Sitting in your office, you review two pieces of paper. One resume, professionally written is from a new college graduate; the other resume outlines an applicant with five years of relevant work experience from a local firm. What do you do? Is it worth your time and additional payroll expense to target employees only with a degree? Or does a non-degreed prospect with experience sway your decision? The answer may surprise you.

Let’s look at what are the critical skills and competencies of a successful new hire.

Perseverance – Individuals dedicating a significant amount of time to complete a degree generally exhibit a commitment to start and complete an objective. To assess perseverance in a non-degreed applicant with previous work experience, ask them to describe an experience where the project was demanding. What steps did they take to finish it? Perseverance can be simply working through difficult situations.

Openness to Learning New Skills – University curriculum includes subject matter that is challenging; providing an opportunity to explore new skills. Employees with previous job experience demonstrate their ability to learn by taking on new roles and accepting higher level of responsibilities. Determine if there is a natural curiosity in either candidate to ask why things are the way they are, or are they willing to accept the status quo.

Bright Individuals know the way to find the answer; intelligent people know the book answer.

Application of Skills – There is a difference between having a skill and using it. The ability to apply skills to new situations demonstrates adaptability, creativity and risk taking. Rarely taught in colleges; they are a function of life learning or honing work life experiences. Good judgment can make or break a business. Do they offer reasonable solutions?

Raising the Standard – How does the prospective employee hold themselves accountable? Obtaining a degree is hard work and sets an internal level of excellence. A poor performer will not be successful in completing the rigor of a degreed path. However, an average student may not be pushing their true potential. What limitations or expectations do the candidates have for their career? Have they thought through what it will take to achieve their goals? Are their goals internally driven and do they support your business objectives? What are they willing to do to reach their goal?

Details, Details – Deals often are lost in the details. Are your prospective employees able to discern the important details and follow through? How do they go about making decisions on how to prioritize in a project? How do they provide project management and meet deadlines?

Quick Learner – Assess the applicant’s ability to grasp new concepts and understand how they seek out new information. Do they have a process for finding answers to puzzling questions or do they wait for someone to supply the answer. Bright individuals know the way to find the answer; intelligent people know the book answer.

Work Ethic – What is the work ethic and motivation for your future employee? Do they have a passion for the work they do or are they simply looking to collect a paycheck? An engaged mind will bring new thinking and improvements, a robotic body simply provides a consistent product or service.

Technical Skills – Some positions require expertise from credentialed programs. Ask yourself, is it necessary to “buy” this skill or is it more important to find the right person and develop the skill. It is often easier to teach an expertise than an attitude.

What do you do about your two applicants? Which do you choose? Avoid the pitfall of salaries to drive your decision. Hiring a degree person who can’t apply their learning or a lower cost non-degreed person that checks out immediately are both losing propositions. Carefully look beyond the piece of paper – degree, application or resume and you’ll have found a great hire!

This article was first published in Business Strategies Magazine, September 2007.