Talent Criteria: Does a College Degree Still Matter? (Clover, SHRM, "Educate, Equip, and Empower ")

The Executive Innovation Show Podcast, brought to you by Live Video Interviews and hosted by Carrie Chitsey, talks with Nick Schacht (Chief Global Development Officer at SHRM), DeAnnah Stinson Reese (CEO of Educate, Equip, and Empower), and Jennifer Oswald (Head of People at Clover Commerce).

Nick Schacht is the Chief Global Development Officer at SHRM. He has been an HR leader for more than 30 years. 

DeAnnah Stinson Reese, CEO and founder of Educate, Equip, and Empower works with professionals and college students on ways to successfully transition and thrive in their desired careers and how to successfully navigate their job search.

Jennifer Oswald, is the Head of People at Clover Commerce. One of her biggest accomplishments was reducing employee turnover from 258% to a low of 17%.

Listen to “Talent Criteria: Does a College Degree Still Matter?” as we discuss: 

As top companies such as Apple and Whole Foods come out and publicly drop the college degree requirement, it's time to have the debate. With Generation Z considering not going to college, does this change the future of HR traditional requirements for certain positions? Listen as Jennifer Oswald talks about how a college degree for her company, Clover, is now a nice-to-have versus a must-have. She also talks about the competitive job market within Silicon Valley. While Apple and IBM may have removed the job requirement to apply, Nick reminds Generation Z that they still have to go up against a much larger labor pool. DeAnnah Reese Stinson stresses the need for Generation Z job applicants to be competitive. If students do decide to go to college they need to give themselves that competitive edge via internships and side projects. We give the roundtable guests a scenario, what do they look for when hiring a developer type role. Listen as they give their answers and explanations to what they chose. Which candidate would you select as an HR professional? As the job requirements change and more of Generation Z will not be going to college, how does that change recruiting for a company like Clover? Nick Schacht of SHRM talks about new and productive approaches to hiring new talent. Some of SHRM's members are doing innovative things like partnering with community colleges and less competitive two-year programs to build internships. DeAnnah advises students to create a digital footprint as a professional. What other aspects of social media does she have her clients proactively use? Listen to find out. Nick believes that there is going to be a huge shift in assessing candidates based on what they can do versus what they know. Should your talent acquisition team be looking at how well people learn, adapt, and acquire knowledge?DeAnnah speaks on the advice she would give to a room full of Generation Z juniors in high school. Carrie wants to know if the guests feel that ATS (applicant tracking systems) hurting job boards and the applicant review process. Is keyword stuffing driving you crazy? Jennifer talks about how much she dislikes resumes altogether. What is keeping these HR guests up at night? Listen to their answers here. 

Keep up with Nick Schacht at SHRM as they continue to train the future leaders of Human Resources.

Follow the continued journey of Jennifer Oswald and her success at Clover Commerce. 

Stay tuned with all of DeAnnah Stinson Reese’s great work at Educate, Equip, and Empower on Instagram. 

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