SHRM Poll: Hiring Practices and Attitudes: Traditional vs ...

[Pages:10]SHRM Poll: Hiring Practices and Attitudes: Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials

Commissioned by:

August 18, 2010

Definitions

All colleges and universities discussed in this survey, whether online or traditional, are assumed to be accredited institutions.

Online degrees: The majority (80% or more) of the courses to complete degree requirements are taken online.

Traditional degrees: The majority of the courses (80% or more) to complete degree requirements are taken at a brick-and-mortar campus, with face-to-face instruction in a physical classroom.

Types of accredited institutions that offer online degrees: 1) The online degree is offered by a traditional brick-and-mortar educational institution:

? Public brick-and-mortar universities that also offer online education (e.g., UMass Online, Penn State Online, Bowling Green State University, etc.)

? Private, for-profit brick-and-mortar universities that also offer online education (e.g., University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University, Ashford University, etc.)

? Private, not-for-profit brick-and-mortar universities that also offer online education (e.g., Saint Leo University, Drexel University Online, Bellevue University, etc.)

2) Only an online degree is offered, no traditional brick-and-mortar educational institution exists: ? 100% distance learning universities (no physical classrooms or campuses) (e.g., Walden University, Capella University, California Coast University, etc.)

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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Key Findings

? More than one-third of organizations (34%) reported that job candidates who have obtained their degrees online were viewed as favorably as job applicants with traditional degrees (i.e., brick-and-mortar).

? More than one-half of organizations (55%) indicated that if two job applicants with the same job experience were applying for a job, it would not make a difference whether the job candidate's degree was obtained through an online or traditional (i.e., brick-and-mortar) degree program.

? The higher the position in the organization, the less acceptable the online degree credentials. Four out of 10 organizations (43%) indicated that an online degree credential is acceptable for a job applicant seeking an entry-level position, but only 15% of organizations indicated that an online degree is acceptable for a job applicant seeking an executive-level position.

? Only 11% of organizations stated that job candidates frequently or always identified on their resumes whether their degrees were obtained through an online degree program.

? 79% of organizations indicated that they had hired a job applicant with an online degree in the last 12 months.

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about accredited online courses and/or degree programs versus accredited traditional (i.e., brick-and-mortar) courses and/or degree programs?

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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How strongly do you agree with the following statements about accredited online courses and/or degree programs versus accredited traditional (i.e., brick-and-mortar) courses and/or degree programs?

2010 Compared With 2009

Note: Figure represents "agree" and "strongly agree" responses. *This option was not available in 2009.

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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How strongly do you agree with the following statements about accredited online courses and/or degree programs versus accredited traditional (i.e., brick-and-mortar) courses and/or degree programs?

Comparison by Organization's Operations and Union Status

? The current economic recession has led to an increase in the number of job applicants with online university degrees (by operations): Organizations with U.S.-based operations were more likely than organizations with multinational operations to agree that the current economic recession has led to an increase in the number of job applicants with online university degrees .

? Online degree programs are equally credible to traditional degree programs (by union status): Organizations with unionized employees (53%) were more likely than non-unionized (39%) organizations to agree that online degree programs are equally credible to traditional degree programs.

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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Are job candidates who have obtained their degrees online viewed more favorably or less favorably than job applicants with traditional degrees (i.e., brick-and-mortar)?

Note: n = 446. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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In your experience, how often do job applicants identify on their resumes whether their degrees are obtained through an online degree program?

Note: "Not sure" responses were excluded from this analysis.

Hiring Practices and Attitudes ? Traditional vs. Online Degree Credentials| Commissioned by ?SHRM 2010

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