Significance and valuation of educational credentials in the recruitment of skilled personnel
Based on qualitative interviews with recruiters and a quantitative survey, this doctoral project investigates the significance of educational credentials in selection procedures for skilled personnel and how the credentials are valuated by recruiters.
In Switzerland, as in many other European countries, the ideal proportion of vocational and general education is the subject of much controversy. Switzerland has the highest proportion of compulsory school leavers in upper-secondary vocational education and training (VET) programs in Europe. Vocational programmes are also widespread at the tertiary level and offer an alternative to university programmes, which require a university entrance certificate.
However, there is little research on how recruiters evaluate different educational pathways within an occupational field. This cumulative dissertation focuses on the organizational level represented by the recruiters. Three papers are planned to address the following questions:
- What are the recruitment goals behind different selection procedures and how do they influence how recruiters evaluate applicant information?
- What significance do educational credentials have in relation to non-educational information?
- How do recruiters compare and interpret different credentials?
For the analysis I will use sociological theories of valuation, sociological theories about the re-production of social inequalities as well as economic theories emphasizing productivity and signalling properties of credentials.
Dissertation supervisors:
- Prof. Dr. Irene Kriesi (SFUVET)
- Prof. Dr. Christian Imdorf, (Leibniz University Hannover)
This dissertation is part of the project 'The role of educational credentials and skills in the hiring process' at SFUVET. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Using a sequential mixed-method design, 30 semi-structured interviews will be conducted initially with employers and recruiters of six occupational fields. This will be followed by a factorial survey in which recruiters will evaluate fictious CVs that differ in terms of educational pathways.