course material

1. (Mt) – Read 3-4 page article(easy) and answer questions.
What Does a Yale Degree Mean to Employers? College admissions scandal raises questions
about the value of graduating from a top-tier school By Dana WilkieMarch 18, 2019 The
college admissions bribery scheme that recently rocked the nation demonstrates just how
important some parents think it is for their children to attend a prestigious school. Do
employers, recruiters and education experts think the same? Some do. Some don’t. 1
“Studies of senior managers and hiring managers [show] that graduation from an elite
institution plays a significant role in the hiring process,” said Lynn Pasquerella, president of
the Association of American Colleges and Universities. But, she added, “there is an
unfounded assumption that [graduating from a top school] will translate into stellar
performance in the workplace.” The scandal includes Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and Wake
Forest universities and the University of Southern California, with some parents spending
hundreds of thousands of dollars to guarantee their children’s admittance to the schools. By
comparison, the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a private, four-year college is
$29,478, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education
Statistics. Foot in the Door Most people interviewed for this article agreed that graduating
from a prestigious university certainly helps young adults land that first job, and typically a
well-paying one. When a recruiter or hiring manager sees “Yale” on an applicant’s resume,
that imparts instant credibility, said Brian Scala, a recruiter at McFarlane Aviation Products
in Baldwin City, Kansas. “The difficulty in entering schools with restricted admissions
speaks volumes to the dedication of the student at the time of entry,” said Scala, who was
once a recruiter in higher education. “Course requirements can be significantly more
daunting, especially at schools of research, which leads me to believe that a strong focus is
required to complete courses.” Nicole Belyna, SHRM-SCP, a member of the Society for
Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) Talent Acquisition Special Expertise Panel, says
that a candidate from a big-name college could initially pique a company’s interest, though
she notes that, in today’s work world, that interest may not be as strong as it has been in the
past. “The initial impression is that the person has completed a challenging and rigorous
program, so [he or she is presumed to be] highly intelligent and ambitious,” said Belyna,
who is president of the Washington, D.C., SHRM chapter. “For some companies, it is
important that their recruiting strategy still include targeting prestigious schools such as
Harvard or Yale. That said, many companies are acknowledging that top talent can also
come from competitive state colleges and universities.” Today’s companies, she noted, are
also “savvy enough to know that they need to look at the bigger picture and see all that the

2. candidate brings—relevant work experience, military service and education. I am always
interested in hearing … how did they come to attend the school? Was it scholarship-based?
Sports? Legacy? Are they the first in their family to graduate from college or attend a
prestigious school?” While a degree from an eminent college is admirable, “it’s becoming
more and more common for employers to see value in a well-experienced candidate, which
doesn’t always require an elite college education or any college education at all,” said
Amelia Green-Vamos, a trends analyst with 2 Glassdoor, an online provider of company
ratings and salaries. “More and more, recruiters at companies like Google, Apple, Bank of
America and more are filling roles where meaningful experience translates to the equivalent
of a university degree.” The Big Picture What about down the road, after workers from a
reputable college have been with a company for a while? Do they tend to be stars? Climb the
career ladder more quickly than others? Earn more money than colleagues who attended
lesser-known schools? “Usually, they are driven to succeed,” said David S. Twitchell, SHRM-
SCP, who is vice president for human resources at Catholic Charities New Hampshire in
Manchester, N.H., and also a Special Expertise Panel member. “I have only seen a few [cases]
where the education did not match the drive for the job, but that was mostly a rare event
and probably in my lengthy career, once or twice is all I have seen [that happen]. Typically,
they come from a long line of successful families, and it kind of follows that they themselves
will be, too.” But that doesn’t mean employees from schools with less cachet can’t compete
with colleagues from better-known institutions, Scala said. “In my experience, employees
from Ivy League schools fare about the same in most areas as their colleagues from non-
prestigious schools,” Scala said. “Today, HR uses performance metrics to a much greater
extent than they did 25 years ago. This provides data on employees that is unbiased— and
managers have a more difficult time justifying advancement solely based on expectations of
performance from Ivy Leaguers. The fact that HR and hiring managers have grown to trust
performance metrics—that levels the playing field.” Fringe Benefits There is an extra
benefit that comes with a degree from a prestigious college, one that not only helps the
graduate of a top-tier school get his foot in the door but that can also help him land better-
paying jobs in the future. That benefit is powerful alumni networks. Such connections
smooth the career road for many of these graduates. Moreover, Pasquerella said, hiring
managers who themselves have graduated from a top-ranked school tend to be comfortable
hiring those who have done the same. “There are hidden biases that lead companies to miss
out on a lot of talented, hard-working individuals,” she said. 3 The median annual earnings
for an Ivy League graduate 10 years after starting a career amount to well over $70,000, The
Washington Post reported in 2015. For graduates of all other schools, the median is around
$34,000. For those graduating near the top of their class, the disparity is even greater,
reported. The top 10 percent of Ivy League grads are earning $200,000 or more 10 years
after leaving college. The top graduates of other schools, on the other hand, are making just
under $70,000. Beware Retention For employers, there’s a significant downside to hiring
graduates from top-notch schools, said Steven J. Lindner, Ph.D., who is an executive partner
for Florham Park, N.J.-based The WorkPlace Group and a Special Expertise Panel member.
“Those from Ivy League and more prestigious universities were significantly more likely to
leave,” he said. “In the first years post-graduation, these students tend to have more job

3. opportunities available to them than those from lesser-known institutions. Recruiters tend
to seek them out.” Lindner has 20 years of experience in HR, recruiting thousands of
graduates from hundreds of universities. “Smart, talented people come from everywhere,”
he said. “Recruiters, hiring managers and employers should stay focused on the candidate
characteristics … and avoid the biases associated with a person’s alma mater.” 4
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1) Currently what are some of the elements of elite education that
impact its value to the job seeker after graduation? 2) Please discuss at least four ways in
which education from a regular state college carries value in the recruiting process. 3) What
does this article describe about career differences (outcomes) 5 to 10 years after graduating
from top universities or lesser known institutions? 5 How to Evaluate Resume Employment
Gaps By Roy MaurerJuly 29, 2019 Many recruiters consider significant employment gaps on
a job candidate’s resume to be a bad sign. While a consistent work history is associated with
reliability and trustworthiness, periods of unemployment carry a negative stigma. “Those
with gaps in their work history run the risk of being seen as lazy or unfocused with their
careers, and not as an in-demand asset in the eyes of potential employers,” said Peter Yang,
the CEO and co-founder of ResumeGo, a resume-writing service in New York City. But
passing on potentially qualified candidates without giving them a chance to explain could be
a mistake for recruiters. 1 “Making assumptions without first asking questions and
gathering information could lead to bad hiring decisions,” said Laura Mazzullo, owner of
East Side Staffing, a New York City-based recruitment firm focused on HR roles. “Do we
know for sure that this person is disloyal? Do we know for sure that this person is unable to
hold a job for long? No, we don’t.” Considering all candidates is a business imperative, said
Grant Clough, director of talent acquisition at AARP. “Given that unemployment is down to 3
percent in Washington, D.C., it’s necessary for recruiters and hiring managers to be willing
to look at people who haven’t had the smoothest progression in their work experience.” Stu
Coleman, partner and senior managing director at WinterWyman, a Boston-based talent
acquisition firm, agreed. The recruiter’s job, he said, is to identify and present the best
possible candidates. “In any market, I think the practice of assuming there’s something
wrong with candidates without really clean resumes is dubious, but in this candidate-
starved market, you have to talk to everybody,” he said. ResumeGo conducted a field
experiment earlier this year to learn more about how employers react to employment gaps
and their impact on an applicant’s interview chances. The company applied to more than
36,500 job openings across popular job boards using fictitious applicants. The key findings:
Applicants with work gaps had a 45 percent lower chance of receiving job interviews than
those without. Interviews significantly decreased for applicants with work gaps of three or
more years. The largest reduction in interviews was found for applicants with two-year and
three-year work gaps (a decrease from 9.8 percent to 4.6 percent). Applicants who gave a
reason for their employment gap received close to 60 percent more interviews than those
who did not. “Among applicants who provided a reason for their work gap, those who said
they received additional training or education ended up with the highest callback rate,”
Yang said. 2 [SHRM members-only toolkit: Screening and Evaluating Candidates] Check
Your Bias The assumption that job seekers with holes in their resumes are unstable and will
be hard to retain is one of the most enduring hiring biases. “That bias definitely exists,”

4. Mazzullo said. But it’s not necessarily driven by recruiters. “Historically, hiring managers
have felt more comfortable if someone stayed in a job, because it showed loyalty and trust,”
she said. “If I send resumes that show long tenure at a job, I get a lot of positive feedback
from hiring managers. If I send a resume with gaps, I will generally receive lots of questions.
We need to get managers to the point where they are at least curious about exploring the
gaps and not shutting people with gaps down completely.” Generally, the first thing
recruiters think when seeing a gap in employment history is “what the heck were they
doing?” Coleman said. “And some candidates, for whatever reason, have trouble keeping
employment, but for the majority, there’s generally a really good reason, like a medical
issue. When you speak with them, you find that out, but you’ve got to get past the personal
bias to even ask the question.” 3 Coleman said he asks recruiters to ask themselves while
screening resumes whether they can see the person doing the job based solely on their
skills and experience. If so, then get the candidate on the phone and have a conversation,
regardless of any employment gaps. While gaps may be red flags and should be questioned,
he said, giving candidates a chance to explain will demonstrate if your concerns are
justified. Have a Conversation Clough said that recruiters need to approach employment
gaps on a case-by-case basis. “An employment gap from five years ago is irrelevant,” he said.
“However, if someone is currently in a multiyear gap, I think it’s reasonable to ask about it.”
But recruiters should ask with care, not judgment. “You can’t just ask, ‘What were you doing
for three years?’ ” Mazzullo said. “When you’re asking a candidate to walk through their
background, lead them by asking about their reasons for leaving a job and what prompted
them to take the next position, and listen for their motivators.” She added that recruiters
should listen for whether the decision to leave a job was based on internal motivators, such
as seeking career development, or external factors, like a bad employer. Blaming the
organization, managers or co-workers could indicate a problematic work ethic, especially if
the same excuse is used repeatedly. Mazzullo advised letting the conversation unfold,
gathering the relevant data about work history and then sharing that information in an
unbiased way. “Recruiters have enormous power,” she said. “When presenting candidates, a
straightforward explanation, such as ‘the person was out of work for 18 months caring for
an elderly parent’ is all that is needed— nothing more, either in defense of the person or
against the person. We’re often in salesand-influence mode, when sometimes we should be
in gather-and-share mode.” Asking candidates about employment gaps must also be done
carefully to avoid a hiringdiscrimination lawsuit. In response to probing questions,
candidates might bring up their criminal history, health and family issues, veteran status,
mental illness, disabilities or age. “If someone says, ‘I took a year off to have a baby,’ what do
you do with that information?” Clough asked. “You want to try to avoid gathering
information that may insert bias when it’s not relevant to the job.” 4 Article Questions 1)
Please discuss at least three kinds of assumptions that recruiters make, when they see an
applicant has gaps in their employment. 2) Why is it important that today’s recruiters
should be more accommodating in their biases toward employment gaps? 3) Give at least
three things that a job seeker with employment gaps can do to help overcome any bias in
the hiring process. 5