Experts discuss hiring trend of putting less emphasis on college degrees, one suggests White men could benefit

Business leaders, college professors and HR consultants are debating a new trend in hiring, as some experts predict that college credentials will become less important in 2023.

Gartner "Future of Work" expert Emily Rose McRae told Fox News Digital that in the face of a recession, having a college degree should be less important for companies than hiring competent employees. 

"We’re not saying that the degree isn’t important or that it doesn’t have value," McRae said, but added that people without college degrees have been "falsely kept out of the workforce because it was this assumption of a lack of skill." 

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"Organizations are artificially limiting their talent pool," McRae added, calling directly on companies to "stop using credentials as a proxy for ability." 

"Just ask for what you actually need," McRae told employers. 

She also recommended that companies should be straightforward with applicants and stop "Christmas-treeing" job descriptions with "everything that someone might possibly need to do." 

Instead, most work falls into two categories and should be treated accordingly, McRae explained. 

There’s work that employers "need [someone] to be able to do" and there’s work that employers "need someone to be able to learn." 

Overall, McRae said that she was hopeful that less emphasis on college degrees will be "the beginning of a wave of doors opening up" for students who could not afford or did not have the ability to attend college. 

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She also said that there was another group that may benefit from less emphasis on college degrees: white men.  

"Actually, one of the biggest groups of people who don't have college degrees is white men." 

As a diversity strategy, it benefits employers to focus less on college degrees and bring in people with "different backgrounds and different life experiences which is extremely valuable," she said. 

"It’s not inherently a diversity play, but it can be," McRae added.

But not all experts agree that the trend away from college degrees was a good thing. 

HR tech company founder Amy Spurling told Fox Digital that job seekers should continue to include their college credentials on their applications. 

"Sure, some companies don't focus on which school you went to or if you went to school at all," Spurling said. "But in this highly competitive labor market, you need to use everything you can to stand out against other candidates. Leaving college off your resume will definitely not help you, and including it never hurts."

Spurling acknowledged that many employers were anxious about the economy this year, with "finance teams tightening budgets in preparation for a recession." 

But she emphasized that businesses would approach the recession differently than they did in 2008. 

"2023 requires a completely different playbook than 2008; we can't just cut, cut, cut. We still need to hire people, we still need to retain people, and we need to navigate this labor shortage with finesse."

She also reminded job seekers that they should try and stick out however they can. 

"Whatever you can do to shine, even if it's as simple as including your college on your resume, matters."

And sometimes, including an alma mater on a resume might even open the door for a job offer, Spurling said. 

"Maybe you went to 'School ABC' and so did the hiring manager, which gives you common ground or an opening to start a dialogue."

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Dr. Wendy Patrick, a lecturer at San Diego Stat University's Fowler College of Business, said she was often asked about the job prospects of people who don’t attend college.

"People who apply for jobs without having chosen to attend college first should be prepared to explain how they spent their time. To some employers, real-life work experience, including both technical and managerial skills are more valuable than a degree in a subject area in which they have no work experience."  

Dr. Patrick added that "many young college graduates are not able to produce both a rich resume of job experience and a degree simply because there might not have been time to do both." 

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Finance executive Andrew Lokenauth told Fox News Digital that hiring employees without degrees leads to "a more diverse workforce" and can provide opportunities to people who have been overlooked in the traditional hiring process.

But he also emphasized that job seekers were in a difficult position. 

"On one hand, it may help increase their chances of getting a job if the company has a policy of considering non-degree holders. On the other hand, leaving college off a resume could also be seen as deceitful, and could potentially harm their chances of getting the job if their lack of a degree is discovered later on."

As a general rule, Lokenauth advised job applicants "to be honest about their education and qualifications on their resumes" and highlight their experience as best as they can. 

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Fox News' Kelsey Koberg contributed to this report.