Posted on 11/17/2010 12:29:13 PM PST by WebFocus
Forget the interview and the personal statement. The most important part of your application to grad school or any job is the part where it lists your alma mater.
This is a truth that most employers won't admit. Dozens of recruiters whom we contacted declined to comment or repeated claims that they consider candidates from all schools. But a few recruiters said what they really think.
"Close to half of our class in any given year is from Stanford and the California Schools," said Dr. Charles Prober, a senior associate dean of Stanford Medical School.
Stanford recruiters know that Stanford undergraduates will adjust easily to the rigorous graduate coursework. As for the University of California schools, Stanford is in close contact with their faculty members and know the difficulty of their coursework.
Although they accept candidates from a wide variety of schools, Prober said they always have graduates from programs like Harvard, MIT, and Yale. Again, the rigor of coursework at these schools is well known and a 4.0 GPA at MIT means more than a 4.0 GPA at a school where perhaps the coursework isn't known to be as difficult.
At the very least, a great alma mater will get you in the door, said Founder of Seattle Interview Coach, Lewis Lin. "Where one went to school may help them get an interview. However, at the interview, how well one performs determines whether or not they get the job offer," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Remember this those of you with kids nearing college age...
This must be new. I know of no recruiters that even care about college. They want resumes of accomplishments.
The scam continues. Harvard B-School is known for its easy ride to an MBA.
I’ve found that my undergraduate and graduate degrees from decent but not Yale-grade schools hasn’t gotten me as far as I’d like.
Did I miss something? The only person quoted was from Stanford Med School? What’s that got to do with employment?
Name means everything. I’ve been harping on this but for different reasons. You tell an employer that you have a degree from an online mill, you’ll likely not get the job over the guy/girl who graduated from a well-known State college, regardless of quality of qualifications.
Can you get the same quality education from a community college? Sure! But going to an actual university opens personal and long-lasting relationships with the school, the name, and the people you learned with. Think of it as a fraternity or sorority: name recognition and a way to say, “I’ve been there, had an amazing time, learned my heart out, and now I’m asking for you to hire me.”
Not saying it’s fair or right, but that’s been my experience.
I have to respectfully disagree.
It’s not the name of the college on ones resume that will get one hired, but rather who one KNOWS and who one BLOWS.
RE: Harvard B-School is known for its easy ride to an MBA.
George W. Bush would be devastated to know that :)
RE: but rather who one KNOWS and who one BLOWS.
I know a few pretty women who got to the top doing the latter :)
No, the secret to HBS is that they get their pick of students and it’s the quality of the student, not the rigor of the program, that matters.
The start of talking about recruiters, but then cite an admissions guy for a graduate school.
Surprise, surprise, he looks for brand name.
Is this supoposed to mean something for a job hunter?
If so, why not site an actual corporate recuiter?
If the well known state college also has a good football program, that probably helps even more. :)
That very much depends on the industry you are in and the level of the hire. Credentials matter most in early to mid-career and in key areas of finance and consulting.
And this article comes out just as a new crop of students and parents are preparing college apps and wondering how in the devil they’ll pay for it during this economic downturn.
It appears to me this article is only about getting into Stanford Medical School, not getting jobs.
Florida State University Alum here... you couldn’t be more right!
I think they were talking about 'New College Graduates'.
And regarding businesses, he's correct. Most companies, have limited bandwidth in their recruiting and they will target a handful of Universities (typically less than a dozen ... perhaps huge companies like IBM and ATT will target more) to recruit. Its a shame, but that's the way it works... And yes, it does keep some entrenched lefty schools in business, and allows them to charge exorbitant tuition.
Regarding experienced employees (>4 years) - you are correct, the recruiter/hiring manager is going to care about what the person has accomplished - not what school he/she attended.
But with respect to getting that first job - yes, the College you attend matters.
I know a few pretty women who got to the top doing the latter :)
me too...
Not true in general. Studies have looked at those who got into Ivy League schools and compared those who accepted versus those who went elsewhere.
No difference.
This must be new. I know of no recruiters that even care about college. They want resumes of accomplishments.
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I recruited IT folks for an 8 billion dollar company. Not only did I not care where they graduated from, I also didn’t care what their undergrad degree was in.
Do you have demonstrated skills in the area I need a particular skillset? If no and you went to Harvard, you were SOL. If yes and you went to Appalachian State, you were in the running.
I also note that the only person quoted in the snippet was the Dean of a medical school. I’m not convinced how much of a crossover this has into private industury.
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