Ask the Experts: The School From Which You Graduate Is Important

Question:

When getting a BS degree does the school make that much of a difference? I know there’s an obvious difference from getting a community college degree
compared to a school like Harvard, but between most four year major
universities, does the school hold much breadth in getting a job?

First Answer:

The answer to this question is yes and no. A good education and good networking connections can be made in any accredited institution. However, in the Ivy League schools, the tradition still runs to graduated helping and hiring graduates of the same school. Additionally, some places may rank you more seriously when you are applying for higher degreees of education, especially if you graduated from a specific school. I don’t think it’s as important where you went to school as what you got out of it. Few employers care that much where you went to undergraduate school. My advice is to pick the school that offers the program, teachers, location and services that suit your needs best, and don’t worry about the “name” value as your #1 concern.

— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Second Answer:

If the recruiter or the hiring manager believes that the school is a gating factor then Mission Control, we have a problem. Sure you can emphasize that
you actually have relevant experience, your grades weren’t inflated, and
your parents didn’t donate $15 million for an endowed chair in Fine Arts
when you were this close to being bounced out of school but if only Hah-vahd
grads work at the company that has your name on it, there’s really little
you can do.

Does it make sense that only grads from particular schools will succeed at a company? Of course it doesn’t, just as it makes no more than only men can be
CEOs. Deal with the objections as best you can, focus on your
accomplishments, blah, blah, blah.

However, I’ll bet anything that the school you graduate from has some tremendously successful alumni who also ran into a Crimson brick wall but
learned how to get around it. Talk to these folks. People enjoy being asked
how they became successful, how they overcame “the odds.” Focus on the
people who want to help you versus on the people who want to exclude you. Go
to alumni events before you graduate. If you have a football game, go to the
tailgate section and talk to the folks who obviously aren’t in school – ask
them what they do, who they work for, if they’d have you in for an
interview.

You may have to work a bit harder than the privileged ones but for certain desire and persistence go a long way in a job search.

— Steve Levy, Principal of outside-the-box Consulting

Third Answer:

Actually, where you went to school does make a difference to employers. And you’d be surprised at what employers look for in terms of who are their best bets.

I had an opportunity to attend a Recruiters and Human Resource Managers Metrics Symposium in Los Angeles in June. During the lunch/networking period, the conversation moved to where the recruiters find their “keepers.” There was general concensus that there are a few hires from the Ivy League schools, top of the class of the better schools, or the top brass’s school of choice. However, the recruiters and HR pros chalk up those hires to the ones they can expect to leave the company within a year or less. These people are seen as the prima donas and are only there for the prestige and money.

The new grads who prove to be the very best hires and stay the longest are the ones who attended the schools that provided the basics of the subjects. These graduates come out of school with a good foundation in their subject. They are hard workers and reliable. When they get hired, they have determined (on their own) that they’re in it for the long haul. Their desire and drive is for results.

These are definitely things to keep in mind as you make your Entrances through the doors of success!

— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Fourth Answer:

There is a great deal of snobbery around colleges. Some companies are more particular than others.
There is also an east west discrimination as well.
Unfortunately, some companies or hiring managers
really put up their noses at colleges such as Phoenix
University where they think you “buy” your degree.

Many colleges are recognized for their excellence in specific disciplines.
For instance, the University of Michigan
is known for its business program. The
University of Cincinnati is known for its
chemistry program. A degree
in these disciplines from these institutions
would certainly be a plus.

My personal opinion is that an education is only as good as what the student learns and benefits from it.

— Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

Fifth Answer:

Your choice of school is not completely insignificant in terms of getting a job, but I would characterize
it as a minor consideration.

The choice of school can help you, of course, if you attend an extremely prestigious colleges, such as
one in the Ivy League.

Your choice can also help you in small ways in the job-selection process. If a decision-maker trying to determine whom to interview for a job vacancy notices on your resume that you went to the same college that he or she did, you might have a slight edge in being interviewed.

Similarly, your school can be part of the conversation in interviews, if, for example, the interviewer attended
the same school, knows someone who went to that school, or happens to know interesting things about the school.

If an employer has had a good experience with hiring graduates of a particular school — yours — your choice can help you.

So, yes, choice of school comes into play in the job search, but how the school stacks up in the job search should probably not be your major reason for choosing your college.

What is far, far more important to employers is the quality of experience you gain in your field during your college years.

— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters

Originally posted by alwin