Hi All,
I needed your views on a matter. Actually, the thing is that I am the only person in my organization looking after the recruitments for the whole organization on a PAN India basis. However, the main issue is that I am quite upset with the views of my management. According to them, education weighs more than experience. It doesn't matter whether the person has numerous years of experience; the main thing is that he should be from a B School.
Another thing is that they are very particular about degrees and diplomas. They only want degree holders. According to them, a diploma doesn't carry any weight against a degree. They reject candidates just because they have diplomas.
In my opinion, education does matter until the mid-career level, but after that, experience speaks. Secondly, a diploma provides more technical exposure while a degree focuses on theoretical concepts.
My question is: do you guys really feel that education carries more weightage than experience?
From India, New Delhi
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1I needed your views on a matter. Actually, the thing is that I am the only person in my organization looking after the recruitments for the whole organization on a PAN India basis. However, the main issue is that I am quite upset with the views of my management. According to them, education weighs more than experience. It doesn't matter whether the person has numerous years of experience; the main thing is that he should be from a B School.
Another thing is that they are very particular about degrees and diplomas. They only want degree holders. According to them, a diploma doesn't carry any weight against a degree. They reject candidates just because they have diplomas.
In my opinion, education does matter until the mid-career level, but after that, experience speaks. Secondly, a diploma provides more technical exposure while a degree focuses on theoretical concepts.
My question is: do you guys really feel that education carries more weightage than experience?
From India, New Delhi
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Dear Gurleen,
Freshers are not a substitute for experience. I strongly feel that on critical assignments, the sheer power of judgment and the ability to execute conflict resolution is necessary.
It is said by a famous critic author that God took 7 days to create an Entry Level Professional [Freshers]. On the 8th day, he rested, and on the 9th day, God started answering complaints from their bosses.
Gurleen, regarding the statement that 'Experience Speaks,' I would like to continue that this totally depends on the learning and successful strategy execution done by the experience holder.
From India, Mumbai
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Freshers are not a substitute for experience. I strongly feel that on critical assignments, the sheer power of judgment and the ability to execute conflict resolution is necessary.
It is said by a famous critic author that God took 7 days to create an Entry Level Professional [Freshers]. On the 8th day, he rested, and on the 9th day, God started answering complaints from their bosses.
Gurleen, regarding the statement that 'Experience Speaks,' I would like to continue that this totally depends on the learning and successful strategy execution done by the experience holder.
From India, Mumbai
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Dear Gurleen,
I strongly agree with you. Also, I do not see much difference between a Diploma holder with seven years of experience and a graduate with five years of experience. However, it varies based on the institution that offers the degrees and the organization where the diploma holder worked.
Thank you.
From India, Tiruppur
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I strongly agree with you. Also, I do not see much difference between a Diploma holder with seven years of experience and a graduate with five years of experience. However, it varies based on the institution that offers the degrees and the organization where the diploma holder worked.
Thank you.
From India, Tiruppur
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Experience is more valuable than education because anybody having a lot of education and no experience, what's the value of it? Practically, experience is more important. Though education has value and is needed to explore our internal morals and studies (especially education in foreign countries), experience counts more. If anybody has experience and less education, he can negotiate his value in the market.
EXPERIENCE IS THE GURU
From India, Nasik
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EXPERIENCE IS THE GURU
From India, Nasik
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Can we compare apples to oranges? I don't think there can be a common yardstick to measure the competence of a fresher and an experienced person. Depending upon the realities of the industry (factors like attrition, profitability, stage in product life cycle for cash cows and stars of BCG Matrix, etc.) and the vision, an organization can identify the right mix of freshers and experienced people.
A fresher, through higher education, may have developed some talent that is likely to convert into strength in the future. If the organization, after factoring in attrition details, feels that there is a possibility of a sizable return on investment from a fresher, then it should embrace them. Similarly, there can be pros and cons in hiring experienced people. While the pros are not too tough to guess, the cons can be related to higher wage bills, adaptability issues, etc.
We know that there is a difference in the curriculum of a diploma and that of a degree. Being rich in practical knowledge is not the only thing that matters. It will only demonstrate one's performance and may hardly enhance the performance capability of an individual. One has to continuously keep making new inroads into the field of theory to stay competitive by increasing one's performance capability. Had practical knowledge been everything, then the theory of relativity would have never been developed. So, an organization needs to have the right mix of people with practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge.
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A fresher, through higher education, may have developed some talent that is likely to convert into strength in the future. If the organization, after factoring in attrition details, feels that there is a possibility of a sizable return on investment from a fresher, then it should embrace them. Similarly, there can be pros and cons in hiring experienced people. While the pros are not too tough to guess, the cons can be related to higher wage bills, adaptability issues, etc.
We know that there is a difference in the curriculum of a diploma and that of a degree. Being rich in practical knowledge is not the only thing that matters. It will only demonstrate one's performance and may hardly enhance the performance capability of an individual. One has to continuously keep making new inroads into the field of theory to stay competitive by increasing one's performance capability. Had practical knowledge been everything, then the theory of relativity would have never been developed. So, an organization needs to have the right mix of people with practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge.
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Allow me to share my experience (no pun intended).
As I was starting my career many years ago, everywhere I went, people asked for experience and did not care about my hard-earned knowledge and strong foundation. So, for years that followed, I fought the "experience vs. knowledge" syndrome and hired people for their knowledge, assessing what they had to offer, rather than just their number of years of experience.
Now that I have been around for over 16 years and seen much of what there is to see, I have a slightly different view. Experience matters! What experience offers, knowledge alone does not offer. What I learned by being there and swimming through those rough waters, no book, no schooling, no education could have given me!
So, based on my experience of life and work, the following is my (the experienced me) view:
1. There is no substitute for a strong knowledge base.
2. There is no substitute for experience.
3. Good schools are not a measure of knowledge and application of such knowledge (nor are they a substitute for experience) - I have seen far too many grads from good schools falter due to a lack of experience.
4. The number of years of experience alone is not a measure of true knowledge or experience (I have seen people with 3 years of experience handling situations better than their 10-, 15- or 20-year experienced counterparts).
Here is a hiring method that worked for me and most hiring managers in the US:
1. Review the resume.
2. Does the candidate have more than 3 to 5 years of experience? Focus the interview on the experience, frame questions to verify his/her experience (can they handle the situations that they said they handled in their resume?).
3. Does the candidate have less than 3 years of experience? Focus the interview on the experience as well as the schooling.
4. Focus the interview on what the candidate has to offer the company and the position, rather than what the candidate has done in the past (forward-looking).
As far as I am concerned, in today's fast-paced world, people forget what they did last year. So, how does it matter what I did 16 years ago in my school/college? What matters is this. Does my recent experience (last 5 to 10 years) map to your job requirement? Do my attitude and responses support what I said in my resume? Do my attitude and responses translate to a good fit for the job and the company? If the answers to these three questions are yes, then why should you care what I did 16 years ago? If you do, you are trusting a piece of paper given by a school over a decade and a half ago more than you trust yourself (plain and simple)!
This is my approach towards hiring. Does hiring you make good business sense? Can I verify (in the interview) what you have to offer? Great! Formal Education? Fill it in the job application. I will verify if you have lied or told me the truth. I am going to hire you regardless of your educational background, so long as you are capable (unless you lied on your job application or your resume).
From United States, Woodinville
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As I was starting my career many years ago, everywhere I went, people asked for experience and did not care about my hard-earned knowledge and strong foundation. So, for years that followed, I fought the "experience vs. knowledge" syndrome and hired people for their knowledge, assessing what they had to offer, rather than just their number of years of experience.
Now that I have been around for over 16 years and seen much of what there is to see, I have a slightly different view. Experience matters! What experience offers, knowledge alone does not offer. What I learned by being there and swimming through those rough waters, no book, no schooling, no education could have given me!
So, based on my experience of life and work, the following is my (the experienced me) view:
1. There is no substitute for a strong knowledge base.
2. There is no substitute for experience.
3. Good schools are not a measure of knowledge and application of such knowledge (nor are they a substitute for experience) - I have seen far too many grads from good schools falter due to a lack of experience.
4. The number of years of experience alone is not a measure of true knowledge or experience (I have seen people with 3 years of experience handling situations better than their 10-, 15- or 20-year experienced counterparts).
Here is a hiring method that worked for me and most hiring managers in the US:
1. Review the resume.
2. Does the candidate have more than 3 to 5 years of experience? Focus the interview on the experience, frame questions to verify his/her experience (can they handle the situations that they said they handled in their resume?).
3. Does the candidate have less than 3 years of experience? Focus the interview on the experience as well as the schooling.
4. Focus the interview on what the candidate has to offer the company and the position, rather than what the candidate has done in the past (forward-looking).
As far as I am concerned, in today's fast-paced world, people forget what they did last year. So, how does it matter what I did 16 years ago in my school/college? What matters is this. Does my recent experience (last 5 to 10 years) map to your job requirement? Do my attitude and responses support what I said in my resume? Do my attitude and responses translate to a good fit for the job and the company? If the answers to these three questions are yes, then why should you care what I did 16 years ago? If you do, you are trusting a piece of paper given by a school over a decade and a half ago more than you trust yourself (plain and simple)!
This is my approach towards hiring. Does hiring you make good business sense? Can I verify (in the interview) what you have to offer? Great! Formal Education? Fill it in the job application. I will verify if you have lied or told me the truth. I am going to hire you regardless of your educational background, so long as you are capable (unless you lied on your job application or your resume).
From United States, Woodinville
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Both go hand in hand with each other. It might be possible that you select a candidate with a higher degree (and with theoretical concepts) without hands-on practicality of the matter. It is also possible that you select a candidate with a century of useless (and negative) experiences. Be cautious before selection; one hour of positive experience is better than a century of negative and bureaucratic experience.
Have a nice day!
From Pakistan, Karachi
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Have a nice day!
From Pakistan, Karachi
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Dear Friends,
I feel that for senior positions, experience does matter a lot. However, the fact remains that for an entry level position, a fresher is preferable. In case you are seeking a committed long-term employee, this is because they have never worked before, making them open to anything and more adaptable. A first job holds great significance; therefore, individuals are more likely to be enthusiastic and willing to prove themselves. If, as HR professionals, we are able to harness that potential and enthusiasm, the individual is likely to stay with us for the long term and contribute their best.
Thank you.
From India, Hyderabad
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I feel that for senior positions, experience does matter a lot. However, the fact remains that for an entry level position, a fresher is preferable. In case you are seeking a committed long-term employee, this is because they have never worked before, making them open to anything and more adaptable. A first job holds great significance; therefore, individuals are more likely to be enthusiastic and willing to prove themselves. If, as HR professionals, we are able to harness that potential and enthusiasm, the individual is likely to stay with us for the long term and contribute their best.
Thank you.
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Som... I do agree with you. Experience matters! One who knows swimming practically than who knows swimming therotically, matters a lot!
From India
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From India
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Dear all,
Education is the foundation that provides the knowledge to perform tasks. However, when it comes to doing a job, the individual's grasping power, capability, interest, and the subject they have learned matter more than the school they attended. Experience serves as the backbone for senior positions, though not necessarily for all positions. It is crucial for the smooth functioning of an organization.
It is important to remember that you can shape a newcomer as per the requirements of your organization. All the experts we see today were once beginners in the past; it was the opportunities that made them experts. In my opinion, a successful organization requires a blend of experienced professionals and fresh talent in the workforce.
James
From Qatar, Doha
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Education is the foundation that provides the knowledge to perform tasks. However, when it comes to doing a job, the individual's grasping power, capability, interest, and the subject they have learned matter more than the school they attended. Experience serves as the backbone for senior positions, though not necessarily for all positions. It is crucial for the smooth functioning of an organization.
It is important to remember that you can shape a newcomer as per the requirements of your organization. All the experts we see today were once beginners in the past; it was the opportunities that made them experts. In my opinion, a successful organization requires a blend of experienced professionals and fresh talent in the workforce.
James
From Qatar, Doha
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