Can Experience and Education be Equated When Hiring Employees?

Finding an ideal candidate for a job opening can be a daunting prospect. What specific blend of qualifications - both educational and experiential - make a person well-rounded enough to perform competently in the position as well as a top-notch overall employee? For instance, a job applicant may have been trained in the classroom to perform the job at hand, but lack time management, leadership or collaboration skills. Conversely, an employee may come from a highly experienced background as an effective team member or manager but be underqualified in, say, up-to-date technical skills.

It may seem to make sense, then, to consider accounting for a lack of one for a certain amount of the other, e.g. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required. While it sounds like a logical process, it can prove highly subjective. Since no one person’s education + experience is the same as another’s, it’s important to consider how to factor in both qualities so as to glean an individual’s suitability for a job. This isn’t an easily-determined equation to solve; even with equivalency charts to guide decision making. And, of course, this equation will be radically different among fields and positions. The fact is, some industries are reliant upon education while others are performed best by those with experience.

Some things to consider about the importance of both education and work experience include:

While a higher education only really proves someone can succeed academically, a recent degree or training in a relevant field can satisfy the qualifications for an entry-level position or at least indicate that a person has the knowledge and/or technical skills to get up to speed quickly. This is a benefit to employers because it reduces the need for costly and time-consuming on-the job training.

Generally speaking, in high-tech fields, education proves a stronger indicator of suitability for a position while experience tends to be a deciding factor in vocational fields. In some cases, a specific course or training can even be considered to be the equivalent of actual work experience. The value of education can wane over time the longer it’s been since completing their studies if they haven’t continued training and updating their skills.

Experience

Business-critical skills like a facility for oral and written communication and teamwork are often honed on the job, whether in the industry or not. Working in the field as a student enables them to apply what they’ve learned in the field. This can help them to better discern for themselves their preferred career direction so that they are more satisfied and productive employees.

Over time, an employees’ experience, perspective and skill set can come to outweigh the desirability of higher education. In addition to the amount of time an applicant put in while gaining their experience, take the circumstances of their employment into consideration: Did they contribute to company profits? Did they bring in new customers or retain existing ones? Were they an innovator and problem solver? What awards and accolades did they win? There is much to be said about an employee who earned a degree while working full time about their dedication and hard working nature.

There’s no easy-to-determine equivalence between education and experience; although they can on occasion be substituted one for the other, they must be evaluated on their individual merits. Finding the right balance depends largely upon a myriad of factors including the position itself, the candidate’s specific education and skill set, the amount and quality of their experience and your needs as an employer. The most prudent approach is to find the right combination of education and experience that works in your unique business.

How do you weigh education and experience when hiring for your business?