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Cushman & Wakefield Interested in a Sales Associate position at Cushman & Wakefield. I have experience as a government analyst for 7 years but nothing related to commercial real estate. I want to become a more competitive applicant but not sure where to start. Are there any certificates, skills, or knowledge that I should be learning in my free time?
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I’ve placed people without degrees but it’s tough. I think it holds people back to some degree but you can still get a great paying job without a degree probably just not move up into a high level position within a large company. It’s more the competition you’re up against vs you not having it. Your competition brings similar experience plus the degree
Ignore the degree requirements and apply anyways. Unless it’s something like a CPA, most recruiters and hiring managers won’t care. They just want the person with the most relevant experience and proven track record.
Your resume may need more work. Not all companies use AI but they do need to be able to quickly and easily see that you’re a great fit. Be sure to bullet out your “skills”. Don’t include lengthy descriptions of your day to day responsibilities, but rather focus on accomplishments that have saved money, time, increased client satisfaction, etc. Quantify how you add value. There are amazing resources online to get a beautiful resume. Ladders and Heather Austin are some of my go-to’s.
I’m curious your gender and race. Only because as an African American female, I would never have been able to achieve manager level success in this field without a degree AND my CPA.
It was not an option for my child to not go to college.
As minorities, I feel like an undergrad is the bare minimum education.
Not a minority, but a bachelors was needed or a job would not have been possible .
I am african american male. I have no degree and have had to scrap and claw for every promotion I've received. I typically find myself at every position I've had looking around and feeling like I'm out performing 80% to 90% of my peers but under paid. I couldn't afford college and have worked at my institution since high school. That is the only reason I've had any success at all. I generally build a good reputation for myself at every position I've had and that is the only reason any doors have opened up for me. Anything I've needed to learn, I go online and/or analyzed it and learn it. Hasn't been an easy road.... I value the soft skills I've picked up in my career more than any degree I could have earned but that doesn't translate to dollars...
Do a part time degree through scholarships, ask at work if they offer help towards uni etc. where there is a will, there is a way!
It shouldn’t unless the roles you’re applying for are specific to an area that requires a degree, even then experience can be of higher value.
Have you taken a finance, economics, or accounting class? How far can you go in banking without fundamentally understanding those?
You're a VP, you did good!
I think it's necessary to start your career, but once you're in the industry, it's who you know.
Network with your contacts. (I hate even writing that because I hate doing it ). Can you take certifications to keep your knowledge base up to date?
Actually important - no.
A box to check to get in the door - yes.
I make 250k. No degree
I know two Executive Vice Presidents and neither has a degree. However for those roles you are 'chosen' in a way and then groomed. You go through very different hiring procedures. The two people I know the companies helped them lie about their skills and backgrounds and had a team of people completely make up their backgrounds. And these folk are very high at venture capital funds. So yeah.. with your title anything goes.
Unless you're a well connected white male with an important name, yes you'll need a degree.
Source: an over educated & well connected white female, who has over performed for 15 years but gets passed by for white males without education or performance (but who carry a good name with my same network)
Many people say they “over perform” and I always wonder what they mean
Apply anyway.
You’re raising a great issue, OP.
A degree, education and knowledge/skills are not necessarily synonymous. Yet corporate America has an obsession with degrees to the point that I believe it’s a way of filtering out less-privileged candidates. Degrees from X school but not from others is another not-so-subtle bias.
I saw this initiative recently. They call it the “paper ceiling” and I think they make the point very well.
https://www.tearthepaperceiling.org/stars
I don’t think it is and I have one lol.. no one talked about also needing experience with the degree when the push was to go to college back in the day . I’ve watched for years others with experience getting promoted as managers etc., meanwhile I was always told I don’t have the experience and have never held a management position and that was what my degree is in. I don’t think I am ever paid more for having one either.
I am similarly boat in the UK. I have a masters but don’t possess a accounting qualification and hence limited career progression. I have also lost the appetite to complete my qualification. I kinda hear you!
If you’re good in sales no
I'm considering it..... for the record, I don't feel sorry for myself and ultimately I'm in charge of my career, just hate the idea of spending my time and money on a degree at this point in my career
More companies are realizing a degree is not as important as experience.
Depends on the role. Experience trumps education after 25 years. I feel like a degree just gets your foot in the door.
It’s not the degree. It’s the recruiting opportunities. Sometimes it can have results.
Personally if I see a degree and only analyst-associate experience I do not move forward with hire.
Give me a candidate that has had some real world, practical knowledge and faced down an angry customer in a front line role every time over an office jockey that has only joined an alumni association.
So you want me to put my retail experience back on my resume? The jobs I had from 15-22?
I don’t have a degree, yet I’ve gotten high paying positions based on my skills. I’ve also been overlooked and received the “we’ve chosen a candidate more suitable” then 3 months later I’m getting an email asking if I’m still seeking employment. Apply anyway, highlight your achievements and software experience. If you have any effective projects, highlight those as well. Also, call and ask for someone to “review your resume for qualifications”, that’ll get a human to actually read your resume. Hope that helps.
Totally, 100%, agree, support and root for you!
Depends on what specific financial industry you’re in. Bottom line is more important for trading and sales. If you’re corporate though (compliance, financial services, IB, banking, etc), your pedigree absolutely matters. In fact, for those areas, you’re competing against MBAs and other advanced degrees.
If you’re well-networked, then you shouldn’t have a problem leveraging it to leap to another role. If you’re applying cold though, you’re going to struggle. Most people on the trade operations side have degrees now.