you value learning and career development. Harvard free courses and Udemi are great sources of short cheap online courses to build skills.
· Research – Research – Research. Learn about your chosen industry, the Companies you think you’d love to work at then find people working there . Make a list of people you can reach out to for a (virtual) coffee to start networking. Knowledge is powerful – and having an understanding of what’s required to be where you want to be – puts you 10 steps ahead of the rest.
Job seeking and gaining experience is tough for students, recent graduates and those looking to step into a new industry. Covid has made some industries and jobs far more competitive.
We can help.
IMPower Coaching can polish up your resume and highlight your transferable skills and achievements even with limited work experience in your target industry. We will help you create a competitive edge over others in the job market and get you noticed. Click here to book in a free chat with Robin!
Exclusive Story
Our Marketing and Human Resource Assistant Annalise recently landed her first full time job after having gradated during the peak of COVID- and here is some insight on her journey to employment and how Robin and her team helped.
“I was so proud of how hard I worked to get my degree. I thought my passion for the field, having a reputable qualification and a good GPA would get me that job I always wanted. While I have no doubt that all those elements contributed, Robin, and the team at IMPower Coaching provided me with the right advice and resources that I needed to land that job – in the midst of a global pandemic. During this time, I applied for up to 50 jobs, and heard back from maybe 5 of these. This was NOT a part of my plan, getting a job was going to already be a challenge; but I needed to rethink my approach and I genuinely needed help from someone who knew what they were doing. After Robin helped me with my resume, I started to get call backs and praise surrounding my application and resume. After months of persistence, hard work and patience, I FINALLY landed a dream job with the Woolworths Marketing Department. Thanks to Robin, my resume landed me an interview, I performed CONFIDENTLY in my interviews and I had the KNOWLEDGE to ask the right questions when speaking to my future employer.”