Always Building
A recent survey shows that 46% of Irish graduates are not working in an area connected to their studies.
54% of these respondents now want to return to college.
These graduates should not see school as “wasted years.” Your education is, in some way, applicable to your career—no matter what you’re doing. Employers are coming around to the fact that a person’s education and experience are a foundation. Those years of learning are a launching pad for how good this person can be (i.e. potential).
It is absolutely not the case, for example, that a business graduate will definitely excel in a business role. There are so many factors to consider, such as environment, their ability to self-motivate, and more. In fact, a person with a STEM qualification could thrive and perform just as well or better than a business grad in a business discipline! Their scientific, analytical mind might actually offer more in the way of challenging systems, rethinking processes, and consequently improving the business.
There is value in everything we do, day-to-day.
We are always learning and building our skill sets. Someone who has high levels of integrity and is coachable and self-aware may add significant value to an organisation, even without the “perfect background”.
A shift to a skills and competency-based talent strategy will enable organisations to grow at a much faster rate than one based solely on rigid criteria. A candidate should realise their worth based on the talent they posses, not a mandatory experience level.
Let’s place people who show the key competencies associated with a role. Let’s take a different approach in our talent strategy.