Should You Require A College Degree When Hiring?
I think you should not always require a degree in your job posting. No, really.
I brought this recommendation up on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, and everyone freaked out.
But education is important!
I use my degree every day (said the doctors and lawyers).
It was clear that I needed to write this blog.
For decades, if not longer, people added college degree requirements to job postings without any purpose. People saw college degrees on everyone else’s job postings, assuming that they should include them.
They got away with it because no one ever just asked why. Here I am.
The College Debate: Do you need to require a degree?
If you’re not using licenses and specific degree requirements every day to get the job done, why would you require a degree in the job posting? It seems silly to require a college degree after the 3-year mark in your career, especially when most degree programs don’t even align with the workload.
You want to hire a doctor, a lawyer, or someone with a license? Absolutely. Require a degree. Those degree requirements matter.
You want to hire an experienced marketer, HR person, or a software engineer who’s five years into their career? No. Why? You’re cutting qualified candidates with your bias because college is a privilege, not a right.
Instead of putting various college degree requirements, watch this video so you can learn how to delete the bias and rework your requirements to create a job posting that attracts qualified people.
Can you delete college requirements right now? Post in the comments. Let’s talk about it. Or buy my on-demand job post writing course to learn how to rewrite your requirements.
Kat Kibben View All →
Kat Kibben [they/them] is a keynote speaker, writing expert, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who teaches hiring teams how to write inclusive job postings that will get the right person to apply faster.
Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. With 15+ years of recruitment marketing and training experience, Katrina knows how to turn talented recruiting teams into talented writers who write for people, not about work.
Today, Katrina is frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes. They’ve been named to numerous lists, including LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Job Search & Careers. When not speaking, writing, or training, you’ll find Katrina traveling the country in their van or spending some much needed downtime with the dogs that inspired the name Three Ears Media.
Thank you!! I have this conversation with hiring leaders ALL THE TIME!! Many incredibly bright people do not have access to manage other financial obligations AND finance a college education. Only 36% of adults aged 25 and older have college degrees so opening our minds to other experiences significantly widens our candidate pools.