Having stumbled across a little nugget of information which stated that 2 thirds of small businesses value experience over qualifications (and other facts you might not have thought!) a debate was sparked in the office… Do we agree?
Now, let us state now that we are looking at this from a graduate, or equivalent, perspective and with the ever increasing costs of education and the challenges faced by today’s graduates, we can certainly see the case for experience over education. Having first-hand experience allows you to develop real skills and gain a genuine understanding of working in the big bad world. It isn’t always about the tasks assigned to you as part of your job, it’s also about social behaviours and team work, so having hands on experience can be invaluable and stands you in good stead for building your knowledge (and career) in a practical manner and at a rate which matches your abilities. If you prove yourself, you will climb the ranks quickly, rather than being under pressure to learn a lot of theory at a rate set by external forces that may, when it comes down to it, be harder to implement than you thought.
For employers, the benefit surely lies in the fact that the potential candidate has already proven their abilities. They don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Candidates who can demonstrate relevant (and it has to be relevant!) work experience are often deemed to present less of a threat since their ability to carry out the job has been testified; there is no fear that they might have the knowledge but in reality they don’t have the nouse to action it.
However, being the level-headed and open-minded recruiters that we are (!) we can see the value of taking the education route. Formal qualifications are specifically designed to deepen your knowledge of a topic and having a solid education can make for a well-rounded individual. While those taking the education route probably won’t be learning from their own mistakes, they probably are learning from the mistakes of others, which is no bad thing. Furthermore, practical experience is not always that easy to come by. Sure, if you know the right people it’s a doddle, but what if you don’t? If you can’t get the hands-on experience then isn’t education just as valuable an option? (Let’s face it; there are still some companies out there who won’t even look at your CV unless you have a degree, so it surely education still counts for something?)
And for employers, those who place a higher importance on education should benefit from candidates with a (presumably) broader knowledge. These are candidates who have been taught the ins and outs and should, in theory, know how to handle a situation before it even arises. Arguably therefore, these candidates would require less training and line management as their knowledge should already be in place.
In essence, education can give you a good grounding and understanding of an industry and mean you enter the job market with more theoretical knowledge, but for many it is hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn by doing which is favoured. Clearly this isn’t a black and white matter but we’d be interested to hear your opinions...
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