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Is a degree always necessary?

Claire

A while ago I was with a group of HR professionals and one lady who had 20+yrs experience in HR, 16 of which was in an Officer or above role, asked for some advice about getting a new role.

Pretty straightforward you would think, but although she had diverse experience in both tasks and industries she didn't have a degree and as a single parent just would never find the money to get one. She wanted to apply for a role with a public service but they asked for two entries, 1. a degree with CIPD membership and two years relevant experience or 2. a degree, working towards Chartered Status and 4 years experience - it doesn't state what type of degree.

Everyone had a different opinion as to the best way forward, but collectively we didn't think there was much she could do in challenging the criteria - so what does everyone else think?

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  • Good experience should always be good enough unless there's a professional body need for a qualification (finance / medicine are the ones that spring to mind).

    My degree is entirely unrelated to any of the careers I've held - does that make me inherently better or worse than another candidate?
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  • Good experience should always be good enough unless there's a professional body need for a qualification (finance / medicine are the ones that spring to mind).

    My degree is entirely unrelated to any of the careers I've held - does that make me inherently better or worse than another candidate?
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  • in reply to Meg
    Also difficult Meg, certainly I believe a degree whether from school or later in life can add value, but to generically ask for a non-specified degree, I would question the relevance and what does the the recruiter hope to achieve.

    I also agree that for some roles a degree shows training, which may be very relevant to the skills/knowledge required and perhaps in the Person Spec it will ask for a level of grade.