Do you believe experience should trump credentials in the employment process?

Question

I was just snubbed by a local Community College.
Only one 'Reading 0311' class "made" rather than two, and the assignment went to the person who had teaching experience (i.e. not myself). In your opinion, should I have gotten the position?

I have:
I. B.A. (HIgh Honors; Honors Program) with majors in philosophy and political science
and a minor in English literature
II. M.A. (3.8 GPA) English literature with a minor in political science
III. A year at a top tier law school
IV. Over a dozen lectures (as an independent scholar or as part of an academic conference)
V. Fluency in four languages

The other person has:
I. B.A. in English literature (no honors)
II. M.A. in English Literature (GPA under 3.5)
III. Participated in ONE academic conference as a presenter

My undergraduate Uni. is ranked higher than the one she graduated from with her B.A. . We got our M.A.s at the same Uni.

Answer 1

There is no "one size fits all” approach to hiring.

For this position, is it relevant that you are fluent in four languages or attended law school for a year? Do you need four languages to teach English at a community college? The one year of law school may have raised questions about why you didn't finish law school. Sometimes things like that are best omitted from your vita.

A higher GPA does not guarantee that you will be a better teacher - it shows that you were a better student. At this stage of the game, your GPA may be totally irrelevant. For this employer, experience may trump every other qualification.

The other person may have won the job in the interview process. It may be that you seemed overqualified for a position at this level, and they thought you'd be bored and leave after a short time.

When looking at two qualified candidates, I will pick the one who demonstrates a willingness to learn over one who already knows everything. I’ll pick one whose personality seems a better fit in the work team. One contentious individual can ruin an otherwise harmonious work environment.

Don't assume that you didn't "know the right people." Academic hiring processes are pretty cumbersome, and it's not easy to hold a job for someone just because you want them, they really have to beat the other candidate for everyone on the hiring team.

This is just one rejection, it's part of the process that everyone goes through. Not getting hired does not constitute being "snubbed" - you need to step back from this experience and quit perceiving it as a personal offense. If you don't, you risk carrying the "I was wronged" attitude with you to the next interview process. This is a business issue for the hiring institution and a professional issue for you. If your job search is going to be successful, you are going to need to receive a "thanks but no thanks" from a potential employer more impersonally, so that you don't ruin your chances the next time that school has an opening.

You need to let a few weeks pass, then go back to the hiring person and ask for frank feedback about what made you a weaker candidate. Go with your hat in your hand looking for information on how you can strengthen your candidacy in the future. Go without a chip on your shoulder about why you as the clearly superior candidate didn’t get picked.

Job seeking is stressful, and it packs plenty of blows to the ego. The successful candidate is tenacious, and has a thick skin.

Last but not least, thank your lucky stars that they didn’t hire you. A job has to be a mutual fit – good for you, good for them. If they don’t want you, why would you want them? In the right position, they will be as eager to have you as you are to work for them.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

You asked if experience should trump credentials; then gave a list of credentials for you and the other person and listed nothing about REAL WORLD WORK EXPERIENCE for either of you.
Depending upon the employer; YES, experience will trump credentials.
If the employer wants someone with real world experience in the position that is who the employer will. hire.
If the employer is willing to take a chance on credentials and your persuasion that you would benefit the employer, then you may get the job.
You may be overqualified in the employers eyes and the employer may think you’ll want more in pay than he is willing to pay.
You may give the impression that you are not looking for long-term employment with this particular employer and the other candidate may.
If an employer thinks you just want the job as a stepping-stone to another position, the employer won’t hire you.
The employeer or personnel director may simply NOT LIKE YOUR DEMEANOR.
There are a myriad of reasons to BE OR NOT BE HIRED.
As pathfinder said; in some cases it will simply be whom you know. NETWORK and find someone that can help you get your foot in the door; i.e., EMPLOYED.
You may even consider a lesser position to gain some real world work experience.

Answer 3

Most 'public' employers, unfortunately, run the same way; they either hire from within or hire an employees family member or friend. Like they say, it's all in who you know and I truly believe they are missing out on hiring the really good people. Don't know how to change their customs but I sure wish there were a way...

Answer 4

If there was an interview process they may have hired her because she fit what they were looking for better than you did. Or they may have wanted to hire a female. Is she a minority? There are many factors involved in a hire.

Answer 5

God isn't purely an journey, he's an endlessly limitless entity. once you think in God you're purely putting it available which you think of there extra to existence that whats in the international and we share a typical author. Feeling God must be a dazzling journey the place a surprising understanding is composed of you from interior; the silent voice of God speaking to you.

Answer 6

Welcome to the reality of the job market worldwide. It is not what you know, or what you can do, IT IS A SIMPLE MATTER OF WHO YOU KNOW. Everything is politics today.