Print   RSS

Is Your Small Business Only Hiring College Grads?

Heather Legg

June 13, 2014

As a small business owner, you've got big decisions every day to make.

Some of those will inevitably center on hiring the best candidate for you and your business.

One big thing to consider when hiring is a college degree. Is it a must for you or can you take on someone without a degree?

How important is a college degree in 2014? Is it a deal breaker?

Let's take a look at some intricacies and considerations of hiring someone with and without a college degree:

Hiring only those with college degrees

• You may want to only hire those candidates with college degrees to work for you. They've been specifically trained for a certain field and you won't have to take the time to train them yourself. They may even come in knowing more than you and be able to offer some new insight and current trends in your field.

• If you are looking for longevity and movement within your company from your employees, a college degree can show the commitment it takes to stick with you as well as the capability to learn.

• Often going without a degree is okay to start with, but it may cause problems later down the road when looking to move up. You may realize another employee has more to offer than the one without the degree. If you start off by hiring only those with degrees, you don't put yourself (or your employees) in that position.

• College also teaches a lot more than a specific field. Those with college degrees are often more confident, handle themselves with more professionalism and have been educated on business etiquette, communication skills and other related skills.

Hiring those without a degree

Though some say the only people to hire are those with college degrees, others make the argument it really doesn't always matter.

Depending on your small business, you may find very capable and talented people without a degree. There are also some benefits to this side as well.

• You are going to spend some time training your new hires regardless; those without a degree may be more amenable to learning your ways as opposed to sticking with what they learned in college.

• You can usually pay someone without a degree a bit less than those with degrees. Sure, you want to pay fairly, but those with degrees usually do expect more money.

• They may be more willing to take on different jobs within your company and have a more flexible attitude.

The decision to hire those with or without a degree is yours to make.

A college degree is always a selling point, but don't overlook those without.

Their circumstances may have prevented a college education, but that doesn't always mean they aren't capable of an excellent work ethic and strong skills.

 Feedback   Submit Article