Robert Half Survey Finds Employers Value Skills, Experience Over Degrees

A new survey by Robert Half Technology reveals that when employers are recruiting in the job market, they seek graduates who have real-world experience and not solely degrees. Nearly three-fourths, or 71 percent, of chief information officers (CIOs) who took the survey said they prioritize skills and experience over college degrees when making hiring decisions. An additional 12 percent said they place a little weight on the prestige of a job seeker’s university when evaluating applicants, yet just 5 percent said they are heavily influenced by a prominent alma mater.

The survey results were derived from more than 2,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees in 24 major metropolitan areas.

During the interviews, CIOs were asked, “When evaluating a candidate for an IT position, what value do you place on the prestige of their college or university?”

The results showed:

• I place a lot of weight on university prestige (5%)

• I place a little weight on university prestige (12%)

• University prestige doesn’t matter to me (12%)

• I place more weight on skills and experience than on whether or not a candidate attended college/university (71%)

“A quality education provides the foundation, but IT employers want to see evidence of practical application of that knowledge,” John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology, said. “Job candidates with real-world IT experience can jump in and start contributing without a long ramp-up period, making them appealing to employers.”