Ladies can I please get your feedback. About a month ago I've applied for an Senior Accountant position with a community college located in Baltimore Maryland. I did a phone interview with the Controller who oversee the Finance dept. Three weeks later I had a zoom meeting with the Controller and the Accounting Supervisor for the job role. I received an email from the Controller asking me to interview with her boss the VP of Finance and Administration. A few weeks ago I interviewed with her superior and during the interview I received an email stating they wanted to move forward with my application. My references were checked and background check was done. Upon completion and discussing offering of the position I received a phone call from Director of HR., stating they were rescinded the offering because I don't have an Accounting Degree. Now when I submitted my resume it shows that I don't have a Accounting Degree but my numbers of years identify my qualifications with 30+ years in the accounting field.

40 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 1:50PM UTC

   Apply for the positions anyway and state experience in lieu of degree. They can choose to interview you or not. As long as you are not deceptive you’re good. This situation is unfortunate but a good opportunity because they gave you feedback ,

   lame feedback,

   but an answer to why you didn’t get it which is helpful. Good luck!

2. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 2:00PM UTC

   Your years of experience should replace the degree requirement. Looking at the job description, do you meet the qualifications? If yes, sans the degree, PLEASE APPLY. "... as you can see in my resume, I have qualified experience to competently fill the role of...."

3. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 2:14PM UTC

   Your years should replace college degree usually. So I wouldn’t let it discourage you.

   One of two things happened. 1 - something on your reference check they didn’t like and saying no degree was the easy response or reason to rescind

   Or -2 In the situation you described, it’s an accounting job at a college. How would it look if one of their accounting staff members has no degree… ie if she’s gotten this far without a degree is the degree the school has worth it? Perception is everything).

4. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 2:41PM UTC

   I had same thoughts. The community college or University system is not going to put people in leadership.Positions who do not have a degree

5. Rina MeeAugust 3,2024 at 2:15PM UTC

   I feel that it is worth trying, but next time I would make sure to bring it to their attention at the beginning of the interview process and let them know that you feel you are qualified and why. Please never become discouraged. You will find the perfect position for you where they will appreciate your expertise! Have a great weekend!

6. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 2:40PM UTC

   That's a shame that they didn't notice that on your resume from the very beginning, Because it sounds like you are truly qualified. But you cannot change their minds regarding job qualifications... I think you are powerless to do anything at this point except for moving on mentally. This might simply be a policy of the college or university and if that is true you can't change it

7. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 2:43PM UTC

   Hi, please don’t be discouraged!

   I also do not have an accounting degree but I do have a CMA and 18 years of experience in accounting and finance. I have worked my way up to a controller position.
   Your experience is worth way more than a degree you would have obtained 30 years ago.

   My opinion on this is that they had a last minute candidate come in that they thought was better suited to the role/team culture/company culture and due to the lengthy interview process they put you through they had to find an excuse as to why they wanted to rescind the offer.
   To have you interview with that many people and a VP takes a lot of time, planning and effort on their part. You must have been displaying all the knowledge and expertise they were looking for, otherwise they would have not put you through to a next round, so please trust me that you not having a degree was irrelevant to them.
   I would even bet they were already aware of this.

   My only other guess would be that due to position being at a college the HR department maybe saw your resume as they were preparing your offer letter and there is a strict rule as to qualification requirements. Something the finance managers were happy to overlook but HR said a flat no to for the sake of policy.

   My advice would be to continue to apply for those senior accountant positions and ensure your resume highlights all of your achievements in each role, so that any hiring team can see you have achieved just as much, if not more so, than somebody who just happens to also have a degree listed.

   Good luck!

8. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 8:41PM UTC

   Thank you for your feedback. Yes it shows on my resume that I don't have a degree in accounting but I do have a Bachelor Degree in Security Management/Cyber Security. I will certainly take your advice as well as all others to keep applying for Senior Accountant roles.

9. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 4:01PM UTC

   It's a shame that they did not share the firm requirement with you about the degree before you went through the litany of interviews. Definitely learn from this one but keep applying for everything that you are professionally qualified for.

   If you were given a job offer and then during the background checking they rescinded the offer because you said you had a degree and it did not check out that is a valid reason for them rejecting you.

   You could reach out to leadership there and plead your case directly for how you are the most qualified for the role, but you may not want to do that. If not then in the next interviews that you have with the next prospective employer, tout your specific experience (though I would not say 30 years because no job description ever wants 30 years of experience) as if relates to the job. Tout your amazing references and technical skills and be clear in the first conversations that you do not have a 4 year college degree and ask if that is a stopper in their consideration. They should tell you clearly. Good luck in your search.

10. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 4:21PM UTC

    I definitely would not stop applying to these positions. You clearly have not misled anyone and have all the experience and skills. Sometimes companies will say one thing in a job description but can choose to make an exception or consider other criteria in lieu of a specific degree.

11. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 4:44PM UTC

    I don't think it should discourage you from applying. Community Colleges and academia, in general, seem to occasionally get fixated over degrees and sometimes the exact degree.

    For example, when I needed a job a few years back I went to my community college because they needed instructors with a MA in my field. I also interviewed, nearly got the job (not quite as far as you), and then someone noticed my MA was in Theology and Ethics, not Religious Studies, which to this day I still think is the same academic bucket.

    I did the same as you and thought I would never apply again. Turns out, no one has cared since. It was just that person.

    Like others said, YOU did not mislead anyone. You have a ton of experience and they liked you. The fact that they let not clicking a box ruin a good hire is on THEM.

    You are still an equally good hire. Just keep applying.

12. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 5:16PM UTC

    I am with you kid! I am also at one impossible step to get my teaching certificate and technically I can not have a teacher’s salary. Instead I applied to any teaching position that I see in the internet. I have been successful many times having teaching positions. Most of the times employers have rejected me because I do not have a teaching certificate.

    the moral of my story is that you never give up with what help you to improve in some way your life.

    Good luck

13. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 8:33PM UTC

    Thank you for your encouragement of words. I won't give up and like you said it's there loss plus the position I had applied for has been out there since April. The controller stated they couldn't find anyone who could fill that role.

14. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 10:17PM UTC

    Stick with it. I’m in higher ed and see this daily. Must have this. Oh and by the way there’s no correlation that a degree equals a good worker. None. You sound awesome!

    Look at PwC. They usually have pretty great opportunities and support women. From what I hear. I used to recruit in IT. Didn’t get a job as I was told they wanted someone moldable. Equates to younger. I was barely 40.

15. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 6:49PM UTC

    Don't give up. Your work in that field IS your degree. I bet it is more because you have 30+ years of experience. It sounds like ageism to me. I know I'm jumping to that quickly, but I'm running into it left and right. I can't even get a local job. So I have gone about stripping my resume of anything date related and only posting my last 3 jobs. In small gray font it says: Additional experience upon request.

    This one job I was dying to get finished with this response: 'Congratulations on such a long and amazing career.' I never heard from him again.

16. maria roseAugust 3,2024 at 8:43PM UTC

    There is such a thing as actual on the job skills that more than equate past whatever skill is possibly learned but not used in REAL life work situations. This applies especially in the area of accounting and if you have been doing accounting work for the time mentioned, you are more highly qualified than any newly graduated individual who just got their degree. You just happened to have been applying for a job that suddenly had a “preferred” (unknown to you ) show up in the list of applicants and the place had to create an excuse to explain why they didn’t want to hire you, despite your skills making you the best candidate. So unless they specifically in detail upfront need a specific set of qualifications ( like in this case, a degree in certain field requirements) your job skills and experiences are the requirements., over label college degrees .

17. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 9:38PM UTC

    keep applying. i work at the assistant controller level, have cpa, a degree in accounting and another one finance and I would definately hire the right person even if they didn't have a degree. experience, aptitude, ability, and attitude are much more important to me than a degree.

    one of the most useful accountants on my team has no accounting degree. i've also had former coworkers with no accounting degree who've gone on to work at the director/controller level in finance/accounting because they were smart and able to do the job well.

18. AnonymousAugust 5,2024 at 1:47PM UTC

    Thank you for your honest post. I will keep applying.

19. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 11:56PM UTC

    First thing that came to mind, given how far it went before it was pulled, was that the hiring team liked you and wanted you for the position, then HR was working on the offer letter when your application went back to them and they are the ones who refused to make an exception. At my institution, you wouldn't have gotten past HR to land in my box if you didn't have a mandatory component. But I can see a small school not catching that until they were doing comps.

    As far as leeway in letting experience sub for minimum educational requirements, you'd probably have better luck outside of higher ed. They/we tend to be pretty firm on at least a bachelor's, though there may be wiggle room in the specific area of study. Partly this is because exceptions open them up to disparate treatment claims. By ensuring the baseline is the same for everyone, they feel like they can at least defend themselves in court.

20. HILDA GAugust 4,2024 at 11:35AM UTC

    You are certainly qualified based on skills which you were able to master after how many years in the field. Don't lose hope, when a door closes, find another way. Best of luck!

21. AnonymousAugust 4,2024 at 12:44PM UTC

    It is possible that the community college is a public-sector organization and has to follow very strict compliance to stated job requirements. They must be able to defend themselves against any accusations that they did not consider candidates against the same criteria and process. I am not sure why no one checked that you met the requirements earlier in the process, but a private company that is equally impressed with your credentials can probably be more flexible.

22. AnonymousAugust 4,2024 at 1:30PM UTC

    I agree. You might want to avoid any state or federal affiliated organizations because of their regulations or requirements to the state or federal government . You may want to focus on private businesses who may pay better anyway. I hope this helps.

23. AyianAugust 4,2024 at 2:23PM UTC

    It depends entirely on the organization. Many will say "or commensurate experience", which 30 years absolutely is. If the listing says "x degree required", they've already made up their mind that experience can't teach what university does, which is a mindset - generally elitist. That's a bit of a culture tell honestly, particularly in accounting where you can learn all the rules, regulations, and tax law on the Internet without ever stepping into a classroom.

    Keep looking and as always, never stop applying until you have an offer so if that offer falls through, you've been having other interviews recently that might make another offer. Also, I've been using the indeed app, which prevents you from even applying to jobs that you don't have a required degree for. It saves them time and you too.

24. AnonymousAugust 4,2024 at 2:58PM UTC

    Very sorry you had to experience that. That was probably heartbreaking as I’m sure you’re immensely more qualified than someone straight out the gate with the degree—a lot of companies are moving toward a very strict requirement of making roles require a 4 year degree or other specific certifications/degree.

    I don’t think you should stop applying, but it is a question you should ask at the first interview. So just ask at the outset if your years of experience will be considered equally in lieu of a degree.

    Don’t assume because they did a background check or saw your resume they are aware you lack the degree. Sometimes those things just slip through the cracks due to the companies that do the screening being different from the people hiring, and being different from the companies conducting final background checks.

25. AnonymousAugust 4,2024 at 9:28PM UTC

    I am an adjunct instructor at a community college. Due to accreditation requirements schools are required to ensure that ALL employees meet hiring requirements as published. Even 1 employee, should their file be pulled could result in the organization being placed on a “conditional accreditation “. This puts the school at risk of becoming ineligible for federal funding and being able to participate in federal student loan and grant programs

    Unfortunately your application should have never made it past HR.

    please don’t allow this bad experience to discourage your job search. Your obviously impressed the finance staff at this employer and will likely do so at another

26. AnonymousAugust 5,2024 at 1:46PM UTC

    Thank you for your post. I retired about 3 years ago from a very large private non-profit university located in St. Louis MO with 26 years of services working in the Business Office as an Financial Analyst without an degree. I see to find that here on the East Coast things are very diverse but again I will take your advice into consideration.

27. ppinesAugust 5,2024 at 8:41AM UTC

    Have you considered Recognition of Prior Learning? This may be worth pursuing. I would expect that your years of experience would equate to a graduate degree, at the very least.

    Here's one university that offers this service in the USA: https://www.cmich.edu/blog/all-things-higher-ed/9-ways-to-turn-life-experience-into-college-credit

28. AnonymousAugust 5,2024 at 12:40PM UTC

    Happened before just continue applying.

    You will get an offer soon enough

29. AnonymousAugust 5,2024 at 1:11PM UTC

    Was an accounting degree stated as a requirement for the position or was it an accounting degree or X number of years relevant experience?

30. Jacob DornAugust 5,2024 at 3:16PM UTC

    Often institutions have their finances audited by independent auditors. Without reviewing their last audit report, it may be hard to know if they had deficiencies due to staff problems. Perhaps they ran your resume by their auditor for comment, and that is where your problem was. Try brushing up on the latest AICPA bulletins and slip in a reference the next time you interview with another accounting professional.

31. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 12:27PM UTC

    what is your degree in?

32. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 12:39PM UTC

    My degree is in Cyber Security

33. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 12:58PM UTC

    Is there anything in the job description stating “or equivalent combination of education, training, certification or experience”? I would push back to HR that you have the equivalent experience in lieu of the degree with a 30 year professional accounting background. I’m an HR Director, I would not have rejected your application if I could clearly see an equivalency of education, training and experience. Furthermore, I am concerned this might be age discrimination, with 30 years experience. And contact the hiring manager too. The hiring team was obviously interested!

34. Deb AllenAugust 6,2024 at 1:07PM UTC

    Read the job descriptions carefully, if a company is a federal contractor, then the listed "requirements" are not negotiable. ***Bachelor Degree in XXXX is required***. If the job reads anything about Degree OR combination of education and work experience, they are still looking for some kind of post HS education.

    I am honestly surprised a community college would be so specific, but they likely assumed on you having a degree based on your level and years of experience. Once they realized it was a lot of back peddling. They did not handle this in a positive way and I am sorry your offer was rescinded.

35. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 2:39PM UTC

    It is because they are a college. They want a degree whether you need one or not. Even if you have a Bachelor's that is adequate for the position they will want a Masters etc.

36. Maureen WhitehurstAugust 8,2024 at 3:59PM UTC

    This is good insight - colleges are accredited institutions. Degrees held by employees are audited by accrediting teams.

37. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 3:47PM UTC

    I am so sorry that happened to you. There have been a lot of helpful and insightful comments here, too!

    I came to say that not having the desired degree shouldn't discourage you from applying to other positions. It seems like every employer wants at minimum, a bachelors degree in that particular field, PLUS advanced degrees and certifications. My degree is in hospitality management; however, I've worked in HR for 20+ years. It's not been a hindrance to me - at least not that I know of and it's never been brought up in an interview.

    As others have suggested, keep your knowledge current and considering in enrolling in a class or specialization through Coursera or something like that.

    I wish you all the best in your job search!

38. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 5:00PM UTC

    Don't you think it was the 30+ years that was the real problem? Either that or one of your references as supportive as they say you are. That happened to me twice before a kind HR person described word for word which person was my mole.

    Ageism and/or a negative reference.

    Mine turned out to be a very long term colleague and friend of 10 years. I was even there for the birth of her first child.

39. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 6:45PM UTC

    So I recently went to hire someone, the recruiter screened him.. I interviewed him (hiring manager) then had my director interview him (department head) and we both agreed to submit the offer. HR then came back to me and said because the candidate had "4 jobs in the last 4 years they thought he wasn't committed or stable"

    I don't know why HR is making decisions like this but we ultimately had to pass on the offer. I still believe he was a perfect fit.

    I have also recently had a lot of HR weirdness like looking for degrees (although we recently had to fire someone for lying about their degree sooo I get this one) I think its just a way to weed through the 1000s of applicants we are getting on every post. All to say, don't take it personally and don't let it discourage you from applying to other openings elsewhere.

40. AnonymousAugust 6,2024 at 8:26PM UTC

    Unfortunately, it was an oversight. It appears your application was not screened before the Controller interviewed you and the Controller was so impressed with your impeccable background and experience. It also seems that none of the interviewers have "attention to detail" which I think would be required for that role. Someone on the interview panel should have seen this from your resume and had an internal discussion before proceeding with the background check and offer. Question: Did the job requirement state an accounting, finance, or some other type of degree was required before you submitted your application?

    Look on the bright side, you obviously have a great resume and you can speak to the job requirements based on your years of experience. However, most companies want a degree for any leadership position no matter how many years of experience you have.