- Caitlin Wehniainen has helped set high talent in high -viewing teams in Fortune 1000 companies.
- She said experience, achievements, ability to learn and growth are more important than college names.
- Wehniainen requires these attributes in different ways in the resume of a candidate.
This essay as a strong is based on a conversation with Caitlin Wehniainen, a staff and recruitment expert and director of Cue Hire Business Development, based in Boca Raton, Florida. Hasten edited for length and clarity.
I have been a recruiter who puts candidates in corporate roles in it, HR, Finance, Marketing and other fields. I even started my own staff and the talent firm for rent. In my years of recruitment, I have found that the name of the college or school someone attending is rarely a crucial factor when assessing their adaptation for a position.
In fact, it is rare that I pay attention to a college or school name when evaluating an individual’s credentials and the ability to perform in a particular role. If the position I am hiring is very warm, most employment leaders like me care much more about other assets.
Work experience, achievements, learning ability and growth means more to me than the name of the college or university that a candidate for work participated. Here’s how I ask those things.
Levels and types of scale vary depending on position
When I am seeing marketing roles and sales positions, I tend to see many people with marketing and communications associated.
For its roles, I generally see master’s degrees in information systems and computers science. But indeed, I see many people without rank building phenomenal careers in trade capable like technology.
Many of these applicants have developed their skills set by previous work or home learning, where they download the software and learn themselves, connecting with things as they go.
The more experience a candidate has, the less important their diploma for me
Once an individual has 5 years of experience, the scale becomes less important. At that point, the company they worked on for more issues.
When I hire, I ask about the previous company. What did you do inside that company? Value value and contribution have you made? Answers to these questions become much more important to me than what an applicant studied at school.
Promotions within the same company are a good sign for recruiters
In Résumés, I seek visible promotions within the company or organization for which the candidate worked. I want candidates who are basic contributors within their company.
Often, I will see someone who has been in the same company for three years and there are work titles that go on the scale. I see it and go, “Ok”, this company is recognizing this person’s talent and is giving them greater responsibility.
All this shows that the candidate is very capable and high performance in their work. They are probably a great professional because they are gaining promotions.
Candidates must tell recruiters who care about their craft
It is always great to see when someone is continuing their education in their field through the advantage of their degrees with a master, Ph.D., etc. This shows that they are passionate about their career and caring for their craft. They want to learn more about what they are doing.
Certificates also add value to an applicant’s candidacy for an role. I like to see applicants achieve their long -term goals. For example, I appreciate a candidate for a marketing role who has spent time earning a SEO certification. This means that they spend their personal time out of work, becoming a stronger professional in their field.
There are only a few times when the school name matters
There may be hundreds of applicants for only one role because LinkedIn and other work boards have one -click application systems. What makes an internet candidate is to have a phenomenal linkedin with professional recommendations from previous employment leaders or details about any other excellent projects they have implemented.
I have worked with Fortune 1000 company, setting high talent in high -viewing teams. If I am not looking for a high -level IT or software architecture role that can prioritize candidates from elite technical institutions such as myth, the school name does not usually matter.
If you are a talent recruiter with the tips and tips you want to share, please email this editor, Mansseen Logan, at mlogan@businsinsider.com.