A formal college degree is one of first items a recruiter scans a potential candidate’s CV for in the white collar working space. It shows how committed or invested a candidate is in his or her personal and professional growth. This article will envisage different qualification systems one can see in candidates’ resumes, how they differentiate from each other and to what extent they matter.
College / University Degrees
College degrees and major certificates are probably the first hard fact seen in a candidate’s resume, as most candidates who possess such qualifications typically make sure to highlight this fact. A college degree gives recruiters a brief idea of what the candidate’s academic experience had been, as (although uncertainly not all Universities are the same) a degree in a certain subject will give new candidates a baseline of expertise in their chosen field. Although not a deciding factor of whether the candidate can succeed in the job he or she is applying for, college degrees play an important role in preparing these candidates with necessary skills and relevant experiences they need to thrive in a particular industry. Myanmar has its fair share of tertiary institutions including public and private universities, with the latter growing in popularity today especially for business degrees.
Licensure Examinations
Licensure examinations are imperative for certain careers especially those that involve a lot of risks and high stress volume; typically having a standard accrediting authority to issue such qualifications. These licensure examinations ensure that the candidates know well about their job and can make informed decisions when faced with sensitive situations. The Bar exam is an example of a licensure examination that layers need to pass before being admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction, with Myanmar and other countries having their own Bar Association. One also needs to be aware that the same licensure examination taken at a certain region or a certain country may not be accepted in another region. For example, standard accounting practices in Myanmar are different from those in other countries, so a license in accounting may not always imply employability at an overseas company without first attaining the proper licenses to operate in that new jurisdiction.
It is important to note that licensure examinations are not a direct substitute for college degrees and vice versa. Most of the time, college degrees are formally required for candidates to take the licensure examinations in some professional areas. For instance, we can use the CFA license (The Chartered Financial Analyst) as an example. CFA candidates need to hold a bachelor’s degree preferably in business administration, accounting, finance, or economics to be eligible to take CFA exams. On top of passing all three levels of the exam, the candidate needs to have at least four years of work experience within investment and decision making areas to finally obtain the CFA charter. Professional areas such as this involve a great amount of risk to the clients they serve, and obtaining licensure examinations through non-negotiable steps to meet is set up for the protection of clients everywhere.
Professional Certifications
Professional certificates, unlike licensure examinations, are usually optional and they are only sometimes required to support the candidates’ passion, interest, and experience in a professional area by particular job posts requiring elevated levels of competencies. They are rarely (but still sometimes) used as a mandatory gateway for a vocation. There are numerous certificates one can obtain for a given area or profession. For example, the CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Security+ are professional certificates that IT infrastructure support professionals and aspiring cyber security specialists usually take to fortify their professional status within these areas. But then again, not having these certifications is not a deal breaker while applying for roles in these fields, however it will signal a candidate’s investment and knowledge in a particular area if they have obtained such credentials.
In Myanmar, LCCI and ACCA are two of the most pursued professional accounting certificates while many other business professionals pursue certifications awarded by The Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to work within marketing, operations and finance industries.
Stackable credentials and Nanodegrees
Stackable credentialing is the seeking out of education for a specific job type or blend of skill-sets, and tailoring one’s educational endeavors to meet those needs by learning and obtaining qualifications in a more focused way. Nanodegress, on the other hand, are usually virtual obtained degrees focusing on several related courses within a particular career path. Both are practical vocational testimonials and some of them might even prove to be more relevant to the workplace than a formal college degree due to their concentration within professional job areas. Many college students, graduates, and working professionals are now turning to these online credentials to further their skills and knowledge in their fields; more so for software developers, computer scientists, and IT professionals than others because it is more convenient to learn coding online in this day and age due to the proliferation of offerings and the flexibility that online learning provides,
Stackable credentials and Nanodegrees are growing in popularity these days due to the massive pool of quality and affordable online courses offered by the world’s best colleges and hosted by highly streamlined online education platforms. A cursory search will turn up many reputable online courses in a wide variety of specialty areas, all ready to help you take the next step in your career.
College degrees matter! Or do they?
College degrees could be a prime indicator of how serious candidates are with their education, however are not the sole predictors of their career success. Many outstanding professionals do have a degree in one concentration but are thriving in another where that degree is only of tangential relevance, if at all. For example, it is true many successful business leaders do not have a business degree or an MBA and have done a lot of their learning on the street as opposed to in the classroom. Street smarts could be seen as just as valuable if not more valuable in the long run, given the rapid evolving nature of business today.
All quality teams are made up of a blend of experts with different layers of experience and expertise, oftentimes with the credentials to follow. Licensure examinations, as we discussed, are essential for candidates to be recruited in higher positions so if you’re looking to recruit for junior roles, not having taken these exams might not be a problem. However, if delegating more stressful or heavier tasks to junior team members, it is always advised to have them certified if at all possible. Finally, professional certificates, stackable credentials, and nanodegrees are all supplements to a career field and having them is definitely a plus in a candidate.
While you’re assessing an application, it’s always good to make sure that the candidate possesses some formal training in the field he or she is applying for but the fitness of a candidate in a role does not just boil down to one degree or certificate. There are many ways that one in their experience can become well-prepared and get the education they need to thrive in the role that they’re interviewing for. Video interviews, in-person interviews, personality tests, assessment centers, test projects, and probation periods are all some good ways to predict a candidate’s compatibility with the role, and when complimented by understanding a candidate’s qualifications in the hiring process via their CV will help a company make the right decision.