- Caitlin Wehniainen has helped place top talent on high-visibility teams at Fortune 1000 companies.
- She said experience, accomplishments, ability to learn, and growth matter more than college names.
- Wehniainen looks for these attributes in various ways on a candidate’s résumé.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Caitlin Wehniainen, a staffing and recruitment expert and director of business development at On Cue Hire, based in Boca Raton, Florida. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve been a recruiter placing candidates in corporate roles in IT, HR, finance, marketing, and other fields. I even started my own staffing and talent firm, On Cue Hire. In my years of recruiting, I’ve found that the name of the college or school someone attended is rarely a deciding factor when assessing their fit for a position.
In fact, it’s rare that I pay attention to a college or school name when evaluating an individual’s credentials and ability to perform in any given role. Unless the position I’m hiring for is incredibly niche, most hiring leaders like me care far more about other assets.
Hands-on work experience, accomplishments, aptitude for learning, and growth mean more to me than the name of the college or university a job candidate attended. Here’s how I look for those things.
Degree levels and types vary depending on the position
When I’m looking at marketing roles and sales positions, I tend to see many people with marketing and communications-related degrees.
For IT roles, I generally see master’s degrees in information systems and computer science. But really, I see a lot of people without degrees building phenomenal careers in skilled trades like technology.
Many of these applicants have developed their skill set from prior jobs or learning at home, where they download the software and teach themselves, tinkering with things as they go.
The more experience a candidate has, the less their degree matters to me
Once an individual has 5 years of experience, the degree becomes less relevant. At that point, the company they worked for matters more.
When hiring, I ask about the prior company. What did you do within that company? What value and contributions did you bring? Answers to these questions become much more important to me than what an applicant studied in school.
Promotions within the same company are a good sign to recruiters
On résumés, I look for visible promotions within the company or organization the candidate worked for. I want candidates who are fundamental contributors within their company.
Often, I’ll see someone who has been at the same company for three years and has job titles that go up the ladder. I see that and go, “OK,” this company is recognizing this person’s talent and is giving them greater responsibility.
All this shows the candidate is highly capable and high performing in their job. They’re probably a great professional because they’re earning promotions.
Candidates should show recruiters they care about their craft
It’s always great to see when someone is continuing their education in their field through furthering their degrees with a master’s, Ph.D., etc. This shows they’re passionate about their career and care about their craft. They want to learn more about what they’re doing.
Certifications also add value to an applicant’s candidacy for a role. I like to see applicants reach their long-term goals. For example, I value a candidate for a marketing role who has spent time earning an SEO certification. This means they spend personal time outside work, becoming a stronger professional in their field.
There are only a few instances where school name matters
There can be hundreds of applicants for just one role because LinkedIn and other job boards have one-click application systems. What makes a candidate stand out online is having a phenomenal LinkedIn with professional recommendations from previous hiring leaders or details about any other great project that they’ve accomplished.
I’ve worked with Fortune 1000 companies, placing top talent on high-visibility teams. Unless I’m searching for a high-level IT or software architecture role that might prioritize candidates from elite technical institutions like MIT, the school name doesn’t typically matter.
If you’re a talent recruiter with advice and tips you’d like to share, please email this editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.
