Education still matters to employers. It’s not the sole or ultimate factor of an individual’s employability but bears significant impact in the final decision-making process of a hiring manager or business owner.
Here are three reasons why hiring managers or business leaders care both if and where a candidate went to college.
Academic Reputation
Academic reputation conveys a university’s reputation among other institutions of higher education in the eyes of others. It is the quality associated with its name based on various performance metrics, both locally and globally. It is also the reflection of influence or trustworthiness of the institution’s individual and combined actions.
Employers tend to evaluate the following: 1) whether or not the field of study is highly specialized; 2) how often the course or degree meets various standards of excellence; 3) how students of the university perform on board exams and licensure exams.
For fresh graduates with roughly comparable general weighted averages (GWA) and other scholastic accomplishments, the final consideration will often be the academic reputation of the higher education institution from which they graduated.
University Ranking
University ranking is the measure of the university’s position based on a carefully set criteria such as (but not limited to) quality of education of students, teaching performance, availability of resources, research output, and the like.
For example, Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings uses five areas of performance indicators while Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings uses methodical evaluations to highlight strengths of higher education institutions.
Employers look at the data published by these organizations to help them gauge the candidate’s educational rigor and standards of performance. Companies are well aware of which higher educational institutions consistently develop a talent pool that is well-prepared for the real-world challenges that will be faced once the graduates enter the workforce.
Culture Fit
Culture fit, at its core, refers to similarity or congruence between prospective employees and employer in terms of core values, sense of purpose, and company culture. It is a mutual understanding and desire to pursue what the business stands for.
Hiring managers and business leaders pay extra attention to those: 1) who show interest and excitement about the company’s existing culture and practices; 2) with a track record of thriving in a similarly entrepreneurial environment; 3) who demonstrate impressive technical ability and/or soft skills while still in school or during internships.
Hiring an employee is a major investment. A bad-fit hire will lead to higher turnover rate which is not good for team morale and business productivity. Despite other evidence proving that employers are not biased towards graduates of certain schools; they tend to take interest in candidates who will fit in the workplace.
ClinkIT Solutions’ Highly Educated Workforce
ClinkIT Solutions doesn’t apply blanket judgment in its recruiting process. In fact, we value performance over pedigree and we strive to find the perfect balance among significant candidate qualifications. While educational attainment and graduating from prestigious universities matters, we also look into the individual’s work experience, technical expertise, evidence of leadership, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
With that said, 50% of our employees and 60% of our Developers are graduates of the top eight Philippine universities with 26% of employees graduates of De La Salle University.
By outsourcing to ClinkIT Solutions, you are choosing a top-tier service provider with a highly educated workforce. Get in touch with us today to discuss your specific business needs – we’d love to get involved!
