More bad news for job seekers—especially non-grad Gen Zers. Just because an employer claims it’s ditching degree requirements to recruit more diverse talent, that doesn’t mean its hiring managers are actually doing it.
When major employers like Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Apple all eliminated their long-held degree requirements for jobs, other firms rushed to follow their example. But that promise may be limited to their job ads.
Goodwill’s CEO Steve Preston told Fortune that while most CEOs have good intentions, they can’t control every interview or job offer. And so the promise of skills-first hiring may not be reaching the millions of jobless Gen Zers who need it.
“Right now, employers are consistently saying they want to hire for skills, not necessarily degrees,” Preston said. “But the proof is in the pudding. Not everybody does it.”
He added, “What I hear from a lot of people is, ‘Yeah, the top says we need to do this,’ but when it gets to the hiring professionals, it doesn’t always trickle down.”
