I've lived in the UK for 10 months now and have realized something interesting about the job market here. People often work in professions that have nothing to do with what they studied. For instance, new grads will be hired by big banks with nothing more than BA's in History, Biology students will be hired as Human Resource employees by huge management consultancy firms, engineering students hired as investment bankers, political science students hired as Business Analysts, etc etc. It seems like even some of the so-called 'useless degrees' in North America can land you meaningful employment straight out of university in the UK.
From my limited personal experience, candidates are almost always screened in/out in Canada by their educational background. Want a job in HR? You need a certificate/degree in HR. Want a job as a corporate banker? Get a business-related degree, etc etc.
My first question is, how common is it in Canada for candidates to land jobs completely unrelated to their studies?
Secondly, what do y'all make of this? I hear in the UK the common argument that employers want well-rounded, ambitious, smart candidates and these traits are more important than your subject area studied. Some companies even prefer hiring people with no formal education whatsoever in that particular field because they want employees with 'fresh ideas'. Is this hiring method (focusing more on a candidate's skills than his education) advantageous or disadvantageous? Why does it appear that UK employers are more flexible in their hiring approach than Canadian employers?
From my limited personal experience, candidates are almost always screened in/out in Canada by their educational background. Want a job in HR? You need a certificate/degree in HR. Want a job as a corporate banker? Get a business-related degree, etc etc.
My first question is, how common is it in Canada for candidates to land jobs completely unrelated to their studies?
Secondly, what do y'all make of this? I hear in the UK the common argument that employers want well-rounded, ambitious, smart candidates and these traits are more important than your subject area studied. Some companies even prefer hiring people with no formal education whatsoever in that particular field because they want employees with 'fresh ideas'. Is this hiring method (focusing more on a candidate's skills than his education) advantageous or disadvantageous? Why does it appear that UK employers are more flexible in their hiring approach than Canadian employers?