Small business owners look for experience over education

Research by Manta, an online community dedicated to assisting small business owners, has revealed that when it comes to hiring new talent, many will opt for more experienced individuals, over those with more impressive academic qualifications.

The study was intended as a weigh-in on the enduring debate of the cost-benefit value of attending a college or university, because of rising tuition costs. Manta polled 978 small business owners in the US, revealing that half employ staff without university degrees, and of those 60 percent report no difference in performance amongst staff with different levels of education. Of course, results vary from field to field. Manta does not reveal hiring patterns according to sector, but it might not be such a leap to assume that for more technical professions such as engineering, a university degree is a pre-requisite.

However, the small business owners themselves overwhelmingly report being educated at least to university level, with only 31 percent admitting to not having a degree. Over 60 percent believe that a college education is ‘extremely important and a necessity’ or ‘important’ for achieving success in the business world, while only five percent say it ‘has not value’. This discrepancy could suggest that a university degree might not carry as much weight for entry-level positions; it might make a difference as an employee moves up the ranks.

“I’ve learned that you can’t teach someone how to work hard,” said Gary Wheeler, owner of The Virtual HR Director, told the survey. “While I value higher education, I know it’s only part of what makes someone a strong addition to my team. I focus on hiring people that understand my vision for the company, have the desire to be challenged and the experience and drive to contribute to its overall success.”

The Manta survey also revealed that small business are not hiring many new employees, despite 78 percent of respondent reporting feeling optimistic about the upcoming quarter. Only 23 percent of respondents hired and new employees in the second quarter of 2012, and 28 percent plan on hiring in the third quarter, however 55 percent of respondents felt the second quarter was an overall success for their business.