Experience Vs. Qualification - Essay Example

?Outline Introduction Explanation of the terms Relationship between Employers and s Role of s Employers’ Criteria Recommendations and Conclusion Topic: Experience V Qualification Introduction There is a common misconception that candidates with experience of the job have relatively more chances of getting the applied job to qualified candidates. The stake of taking a decision remains on the graduate job market on whether to prefer a recent graduate over an experienced one or not. The latest trend of recruiting recent graduates from the campus by top-notch organisations worldwide indicates their preference for the fresh graduates but reading from the experiences of job seekers, it comes to the notice prominently that they feel very disheartened for not getting selected to their dream jobs just because they do not have necessary experience of the work. This misconception is not correct that experience matters more than qualification. Qualified graduates need not dishearten in the absence of experience. Accredited qualification helps in offering plenty of job opportunities; it is true for all streams of study, for example taking the stream of Town Planning in which every year 2000 students get graduated from universities with an RTPI-accredited planning degree (Parkes, 2011). Graduates stand more chances of selection by using various recruitment channels rather than depending solely on traditional methods. Students can no more depend on campus recruitment alone. Lack of experience should not discourage graduates. Some of the suggestions for getting jobs are graduation include: 1. Networking these days has become critical for getting recruited, as only one in five jobs are advertised. In the planning job scenario, the young planners’ network group which held even a speed networking event in Birmingham, could be the best platform for meeting the like-minded audience, prospective employers and create links that help in off-campus recruitment. Such events can help in offering desired guidance to job seekers, particularly speaking to those who had been in your clothing before that (Parkes, 2011). 2. Graduate students need to maintain high level of awareness on current affairs and possess an insight of the policy decisions related to their subject taken by the government at various levels. It can provide an edge over others in the recruitment process. 3. Due to lack of experience, getting a job becomes additionally arduous task. Ideal way is to offer help to prove your calibre; it can realise in bigger gains. Initially, an employer could be unwilling to offer a permanent job but afterwards may find the services offered by the graduate indispensable to the organisation and could materialise in job offering; it has happened in many cases. 4. Lookout for the organisation that could offer you your dream job. Locate the person doing that dream job, and request their time to guide you on getting where they are today. Such people can offer better advice as they had been in similar position where a graduate finds himself. Chances of getting that dream job could brighten if your dream job is advertised and that guide recalls you to offer that opportunity. 5. Widen your knowledge circumference and work experience to be called for the waiting opportunity amid economic downturn and job competition. Your passion for the job to the prospective employers should be clearly visible while you are still amidst your study. Offer yourself to be a volunteer to charities and community organisations to lead their projects. The RTPl website can provide required assistance pertaining to recruitment agencies and guidance from those who have overseas experience, which can be worked out for getting a competitive edge (Parkes, 2011). Explanation of the Terms Qualification Before arguing in favour of qualification standing better prospects of job selection, a definition of qualification can help in comprehending how a qualifications framework in a given qualifications system can help graduates in selection. Werquin (2007) has analysed the ways of better learning through a given national qualifications system by researching on current policy responses to learning checklists and found the mechanism within the qualifications system that could change the outlook of stakeholders. National qualifications system and qualifications frameworks are two different things; all governments have a qualifications system as they award qualifications but not all possess a national qualifications framework. In other words, a qualification framework is a part of the qualifications system. In brief, it shows the gap and relates to current qualifications. Besides, it shows the relevance of new qualifications. A general tendency is noticed in various countries that only new qualifications are promoted if given in the framework. It has become an instrument of planning and transparency in smaller organizations attempting to outline the training requirements and competencies and to help in better managing the production process. Experience Work experience only matters when it is of the same line, the organisation is operating. Experience needs to be relevant to the specific job details. These days, the new style of advertising job details covers the job functions in entirety so that experienced job seekers could check whether their related job experience suits the portfolio or not. When talking about experience, it may or may not be mandatory to possess the graduate qualifications in a particular subject line; again it depends on the nature of job. If a job function is related to front-desk management, only experience could be sufficient for an employer to recruit a candidate even if the candidate does not hold a bachelor degree qualifications but in most of the jobs both the graduate degree and experience is must such as the a nurse has to be a graduate first and experience adds on the job opportunity. Saks and Ashforth (1999) discussed employment versus reemployment, in other words qualified versus experienced because there has been a lot of research on reemployment of dismissed employees (e.g., Caplan et al., 1989; Eden & Aviram, 1993; Kanfer & Hulin, 1985; Wanberg et al., 1996). There is ambiguity over the employment seeking process of experienced job seekers, whether it is similar or differs from fresh job seekers. This different is critical as it exists between qualified and experienced employees (Barber et al., 1994; Schwab et al., 1987). It can provide an insight on the differences between studies. For example, the critical outcomes stated for employment search self-potential and job search behaviours in the study provide opposing results to the null findings stated by Wanberg et al. (1996)). This might be explained with the argument that they were foretelling the reemployment of experienced employees while the given research stresses on the job prospects of fresh graduates. There is possibility that the predictor fixed for job for the experienced does not match with the job for recent graduates. A matching argument might also be made in relation to the age and experience of the job-seekers. As stated by Wanberg et al. (1996)), their outcomes might have surfaced from the use of the past and more experienced sample, whereas the study by Saks and Ashforth sampled comparatively young and inexperienced fresh graduates. Therefore, future research needs to focus on possible variations used in foretelling experienced versus qualified besides any variations that could be present among various groups of job-seekers. Woodfield (2011) analyses age factor and first employment of graduates from the UK universities to find if the experienced students are at a loss relatively to recent graduates in the UK universities. They have analysed a recent cohort (2006) of UK graduates, and researched on the past ignored connection between age and graduate employment. Much research on experienced students takes it for granted that their total experience becomes a catalyst of disadvantage in comparison to fresh graduates, as per the employability research. Here, experienced students are depicted to be carrying better job prospects in the graduate employment market through analysis of a vast range of variables and employment success parameters, used to develop a detailed set of outcomes that support past insight. Experienced graduates, irrespective of whether they studied part? or full?time, got paid work, graduate?level work, got an increased income more often. Leading intruding elements in their success include being a woman science graduate and carrying a history of past job with their post?degree employer. The comparative job success of experienced students could not, nonetheless, be stated just as an outcome of their previously remaining in pre?degree graduate?level employments (Woodfield, 2011). Let’s consider a scenario of UK college graduates who experienced unemployment because of weak job scenario and went back to pursue higher degrees but they found dismal job prospects even after completing the advanced degrees after a gap of some years (Zhao, 2010). The unemployment rate for 20- to 34-year-olds with postgraduate degrees, though quite below the normal 9.5% U.S. average, was 4.2% in June, as stated by the Labour Department. It was up from 3.9% last year and 2.9% in June 2007, before the downturn began (Zhao, 2010). Those students pursuing a postgraduate degree were not at an advantage, reason being they more often compete for jobs that need a postgraduate degree with those who carry more years of work experience. Quoting the example of Caitlin Johnson, 23 years in age, a 2009 graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in computer-science and engineering, could not land a job from the 10 positions from where she sought job (Zhao, 2010). Ms Johnson preferred to remain at MIT for her post-graduation in engineering. After finishing the first year of the advanced degree she expressed her inclination to find a job during summer to start working after the completion of second year but instead she preferred to stay in the graduate school to pursue a PH.D. as a more attractive option rather than bearing the pressure of tough job market. There could be many students like Ms Johnson because the percentage of post-graduate unemployed in the job market for 20-to-34-year-olds was 12% higher relatively to 2007. In contrast, the new graduate employment percentage increased for the first-time grad-schools to 4.5% in 2008 and 6% in 2009 throughout the country (Zhao, 2010). The differentiator or the catch here is the stream of study selected by a student; if a graduate holds a degree in finance or business, employment prospects are brighter relatively to any other degree. Just having a degree is not the only factor that determines job prospects, as stated by Liz Pulliam Weston, an author and personal-finance columnist, “You shouldn't just assume if you got a degree, you're one step ahead of anybody else” (Zhao, 2010). Yet higher education qualifications mean more possibility of increased pay packets. In 2008, 25- to 29-year-olds with post-grad degrees earned on an average $7,954 more relatively to graduates yearly, as stated by the Census Bureau. But the variation in salaries could shrink down as more qualified candidates accept less-paid jobs in a downturn-affected job market (Zhao, 2010). Somewhat similar experience is shared by Aneri Patel, 25, who held a graduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 with an undergraduate degree in international relations. She found a good job with a consulting firm, but preferred to go to the London School of Economics in 2008 to know more about climate change and get a competitive edge in the job market. She never thought how bad the job scenario would turn out while she was abroad in graduate school. She has been unable to get a job even with an advanced degree in hand (Zhao, 2010). “With international work experience, coupled with my internships at fairly respectable places and my master's, I thought I'd get immediate interviews,” she said. “It was tough”. The global market trend for qualified graduates seems to be promising, as remarked by Siemens Industry Inc., a unit of Germany's Siemens AG, that the company was expecting to recruit an increased number of qualified candidates with advanced degrees. Graduates may have better job prospects but they are double-mined to take any offered job or wait for their dream job (Zhao, 2010). Omar et al., (2009) has discussed the employability of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) graduates in the employment market from 2006-2008. The research indicates that possibility of getting employed differs from subject to subject with the dentistry and medical graduates getting an edge over other subjects. Off late, the KM graduates have succeeded into GLC’s, which is a good prospect. As per the New Sunday Times reporting, the Vice Chancellor of a Malaysian University expressed his uneasiness when it was revealed out that his university students stood less chances of getting employed than to other universities, which was morale-affecting. Perceiving the trend, graduate employability has become an issue of critical importance. The study undertaken by the Alumni Relations Office of the UKM analyses the employment possibilities of their graduates since 2006. The research provides insight on the employment opportunities of the first employment of graduates (Omar et al., 2009). Methodology The study included the graduates for the year 2006-2008 for potential graduates who were given a questionnaire framed by the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia to subit before their convocation. From April o August, potential graduates are busy either to search a job or for further studies. Many students have been unsuccessful for about five months in gaining employment. Respondents have been categorised into five (i) Satisfactory employed (ii) Advancing studies (iii) Opting a course (iv) Waiting for job placement and (v) jobless. As is visible from Table 1, there was positive improvement in graduate jobs since 2006. More than half had got positively satisfactory jobs by the time they appeared for the Convocation in the years 2007 and 2008. This was quite promising. The percentage for those who were still without jobs saw a lethargic decrease from 48.25% in 2006 to 31.32% in 2007 and a bit more to 27.70% in 2008. Those continuing their studies were generally carrying a good CGPA and their goal was to get employment in universities as teachers, as in Malaysia a PhD is required to be eligible for a teaching job in a university (Omar et al., 2009). In the 2007 sample for instance, graduates still in a job were 8.73% from the Faculty of Science and Technology (563graduates), 6.76% graduates from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (436 graduates) and 4.37% graduates from the Faculty of Economics and Management (282 graduates). Medical and Dentistry graduates job rate was the maximum with 88.8% and 97.4% respectively. The medical or dentistry graduates still without jobs till August 2007 were in the waiting to be employed. There was no doubt over their not getting employed. Relatively to engineering graduates, medical line graduates were still better positioned as only 59.6% of the engineering graduates could be roped in jobs by August. The comparative number of graduates from Allied Health Sciences was 59.8%. From the figures it can be said that job possibilities for graduates of various streams varied hugely. The dentistry graduates were comfortably roped in jobs. Their comparatively small supply guaranteed their employment (Omar et al., 2009). What is special about the graduates of UKM in relation to other Malaysian university graduates is that they are better positioned from employment perspective, which is because the university has initiated a programme in providing soft skills in Communication and English speaking areas besides writing skills. In the field of finding global employment, certain skills promoted by the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, as reported in Campus Asia, include: communication; teamwork; problem-solving; initiative and enterprise; planning and organising; self-management; learning; and technology. Universities have changed their focus over soft skills teaching to increase the employment opportunities. The government has also taken an initiative by introducing the Graduate Employability Management Scheme (GEMS) to position and gear them for the employment market. It shows the importance currently being given to providing additional training to graduates in soft skills so that they succeed in getting desired employment (Omar et al., 2009). Table 1 shows the status of the respondents from 2006 to 2008  ______________________________________________________________________ Status of Respondents 2006 2007 2008 Gainfully employed 1,968 3,507 3,663 (38.54%) (54.41%) (53.70%) Furthering studies 330 419 375 (6.46%) (6.50%) (5.50%) Taking a course 58 122 121 (1.14%) (1.89%) (1.80%) Waiting for job emplacement 286 379 774 (5.66%) (5.88%) (11.30%) Unemployed 2,463 2,019 1,892 (48.25%) (31.32%) (27.70%) ________________________________________________________________________ Total 5,105 6,446 6,825 ________________________________________________________________________ Relationship between Employers and Institutions Reaction over imparting of soft skills to the graduates among the ‘New’ and ‘Old’ universities is not similar over their involvement with the initiation of skills learning programmes to various extents. The ‘teaching-led’ universities are more focused on the provision of such skills to students, as outwardly stated by such university that: “It is a university’s job to prepare people for work… Government agendas are focusing universities towards this, and new universities have taken it on-board in a big way. So we do consider it part of our role to prepare students for work – not just in the Careers Service, but as academic staff too” (FSSC, 2006). On the contrary, the perspective of a pre-1992 Russell Group university spokesperson was that: “People are seeing a relationship between a university education and employment that is much tighter. My view is that university education is not about getting a job. However, we do need to be very clear about the relationship between the education we provide and employability” (FSSC, 2006). According to the Vice-Provost of a leading Russell Group university, their graduate-level courses are equipped with the needed four skill sets, which is the sign of “a certain brand of graduate-ness, which is the product of a research-led learning experience”. It is a hint that the best research-based universities are already providing basic work-related skills through the strength and hardship of their educational products (FSSC, 2006). Scenario related to recruitment and selection in various industry sectors is not similar, as we see in the FRBS sector, the interaction between employer and university is not as it should be. The FRBS sector is open to non-specialist graduates performing tasks as front office, not necessitating subject insight but basic skills such as confidence, analytical and critical skills are considered (FSSC, 2006). The student journey from graduate to becoming an employee demands adjustment on the part of graduates to the new role of employee. Qualifications alone are not sufficient for gaining employment, as remarked a financial services regulator that “Students are great in university – intelligent, articulate individuals, high achievers, but they can’t lift those skills and put them into the working environment.” Problem of non-adjustment to the new role of employee is not in London City as fresh graduates need support and soon express their discomfort by the management ways in their first job: “UK students find it hard to adapt… the shift from timetables, being told where to be, what to do, when to submit the work. At work it’s up to you to plan your time, manage your workload and set your own deadlines”. The same feelings were reciprocated by an asset management company when its attention was sought to graduate’s adjustment in the new job profile: “…they really struggle at the beginning and are not good at meeting deadlines. They don’t understand that our urgent is not their urgent.” This noticed difficulty in shifting of graduate skills to the job place is stressed in an ESECT paper, which clearly states: “the transferability of key skills is often too easily assumed” (FSSC, 2006). Role of Institutions In this regard, the role of Higher Education becomes critical in imparting soft skills to its graduates to help them in gaining employment. All stakeholders including government, the student council and prospective employers find the need of imparting needed skills to students before searching jobs but there is no unanimity over the status of work-related skills in HEI strategy and course framing (FSSC, 2006). The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has taken the funding initiative for the Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) to assist the HE sector to deal with employability problems by researching current trends, creating a knowledge bank, providing insight and creating student employability toolkits (FSSC, 2006). Employers’ Criteria Employers’ skill sets do not match with the job profile of employees. Research by Hobijn et al. (2011) discusses employers’ criteria in the context of two global economic downturns and recoveries leading to two types of unemployment. It is related to mismatch between the skills offered and the skills sought by the employers. Another mismatch is related to availability of less qualified job seekers in a given geographical location. On the contrary Pianalto (2010) states that fresh college graduates do not face lack of skills and job place limitations as they are highly educated and flexible (Pianalto, 2010). There is logic in the argument that job scenario for the fresh graduates relatively should be bright as the downturn is cyclical but a comparison of the latest downturn with the 2001 recession proves otherwise; the recent graduates are facing hard time as the job market is relatively weaker than in normal times. Although focus of the research is on reduced rate of unemployment but it succinctly finds no relationship between such structural factors as employers’ job criteria affecting recent college graduates job prospects. Sagen et al. (1999) have advocated a conceptual design to indicate that employers would prefer candidates from such sources that satisfy the qualifications criteria. They have employed a logistic-regression to study the responses of 1012 bachelor graduates soon after one month of their graduation. The findings of the survey back up the proposal that various job search tactics have varied effects subsequent to qualifications offered. Their research provided positive outcomes in all but one search tactic. The gist of the research points to interaction effects, selecting or not selecting graduates with particular traits as relevant specialisation and higher ability. Straight contact with employers and timely beginning of job search materialised in earlier bachelor level jobs. Earlier in 1990 Spokane and Hawks (1990) stated the same while researching on changeover to job after graduation. It was “perhaps the most understudied area in contemporary career development” (p. 111). Principles related to job search can be applied to only a selected field, as having wider implications for job search. The job search techniques employed by graduates are preferably informal techniques (network and contacts) rather than formal ones such as placements and advertisements. A number of researches have substantiated the fact that informal techniques help graduates in getting their first job while various other studies have supported the formal techniques for young graduates to be more effective (Young, 1974) and for employment after completing advanced degrees. These various outcomes related with different job search techniques point out towards the possibility of varied outcomes on other applicant traits such as interaction effects but research (Sagen et al., 1999). Experience of a nursing graduate student, Saffron Brown, is worth sharing on possibility of getting a job after completing her BSc (Hons) in nursing (child) from Northumbria University. Her lack of experience presented hardships for community positions offering job with a condition for graduate nurses to preferably have a minimum of 6-12 months experience (Brown, 2010). Although being a preceptor, a newly qualified nurse has the eligibility and skills to perform in a difficult situation but not giving any consideration to the preceptor role, a percentage of clinical practice done in the community, this field is mostly not filled by those searching their first job. When the care facility is nearer to home, preference needs to be given to those who have become adapt in those skills and strengthened their knowledge base in that particular area (Brown, 2010). Brown (2010) states that the university needs to play a constructive role in providing training to the newly qualified nurses for becoming eligible in all nursing jobs available in the job market. Brown suggests that employers in the neighbourhood should offer an all-inclusive preceptor ship programme to help graduates through the changing time from recent graduation to experienced employees. The discussion on newly qualified nurses working directly into the neighbourhood has to Take place in the cadre of children's nursing for the welfare of patients and the professional growth of nurses (Brown, 2010). Recommendation & Conclusion Although nothing can be stated decisively about the job market recruitment and selection process favouring qualified graduates or the experienced as employers do not want to spend their resources in providing training before job to newly recruited graduates. It is noticeable that stakeholder governments and universities are tuning the policies and courses to the job market needs. New qualifications are being included in the national qualifications framework, which will promote transparency by outlining relevant competencies in job requirements advertised by the small employers. Any prediction and analysis of young and experienced candidates needs to be based on current crop of graduates and experienced candidates. Some times conditions stipulated for the advertised job match more to experienced than to recent graduates. Age sometimes play a critical part in decision making by the employer as job might require an experienced person, not a recent graduate. This needs to be understood in the right perspective. Sometimes, job requirements could affect recent bachelors’ job prospects from such intruding elements as the condition of only a female candidate or a candidate with a past record and a higher degree. Job needs might be various, not to be fulfilled by recent graduates. If the economic conditions are not good enough to create new jobs, as the two depressions worldwide created, graduates cannot present their job rejections as genuine. In such a case scenario even experienced employees are shown the pink slip and new recruitments by most of the companies are put on hold until the economy comes back to its normal condition. The case of Caitlin Johnson is evidence that stakes are not always between recent qualified graduates and experienced ones as even a postgraduate degree might not serve the purpose because such students are in competition with experienced ones although they should be in competition to degree holders only. Keeping in view the above analysis of the given job market, qualified graduates belonging to any subject need not feel discouraged as universities are forthcoming in providing relevant training in soft skills so that graduates are better prepared in their new job handling. Graduates also need not depend solely on traditional sources of job recruitment but use networking in a big way. There is need to play a construction role at the policy level by the governments to align the courses’ direction with the job needs as it is happening through vocational courses. Qualifications need to be accredited to help students recruited by prestigious organisations through campus recruitment. References FSSC, 2006. Graduate skills and recruitment in the city. Financial Services Skills Council. Available from: http://www.rln-london.com/pdf/bc_rs_graduateskills_0610_fr.pdf Hobijn, B., Gardiner, C., & Wiles, T., 21 March 2011. Recent college graduates and the job market. FRBSF Economic Letter. Available from: http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/ Omar, Ramli, Khoon, Koh Aik, Hamzah, Fauzi, Mohd., Ahmadan, Rohayu, Siti., 2009. 2006-2008 Studies on the employability of UKM graduates. College Student Journal, 43 (4). Academic Search Complete. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com Parkes, K., 29 March 2011. About to graduate? Here are five ways to boost your prospects. Planning, 1905, 36. Available from: http://search.proquest.com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/docview/863409153?accountid=8500 Pianalto, S., 2010. The recovery and monetary policy: FRB Cleveland president’s speech delivered December 2 in Oberlin, OH. Available from: http://www.clevelandfed.org/For_the_Public/News_and_Media/Speeches/2010/Pianalto_20101202.cfm Saffron, B., November 2010. Little support for graduates in today’s job market. Paediatric Nursing, 22 (9). Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com Saks, Alan M.., Ashforth, Blake E., 1999. Effects of individual differences and job search behaviours on the employment status of recent university graduates. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 54, 335–349. Available from: http://pdn.sciencedirect.com Sagen, H.B., Dallam, J.W., Laverty, J.R., 1999. Job search techniques as employment channels: differential effects on the initial employment success of college graduates. The Career Development Quarterly, 48. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com Spokane, H.R. & Hawks, B.K. , 1990. Annual review: practice and research in career counseling and development, 1989. The Career Development Quarterly, 39. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com Werquin, Patrick., 2007. 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