Leaving qualifications off a CV - Martin on the Wright stuff,.

welshman10

I'd just take the one with the biggest nubs

bristol_pilot

rubuhoeikanaika wrote: »

I think all these cries of 'discrimination' are misplaced. The job of Martin, or any employer, is to find the best person for the job. I think being 'the best person for the job' includes 'is not likely to leave in an unreasonably short period of time'.

Look at it this way. You are advertising for a cleaner or shop assistant in June.

One CV comes in with some GCSEs.

Another CV comes in:
- BA Oxford, top first
- MA Cambridge, distinction
- PhD Princeton

I don't know about you, but I'd take the first candidate, all other things being equal. The additional education of the second wouldn't be a help in the job and, all other things being equal, you'd expect the second candidate to ditch you and find something better soon. Job searches are expensive and time consuming.

Except in very special circumstances, I think Martin's stance is justified.

rubuhoe

I would take the second candidate. I employed someone last year as an admin assistant who has 1st class honours in Law from a proper Universtity. Colleagues at the time said he would never stay, well now he is training to be the group's management accountant and has in the meantime been the best admin assistant the group has ever had.

Although it is perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of qualifications (unlike sex, race or age), to assume that someone who is well-qualified will leave soon after appointment is more based on prejudice than fact. Just as it is assumed that older workers will take more days off sick than younger workers - FACT the opposite is the case.

bristol_pilot

beard0609 wrote: »

mmm I decided not to go to Uni myself but have worked hard and have (in my opinion) done well for myself... But what I find very frustrating is when someone is given a job because they have a degree even if it is not relevant.. I know some one who got a job as a csi examiner for the met who had a history degree the person who came 2nd in the interview was working as a csi examiner assistant but was passed over due to "lack of education!!!" ie she had no degree:mad:

If you are going into hospital to have an operation, do you prefer the surgeon to have a degree or not have a degree (actually, several degrees)?

If you are a test pilot taking off in an aircraft that has never flown before, do you prefer a designer who has a degree or just some guy who talked well at the interview?

If you are having your accounts prepared for the TaxMan, do you prefer a Chartered Accountant or some guy you know down the pub?

Qualifications matter in the modern world.

diesel9181

when i first graduated i couldnt even get job interviews and was really tempted to take my degree off my cv. i was getting work temping but not when i applied for permanent ones. immediately after coming out of uni i wished id never even done it cause i couldnt get a decent job. im sure it will help in the long run tho

barvid

It may be discrimination... just not illegal discrimination.

It may be tough to be told you're over qualified, but one way to think about it is that you should perhaps be tailoring your CV to the job in question anyway (e.g. if it's a sales role then focus on the sales experience you've had and if it's an admin position then focus on this instead), so maybe leaving off qualifications could be considered an extension of this? If I were desperate for a job through redundancy or something and thought the only option was to go for a job in McDonalds, I wouldn't be harping on about my law degree - what use would it be to them? I'd fully expect them to look at me and think, "He'll be moving on in a week or two," and refuse to employ me. I'd make sure the CV was relevant to the application.

azjh77

I know what you mean Beard0609,

My OH worked at a Technican at the university for years, doing the manager's job (without the pay!) When the job came up offically, it went to some kid who had a degree in something stupid, and my husband had to train him up. He was good enough to train him, but not good enough to do the job.

I was passed over in my job by the new girl because she had a degree in French (we were an insurance company)

Compound_2

The over-qualification problem has been caused by the Government and it’s 50% higher education target (soon to be accompanied by raising the school leaving age). Maybe they should bring forward legislation to deal with this increasing area of unfair discrimination, perhaps as an extension of the age regulations. This would allow the Government to credibly justify the rising cost of a degree—it’s worrying that some people are finding their earnings reduced after uni. It would also save money on benefit payments to unemployed graduates. Political campaign? No doubt, like with age, it’ll all be opposed by the business lobby. In which astonishingly I must include Martin. I suppose it’s not unusual to discover that figures you admire hold discriminatory views. In the latest series of the Apprentice, Sir Alan Sugar shockingly grilled only the female contestants on childcare matters.

seven-day-weekend

I did my degree in 1984-1987 and then worked as a lollipop lady for nine years because it suited my family commitments. I would have been not very happy if they'd told me I was over qualified, as at that point in my life I wanted that job., not a high-powered one that kept me away from my family for all hours (in fact I never did want that type of job).

I think it is discriminatory but I would not leave my degree off my CV because it would not be giving a full picture and also I can illustrate certain transferable skills by things I learned whilst doing my degree. I also put that I was a SAHM for five years for a similar reason.

mikewebs

Lets be honest - you cannot prove discrimination with regards to potential employers deciding whether the applicant is over qualified, just as you would find it hard to prove that discrimination had taken place against a 40 year old, or a wheel chair user, or a woman. These days, whilst there are many rules to make sure people are not discriminated against, there seems to be no requirement to prove that no discrimination has taken place and, what's worse in my opinion, no requirement just to say 'sorry you're not right for the job' I have applied for over 75 jobs in the last year and had 2 replies. WHat does that say? I have a degree, o' levels and, acknowledging a gap in my skills went back to college to study for further qualifications. Also I have a physical condition that means many employers are unprepared to 'take a risk' even though I have taken steps to address the condition and to make sure that I am willing to cope with work situations.

I am fed up and wonder why I bothered trying to get more appropriate skills for me to be turned down by pure ignoranc eand bad manners!

Rant over - sorry people!

rubuhoeikanaika

mikewebs wrote: »

These days, whilst there are many rules to make sure people are not discriminated against, there seems to be no requirement to prove that no discrimination has taken place....

I don't know if it's required by law or not, but isn't this what those detachable 'monitoring' bits on forms are for? I have no real idea, that was just my assumption.

rubuhoe