by Stephanie Meehan

Life is not fair, and that is never so evident than in the lottery of looks and college education. Some people are born into health and resources and families that value accomplishment and foster high expectations. Others not so much. But often the people who did not get the chance to grab a degree early end up working harder and smarter, developing skills money can’t buy.

Recently I was checking references for a great candidate on track to receive an offer. Amy had done a stellar job in replenishment at Wal-Mart working with some of the world’s biggest brands. She had since gone to work for a smaller supplier which was soon downsizing, so she was back on the market.

Everyone who knew Amy's reputation wanted to hire her – including some of those big-name companies she had worked with at Wal-Mart. There was a sort of race to see who could bring her on board first. Her references were an enthusiastic chorus of praise for her poise, her collaborative style, her patience, her initiative. There was only one drawback: She had never finished her degree.

The only person I spoke with who was not happy to provide a reference worked for a big supplier and had tried to hire Amy himself.  Here is what he had to say:

Amy’s the best replenishment manager I have seen in ten years. I would love to have her on my team. We interviewed her and thought we could overcome the degree thing, but [our company] officially drew the line in the sand as of January 1st that we would not bring anyone into logistics without a degree.

Amy always held herself to an extremely high standard. When we heard she was looking, we interviewed her. A six-person team agreed she was the top candidate of a long list of qualified people. But company policy would not allow us to hire her. So now we have to settle for less than the best. It’s very frustrating.

Amy had other offers, and we were proud to place her with one of our client companies. But she knows that working smart and networking may not be enough to protect herself and her family in this economy. To be welcome at the best companies and avoid putting a cap on her earning potential, she has a plan in place to finish her degree. It’s good insurance and a great investment.