Decreased Credential Relevance in the Remote World
For years, being a competitive and valuable employee meant possessing advanced degrees and certifications. In the modern workplace, however, businesses are no longer placing a heavy emphasis on credentials. Why? Success in today’s world is contingent upon innovation, creativity and strong soft skills.
Just look at Bill Gates. Now a household name, Gates majored in pre-law at Harvard, invested a bulk of his time solving complex mathematical equations and discovered his true passion while simply playing around in his school’s computer lab. After two years, he decided to leave Harvard with no degree and no credentials. Yet, he founded Microsoft and achieved unparalleled levels of greatness.
While some industries, like the medical, legal and educational fields, will always require some typing of licensing or degree, for many businesses, the need is no longer as prevalent as it once was.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced employers to adopt remote working environments, credential relevance has decreased even further. Gone are the days where companies are requiring four-year degrees in order to work in their companies.
Higher Education Doesn’t Always Equate to Success
In addition to Bill Gates, there are a slew of renowned and successful people who never completed college educations. Employers are now realizing that a worker’s soft skills are the key to company growth and profitability – not simply having a degree. Leading corporations like Apple, Netflix and Google were the first to spearhead this emerging trend, removing credential requirements from many of their open positions.
When the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced, it forced many businesses into remote landscapes to protect the safety of both their customers and employees. With the transition came a myriad of unprecedented challenges for businesses, who had to restructure processes, procedures and workflow in order to keep operations going.
The shift to remote environments not only showed organizations that productivity and success can happen even without staff being physically present in the office, but it also demonstrated that credentials are no longer a pivotal deciding factor when hiring someone.
What Decreased Credential Relevance Means For Employers
For those who just graduated high school or a two-year school, the pandemic served as a major disruptor in their ability to obtain solid work experience. Businesses who have loosened their focus on credentials have been able to tap into an entirely new pool of candidates across the globe who bring fresh perspectives, strong skills and the innovation needed to take companies to new heights.
This Has Been A Trend Pre-Pandemic
Even prior to the pandemic, businesses were being criticized for relying too heavily on higher education to train their workforce. And it was due to this reliance on credentials that created what seemed like a shortage of talent. Many employers began shifting their strategy, focusing on skills, potential and strong training programs to bring in new staff members.
Now that many workers are operating in a remote capacity, companies not only have a wider spectrum of potential candidates to delve into, but they can focus their efforts on uncovering workers who have strong leadership, creative thinking and problem solving qualities – skills that have proven to be a greater asset to businesses than a piece of paper showcasing a degree.
In a similar vein, many companies, including Amazon and Google, are offering workers the ability to further their professional development, obtain a higher education and gain new certifications – all while remaining in their current positions. It’s a win-win for all parties involved, and the decreased credential relevance in the remote world seems to be a trend that will continue to increase over time.
Looking to expand your remote workforce? Concannon is helping businesses bridge the gap between where they currently stand and obtaining their goals. Contact us today to learn more about our remote mobile training platform.
