Do Recruiters Care About Where You Went To College?

Do you need to have gone to an Ivy League college to attract the attention of a recruiter? Do recruiters care where you went to college or is your resume more important.

Not so simple a question when it comes down to it. Some recruiters might only want to work with people who went to a good college, but then what does that exactly mean?

Who determines what a good college is? And will all recruiters have the same definition of what a good college is.

We already have covered wheather or not employers care where you went to college. Now let us look at recrutiers.

Let’s not jump ahead too far. First, let’s look at the question in a few different parts. Some people might have an issue with the college you went to, others might not. And there are multiple reasons for this. Let’s work through it step by step.

Are You A Recent Graduate?

The first thing to look at is how recent your college experience was. Are you someone who is a recent college graduate or have you been out of college for a long time.

The most common reason for a recruiter to care about where you went to college is if you are a new graduate. Where you went to college is something that recrutiers look for if you are a recent graduate.

When you only have a few internships and part time jobs on your resume, the college you went to becomes a much more important part of the recruiting process.

Recruiters want to have some sort of assurance that they are working with someone who has a professional attitude and is able to perform a job in the workplace.

The truth is that most colleges do not prepare students for the corporate world. The more impressive the college, the more likely it is that the recruiter will take the application seriously.

As a recent graduate, without an impressive college on your resume, you will struggle to get a recruiter’s attention.

The average recruiter does care where a recent graduate went to college. If you went to an ivy league college, or another college that has national recognition, then the recruiter will feel more comfortable dealing with you.

That said, there are some situations where it does not matter where you went to college. If you are working in non-professional fields, then it doesn’t matter if you went to a good college or not.

Medical work is more focused on having the proper certifications and licenses. People like nurses and medical techs do not have to have gone to a good college. Recruiters will call them regardless.

It’s more of a concern for people who are looking to work in corporate settings. Medical and social service jobs have nothing to do with the caliber of the college you went to.

How Long Have You Been Working?

If you’ve been working for at least two years, it does not really matter where you went to college. In most cases the focus on what college you went to is only important for new graduates.

The situation with recent graduates is much different than with people who have worked in the world for several years.

College is really only a major deciding factor for certain elite jobs and for entry level roles.

Once you have held a job for several years, the college you went to is of less importance than your title, job responsibilities, and your professional references. Many employers will want your recruiter to contact your references and call them to determine the caliber of your work.

Recruiters who are looking to fill positions are not concerned with where you went to school for the most part. This is especially true for mid and senior level schools.

What does it matter if a person went to Harvard of Princeton, if they have been unable to stay working at a company for more than 3 months? In those instances, no one will want to hire the person who quit a job after 3 months or cannot demonstrate the ability to hold a job for longer. Where you went to school won’t matter.

Here’s the important summary:

• Have you been in the workforce for more than two years full time? Then it doesn’t matter where you went to school.

Is Your School Nationally Recognized?

Another issue is that not all colleges are nationally recognized. Unless you went to a nationally recognized college or university it does not matter.

Local schools, including community colleges and small for profit diploma mills that appear around the country. The other problematic type of colleges are the online colleges that offer diplomas through virtually schooling. These colleges are not considered legitimate in the business and professional world.

Certain schools have a wide name recognition, whereas local schools without a national recognition are not as likely to impress a recruiter.

Scholarships Also Matter

You can check out a listing of major schools if you’re interested in knowing what names will and won’t impress the average person.

Another thing to add to your resume is scholarships. If you have recieved scholarships while attending school, it does help to list this on your resume.

The scholarships are another indicator of your ability to perform. And the more recent you have graduated, the more important it is to try and prove to the recruiter that you are someone who is responsible and capable.

Connections Matter: If Your Recruiter is An Alumni

Recruiters who went to a particular school and who are affiliated with the school’s alumni associates will often care where the person went to school.

For instance, if the recruiter went to Pomona, then it will obviously work in your favor to have gone to Pomona.

But for most cases, it’s a non-issue where you went to college.

If you do notice that a recruiter is especially proud of where they went to college and you happen to have gone to college at the same school, then it’s obviously a good idea to try and connect with them over that shared experience.

This is one of the reasons it’s important to message recruiters on LinkedIn –where you will be able to search for recruiters who went to the same school as you!