If an employer questions your degree during an interview?

[ryoder]

I have never worked a job that did not require a degree. I had no degree and it was never a problem. That is strange isn't it. Take the bachelors degree required statement with a grain of salt. I do have usf computer science on my resume but it does not list the degree as being completed. When asked I say that I finished two thirds of it and left to get into the job market when it was really hot in the dot com era. My skills and knowledge have always spoken for themselves however and I have survived many layoffs where people with masters degrees from good schools were canned.

[addision]

I actually was asked about my degree in a panel interview for a mid-level management position with a national company.

They questioned when I graduated and compared that to my previous employment and wanted to know how I completed my education in New Jersey while working in California. I explained how I had been enrolled in may schools over the past 20 years and I was never able to complete my education at one place because I moved around for work. That "TESC provided me the best opportunity to complete my degree and was an accredited state college".

As soon as I said that one of the managers said "so it was an online degree". That killed the interview right there. They really weren't interested after that.

The bias against online education isn't going anywhere soon.

[barcotta]

I actually was asked about my degree in a panel interview for a mid-level management position with a national company.

They questioned when I graduated and compared that to my previous employment and wanted to know how I completed my education in New Jersey while working in California. I explained how I had been enrolled in may schools over the past 20 years and I was never able to complete my education at one place because I moved around for work. That "TESC provided me the best opportunity to complete my degree and was an accredited state college".

As soon as I said that one of the managers said "so it was an online degree". That killed the interview right there. They really weren't interested after that.

The bias against online education isn't going anywhere soon.

Thanks for the info. I have been watching this issue for over ten years and this is the first post I've seen that revealed an anti-online bias. It's not that I didn't assume it existed--because I did--but I've never heard a first hand account like this.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Your answer was perfect. If you have a chance and can provide more detail, I think it would be helpful to put this in perspective for everyone. If you wouldn't mind telling us your approximate age, number of years working, a little more about where you were in the application process, etc.--just so it can be interpreted fairly in context.

The big three have graduated tens of thousands of people over the years--so you have to expect at least a story or two like this, right? I'm well into my forties and I had considered this specific issue and concluded that I would probably not date my degree, since it's the least important thing on my resume at this point and I would not want to invite the cross-country comparison (I'm in CA too).

In any event, keep pressing on and let us know how this all ended up if you get a chance. Thanks.

[burbuja0512]

I actually was asked about my degree in a panel interview for a mid-level management position with a national company.

They questioned when I graduated and compared that to my previous employment and wanted to know how I completed my education in New Jersey while working in California. I explained how I had been enrolled in may schools over the past 20 years and I was never able to complete my education at one place because I moved around for work. That "TESC provided me the best opportunity to complete my degree and was an accredited state college".

As soon as I said that one of the managers said "so it was an online degree". That killed the interview right there. They really weren't interested after that.

The bias against online education isn't going anywhere soon.

This is a great reason why everyone should consider taking at least one B&M class. That way if you're questioned, you can honestly say that you completed your education through a combination of in-building and online classwork.

Also, make sure you do NOT ever put a date on your education. There is no requirement for dates on your resume, and there are many, many reasons to leave it off. Your education should simply be listed as college name and degree obtained. That way you won't bring attention to the fact that you're a recent grad. It should be irrelevant to the employer when you got your diploma - unless you're in a time sensitive field (computers) a degree is a degree.

[bawhitsett]

This is a great reason why everyone should consider taking at least one B&M class. That way if you're questioned, you can honestly say that you completed your education through a combination of in-building and online classwork.

Also, make sure you do NOT ever put a date on your education. There is no requirement for dates on your resume, and there are many, many reasons to leave it off. Your education should simply be listed as college name and degree obtained. That way you won't bring attention to the fact that you're a recent grad. It should be irrelevant to the employer when you got your diploma - unless you're in a time sensitive field (computers) a degree is a degree.

Nice suggestions. I'd also recommend following up a big-3 degree with a b&m master's, if desired.

[ryoder]

I think its their loss. I have seen so many incompetent workers who have come out of some of the best Florida brick and mortar colleges. Denying someone based on online/brick and mortar seems very odd. I also wonder if they simply chose another applicant that was a better fit in other ways.

My boss is biased against UOP and she thinks its online. So I asked her why are there UOP campuses all over the state? Most of the students go their after work and attend classes at night.


There is also a strong bias from some public school teachers against private brick and mortar schools. We have an excellent and very old private school, the University of Tampa here in town and lots of public school researchers and teachers consider that school a sham. They think that public school dropouts with a lot of money go there as a last resort. I know this first hand, its not a rumor.

Its sort of sad that people are so prejudiced these days.

[Ace_King]

Hey Ryoder, that's weird I heard of that rumor and I'm here in Miami. Small world heh?

All I know is that... the big three aren't defined as online schools. Student's we're graduating from the big three way before online courses we're introduced. So if an employer asks me if it's an online degree, I'd say no. I have a couple B&M credits, and I'm familiar with face to face instruction. My answer would be , it's an assessment college, I moved around allot, accumulated allot of credit and transferred in. Simple. Of course I would only use that answer if they question the degree. =]

And bawhitsett, I can't agree with you more. That's what I'm trying to do. A local B&M university is where I want to get my Masters at. So once they look at the Masters, they won't bother looking at the undergrad. I hope...Lol.

[cookderosa]

I actually was asked about my degree in a panel interview for a mid-level management position with a national company.

They questioned when I graduated and compared that to my previous employment and wanted to know how I completed my education in New Jersey while working in California. I explained how I had been enrolled in may schools over the past 20 years and I was never able to complete my education at one place because I moved around for work. That "TESC provided me the best opportunity to complete my degree and was an accredited state college".

As soon as I said that one of the managers said "so it was an online degree". That killed the interview right there. They really weren't interested after that.

The bias against online education isn't going anywhere soon.

You gave a great answer, but there isn't any way to know what killed the interview.

[ryoder]

I agree that it is not necessarily due to the online degree. I usually blame myself for failing to get a job and not my situation. Sometimes your skills are not right for the job. Let's hope this was the case.

[addision]

I too can usually look to where I may have been at fault for an interview going bad. Usually it is because of a difference of skill sets or personalities.

I am in my early 40's and have over 15 years of management experience. I never put the dates of my schooling on my resume. For this interview I was asked to complete an application which specifically asked for the schools attended and the dates you attended. I was in the second round of interviews when this took pace.

So for this particular instance it was odd to them that my degree would have come from New Jersey while I was working in California. If it had not been for that I think I would have been fine. All of my other accademic credit was earned from one local CC, and from three state schools; Idaho state, Colorado state, and Fort Hayes State. I used the CLEP exams for two courses (finance and MIS), and the FEMA credits for electives.

I am happy with my degree from TESC for the most part. I do have some concerns, but I know my degree will get me into any graduate school I really want to attend as my grades are sufficient. Although I did have one instructor ask me if they "gave me a light bulb instead of a degree when I graduate". As for the workforce, any public service position will readily take my degree (county, state, federal) and 99% of employers will not look at it twice because it is an accredited "state" school. I get a lot of recognition from those in the military as they are very familiar with the school.

But yes, I still get jeers from people sometimes about the name and I knew that would happen when I decided to get a degree from TESC. But I always knew this would not be my terminal degree. So the only thing I would like to change is the name of the institution and was ecstatic when it could have been “Rutgers”. But I feel this is the best option of the “Big 3” as the name “Charter Oak” sounds like a rehab facility to me. Why can’t they just come up with a decent name for these schools that won’t make them stand out like a sore thumb?

There are many opportunities I did not have or know of when I was younger. In all, if I had to do all over again and was finishing my degree at 40 I would do it the same. I am encouraging my nephews to get their bachelors using many of the principles found here (CLEP, Straighterline, etc.) to save costs and to move on to a higher degree and I want my daughter to do the same (age 10). It is so much easier getting into the college or university you want as a transfer student than it is as an incoming freshman.


So please don’t be discouraged by this one instance. It is more important to have the degree than not.