Should it matter whether the pilot on your next flight has a bachelor’s degree? Delta Airlines recently asked that question, and management decided to end the requirement for new hires to have a four-year college degree.

Although the company still prefers its pilots to have a college degree, Delta recently announced, “There are highly qualified candidates … who have gained more than the equivalent of a college education through years of life and leadership experience. Making our four-year degree requirement preferred [instead of required] removes unintentional barriers to our Delta flight decks.”

The high-profile companies that have dropped college degree requirements for specific positions include Aon, Boeing, Microsoft, Target, AT&T, and several large banks. In addition to broadening the pool of potential job applicants, this change can help promote diversity in a management team’s backgrounds and work-life experiences.

What about your company? If you require new hires to have a college degree, are you forced to turn away otherwise qualified applicants? In today’s competitive job market, it pays to review the requirements for open positions and, where it makes sense, allow greater flexibility.

STAR Power

Opportunities@Work, a community-based job placement firm, strives to promote people who are “skilled through alternative routes” (STARs). The firm recently published a study that analyzed how STARs may be held back from higher-paying jobs with more growth potential. The study identified 30 special job categories with high proportions of workers (generally between 30% and 60%) without higher education degrees who are nevertheless qualified to handle them. However, many of these same positions require new hires to have a college diploma. Examples include

• Business operations and management specialists,
• Computer scientists,
• Computer support specialists,
• Marketing and public relations managers,
• HR managers,
• Purchasing agents,
• Sales representatives,
• First-line supervisors,
• Administration support workers, and
• Diagnostic technicians.

The study concludes that college degree requirements “were built on two falsehoods: that low wage equals low skill, and that a bachelor’s degree is the only gateway to job-relevant skills.”

Opportunities@Work estimates that around 30 million STARs in the workforce today have the skills and experience to move into or handle jobs that currently require college degrees. It found that such misconceptions often originate with managers with bachelor’s degrees. These managers tend to assume that others should have them as well.

Job Skills Assessment

If you’re having trouble finding skilled workers to fill job openings, you may need to revise the requirements provided in your job listing. Start by evaluating whether college is the only path to specific skills or knowledge. This might be the case for a physician, a CPA, or an architect. But it’s not necessary for other positions.

For example, charisma, product knowledge, and motivation might be more important than a college degree when hiring a salesperson. Likewise, creative skills and familiarity with software may trump a college degree when hiring a designer. These skills are generally fostered in the real world — not in a classroom. And don’t forget that you can always provide specific on-the-job training.

Here are some additional examples of valuable attributes:

Technical knowledge. Depending on the field, changes in technology happen so fast that what someone has learned in college may soon be outdated. So, real-world experience is generally more relevant when hiring an IT professional, especially as the individual’s career progresses.

Critical thinking ability. These skills are essential to making strategic decisions. But no college degree can guarantee a graduate has developed them. A thorough vetting process can be more helpful in determining whether someone can think critically than a mere diploma.

Communications skills. Unfortunately, many college students graduate without becoming competent writers or public speakers. To help bridge this gap, consider asking job applicants to complete writing exercises on the spot. Likewise, an in-person interview (as opposed to one done virtually) can provide insight into a candidate’s interpersonal skills.

Finding the Right Person for the Job

A college degree is a significant accomplishment and may demonstrate the ability to stick with a course of study and complete it. And many higher education institutions teach technical information and foster skills that can be applied in the real world. This is especially true when degree programs require on-the-job training (such as an internship, residency requirement, or teaching assistant program).

But suppose your company limits its talent searches to college graduates. In that case, it may be missing out on otherwise-qualified workers who could excel at their positions — and bring diversity to their management teams. Contact your HR or payroll advisor to review your organization’s job requirements and help eliminate any artificial barriers.