In All But A Few Circumstances, I’ll Take A Solid Skills/Certifications List Over A Degree

When it comes to job requirements, I find degrees have less value than they did a decade ago. Certainly, some positions the demand specific degrees but they don’t comprise the majority of openings. Instead, placing higher value on demonstrated skill sets and platform certifications are where you’ll find job candidate gold.

Joe Patti beat me to the punch on this topic by a full day with a post that wonders if the field would be better off with a massive re-think about how much emphasis is placed on a degree.

Similarly, revamping job descriptions to remove degree requirements that are not necessary to perform the work and allowing the flexibility to work from home are cited as changes that are making culture jobs more attractive to applicants.

When I created the candidate database for Arts Admin Jobs, I made sure to include a section that highlights skills. The submission form includes detailed instructions informing candidates they should only list quantifiable skills, such as Mailchimp or Adobe Illustrator, but nothing like “collaborator” or “good listener.”

That doesn’t mean candidates don’t try to include the latter but when they do, they get filtered out before being published. Based on employer feedback and database metrics, these detailed skills are among the more popular methods employers use to identify candidates.

As a candidate or employer, what are your thoughts? Degrees may not be dead, but do they really hold enough value to be required? Would you rather know exactly which skills an employer needs in a new hire instead of whether you have an undergraduate degree?

Speaking of the Candidate Database, we’re up to 92 entries and the only way you can access them is with an employer’s subscription.