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Experience, in the end, counts more than a degree. After all, even if you don't have a degree, your work experience can speak volumes for your capabilities.

A prime reason why diversity in experience is a desired quality is the increasing need for businesses to evolve from being hi-tech.
The concept of business itself means interacting with different people. Citing an example, an official from the renowned bank, HSBC, says that financial services are increasingly pushing the people related services tagline. "Anyone with exposure to people in fields that may not be directly related to a job profile can be God sent." This means that even a management graduate with prior experience in the Travel and Tourism sector can be considered for customer-related jobs in the financial and even the hospitality industries. Consultancies and IT companies are increasingly welcoming work experience from as many diverse fields as possible.

Wipro, for example, hires nearly 100 management graduates each year and is constantly on the look out for variety.

Says Sharmila Dsouza, Senior Executive, Wipro, "Our portfolio allows us to fit in people with different backgrounds into different verticals. Even someone with an army background can bring to the fold rich experience in terms of people management."

Too Much Experience Can Be Bad

However, there is a flipside. Says a senior manager with an MNC, "A few companies do tend to steer clear from those with more than five years work experience. The process of unlearning which comes with being a management graduate is much more difficult for those who have prior experience of this sort but not the malleability of a management graduate."

The dilemma that arises is this - companies are not able to accommodate those with relevant experience at managerial posts due to their possible lack of a supporting degree. Simultaneously, their prior experience makes it difficult for them to be accommodated among the lower rung.

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* Contributed by -
Oumkar Umesh,
Senior Correspondent - The Observer of Management,
Vol. 1 Issue 4 April 2006,
(With inputs from Prithvi Singh).