Education and Employment 1

From the Examiner:


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One can barely search the job boards online without running into dozens of ads from numerous institutions attempting to solicit the job seeker to come to them for education purposes. Without a doubt, having the right knowledge is crucial to getting most jobs: how many times does a nursing position require the applicant to be a CPA? But the question arises, what is the balance between enough knowledge, and too much or useless knowledge?

Tricky question, and the answer is more complex than one might think.

Having the correct knowledge and skills is a prerequisite for most positions in the workplace. In many instances, the only way to acquire the knowledge is through some sort of training. This article is the first of a three-part series, because there are three main ways that education / knowledge can improve a job applicant's success in the job market: education for the screening, education for the job, and education for the interview.

The first is education for the screening. What does this mean?
A simple story of an acquaintance who worked in IT should clear up the meaning here:

A certain IT professional, Bob*, had graduated a state university with a degree in English. Bob's first love was IT. However, he had noticed that most IT people had extreme difficulty communicating: both with coworkers, as well as clients. Bob pursued his IT knowledge on his own time, and became quite the expert. However, he utilized the university setting to improve his communications ability.

The result was an IT guru, who could speak clearly and plainly to any level of coworker or client. Bob saw several promotions his first few years in the work force after college. He met with success at every level. However, one thing started holding Bob back from his true earning potential.

You see, Bob was a database administrator (aka "DBA"), and a darn good one. However, his current employer was very limited when it came to advancement opportunities, and they paid poorly compared to other companies with similar positions. Bob applied to many other DBA positions, but was unsuccessful even landing a phone interview. Poor Bob did not have his MCSE designation (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert), and that was a listed requirement with almost all DBA positions.

So Bob studied, and took exams, and earned his MCSE designation. As soon as he had earned the designation, Bob placed that tidbit on his resume. Overnight things changed. Bob was getting called in to interview for jobs. Most of the positions he applied to contacted him, where before, even the same company had not given him the time of day. HR recruiters glossed over the fact that he had his MCSE, and  then looked at his work history and its relevance. One recruiter (with whom Bob had applied previously) even stated: "where have you been hiding?"

That was the problem. Bob hadn't been hiding. In fact, getting his MCSE designation did not actually teach him much of anything he did not already know. Bob had been doing the core duties these companies needed all along.

The difference was with the perception of the people who were recruiting. Before, they had not seen an "MCSE" and had discarded Bob's resume. Now, they saw those four letters, and that enabled them to look further.

Some argue that the recruiters should have looked deeper at the outset, and not just dismissed Bob simply because he did not have a simple certification - and there is a good bit of truth to this. Recruiters do not always peruse resumes as thoroughly they should. However:

It is your job as a candidate to put the right "bait" in front of the fish you wish to catch.




* not his real name.