Top 10 schools for employers (and what to do if your alma mater isn't one of them)

It's the graduation season again, and fresh graduates will soon flock to companies, submitting their resumes for that dream job.

For new members of the workforce, the first thing that employers look at are the schools of the applicants. JobStreet.com Philippines surveyed more than 450 companies, who listed down the top 10 schools that employers look at:

The resume which bears the applicant's university or college is the first thing the human resource department will see, said Jovelle Sera Jose, Human Resource Administrator at Amec Foster Wheeler Philippines.

"It is impressive if you have graduated from the preferred universities since we know the quality of output you can give. It’s merely guesswork as we still have to confirm it with series of tests and interviews. But, in the sourcing process it is an advantage," she said.

"As for the schools, for top or key positions, in my experience, someone from the Top 4 universities are being looked at.  Those [who graduated from those] schools have shown excellence and actually they usually would ace the tests that would be the first screening," Sera Jose said.

"Also, candidates from the top universities would usually have good interview feedback," she added.

More than the school

But while the applicants' alma mater is still important, employers that participated in JobStreet.com's survey said this was not the top priority in hiring fresh graduates.

The survey results showed that the respondent companies that deemed the school where the fresh graduate got his or her degree as important declined to 51 percent from 61 percent last year.

"The study shows that although schools play a factor to some extent in getting a fresh graduate noticed (set apart in the resume phase), and that internship experience counts (in the resume and interview phase), at the end of the day it’s the skills that get them hired and regularized," JobStreet.com Philippines marketing services and communication manager Eileen Camarillo-Go said via e-mail.

"Hirers specifically mentioned that they are looking for fresh graduates who are willing to be trained and trainable," she said.

In fact, the survey showed that those who think schools are unimportant grew to 27 percent from 21 percent.

Highlight your internship

The results also showed  employers want fresh graduate applicants to highlight internship and part-time job experiences, with 80 percent of respondent companies replied internship as something they would like recent graduates to have while half of them answered part-time employment experience.

"Sometimes a position asks for experience in the business. It is more important since school knowledge and experience is very different from industry experience. Also, this highlights the tasks that a candidate can accomplish without much training because they already have knowledge on it," Sera Jose said.

The JobStreet.com survey also showed employers are also very particular about the behavioral and functional skills of fresh graduates.

"Willingness to learn, initiative, and honesty and integrity continue to be the most important qualities employers consider in fresh graduates. On the other hand, the most prized hard skills in fresh graduates are communication skills and trainability," the survey results show.

Nail the interview

But what if the applicant has no or little work experience?

Do not fret! Here's an advise for fresh graduates: Highlight their assets, pass the qualifying exam and nail the interview, shared Sera Jose.

"Highlight your best achievement in school. Put in your extra-curricular activities," she said.

"Also include the trainings you’ve had, licenses, etc. Then prepare yourself always for the qualifying exam," she added.

After you pass the initial phase of application, prepare for the face-to-face interview.

"After you qualify, prepare yourself for the interview. Be confident in what you know and do and just put your best foot forward," Sera Jose noted. - JST, GMA News

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