Education vs. Experience

By: Together Abroad 06-02-2017 8:44 PM
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As I exited my undergrad education and before each interview, I ask myself the same question: Do I meet the qualifications for this job in education and experience? Learning on the job is expected so if you are not reaching a bit beyond your current qualifications, maybe you are selling yourself short. However, if the job is above your capabilities, it may end up being a waste of time for you and your employer, a lose/lose for every party involved. How important is education or experience within the job force and how do you circumvent the apparent lack of either during a job interview?

Newly graduated candidates have the unfortunate problem of needing experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience. It is an annoying cycle of trying to decipher which is more important to employers, and how do you make up for lack of either. Candidates with only educational backgrounds may be able to spin their situation into a positive one. Education is not just about classes and what you learn in them, it includes social skills gained, connections made, and personal growth. Those with an education bring more to the table than just learning frameworks and literature. Also, education increases the ability it takes for you to learn. Someone with experience may know how to do the job, but they may not be able to scale that knowledge as quickly as someone with an educational background. The learning curve becomes smaller and employers need a candidate who can quickly adjust to their organization and style of doing things.

On the opposing side of that, experience can sometimes be more beneficial to employers. As the number of candidates with an educational background grows, the playing field levels and everyone starts to look the same. Every candidate has the same amount of education and the same degree. A way for those employers to decipher which candidate is best is through work experience. In addition, taking someone brand new and throwing them into the workforce, may not be as smooth of a transition as taking someone who knows how to work in an office environment. It becomes a matter of maturity and experience.

Both education and experience are highly valued attributes to employers. Truth be told, the perfect candidate has a balance of both. The educational experience and workforce experience combines to provide a candidate with the workforce mentality as well as new ideas and lessons learned with their schooling. In an interview, it may come down to the preference of the person hiring, whether to choose a candidate with more education or more experience. The best fit depends on the role they are searching for and the company they are working within. The key for candidates is to know how to spin what attributes they are coming to the interview with, in a way that can apply to either preference. By highlighting projects and tasks within your educational background,or highlighting educational or training sessions within your experiential background, you will not come acrossas lacking in either.

Ashley Herbert

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