Business

Claim That Job Whatever Your Background

Pondering a career change... but worried that you may not have the right background?

Perhaps your concern is warranted. You may indeed need a particular qualification to get the new career. Then again... maybe you're exaggerating the consequences of not having the "right" qualifications. This is what I call having "credentialitis". It's a condition where, despite having the skills, talents and knowledge you need for a new career, job or promotion, you still think that you must study, or do some course, or get some credential, to get that new career, job or promotion.

The way I look at it, credentials like certificates, diplomas, degrees and the like are just convenient communication devices - they instantly communicate that someone has a certain body of knowledge. But they're not the only means of communicating someone's knowledge, and often not the best either. I mean, let's say you were an entrepreneur who dropped out of college, built and sold a successful company, and are now looking to move into sales management at a large corporate. Now if you had credentialitis, you may consider yourself unqualified for that sales job. You might even consider getting a college degree so you are "qualified".

Although there's nothing necessarily wrong with attending business school - and you might learn some interesting things - is the return on your investment really positive? Will studying really make you more qualified than having hands-on experience as a business owner? Couldn't you instead reposition yourself as ideally qualified for the sales role based on your "real-world" business education?

Ofcourse, for some career changes you will need to undertake a course to become qualified for the particular role, such as architecture or teaching. However, for other new jobs, you likely possess the most important skills and knowledge required and what you don't know can be learned on the job... or just isn't that critical. Now, I know that while you may value real ability above a degree... many recruiters and prospective employers may not.

But if we agree that this societal credentialitis is unnecessary and damaging (in the sense that skilled, knowledgeable and talented people miss out on jobs and careers to which they're suited) then it's up to you and I to change things. Therefore, I suggest you build your self-confidence - be confident in the talents, skills, abilities and knowledge you possess.

If you're still considering enrolling in some kind of course or program... ask yourself this before you pay the tuition: Would completing such studies arm you with any geniunely useful knowledge or skills... or would it arm you with a piece of paper to prove knowledge or skills you already have?

If you can get over your preoccupation with credentials, you'll not only save yourself time, money and energy, but you'll also become happier and more self-confident. If you are challenged over your lack of credentials you can "reframe" your background... so that it's obvious that this has equipped you with the ideal background for the new job.

Of course, you'll find some people who just won't "buy it" - they obviously have credentialitis themselves. In this case, it's up to you whether it's worth your while trying to convince them... or whether you're better off trying to work with people who aren't so hung up on qualifications and recognize true ability. In turn, when you're the one doing the recruiting, don't let credentialitis get in the way of making a good hiring decision. Sure, consider qualifications - they do have value - but also consider alternative backgrounds and on-the-job experience that may be just as, if not more, indicative of an individuals abilities.