Nervous about a company that prefers Ivy League grads.

Anonymous

October 4,2023 at 11:08AM UTC

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Nervous about a company that prefers Ivy League grads.

I worked on a team previously that placed a lot of emphasis on school prestige, preferring graduates of Ivy League schools.

The organization in general didn't have that value, but this particular team did. It was a negative experience, as some adopted a very superior attitude that disregarded experience and demonstrated capability.

(As for why I was hired--sometimes you can be the best option they have without being their "ideal" option, if that makes sense. Also, pressure from HR to think more practically and to be more open-minded.)

I'm interested in another company that I've admired for years yet have been hesitant about because they clearly primarily recruit from Ivy League schools. While the initial conversation with the internal recruiter was positive and he wants me to move forward, I continue to think about the negative experience I had before.

*Would you assume that any company that cares about pedigree to this extent will behave the same way as my former team did toward someone who doesn't fit that mold?*

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AnonymousOctober 4,2023 at 11:48AM UTC
Please just do your best in pursuing and not starting off with judging them with that bias. Why buy into that mindset. Do your best and be open to this and a new opportunity regardless. You need to get out of your head.
AnonymousOctober 5,2023 at 10:11AM UTC
I agree about being a bit too much in my head. Remaining open-minded is best.
AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 1:49PM UTC
If it is at all possible to both, at the same time, trust your gut feelings. As another commenter mentioned, it can be a collection of very entitled people, and if not managed well, a nightmare for someone not in the club.
Alexis GladstoneOctober 4,2023 at 12:35PM UTC
I wouldn't make any assumptions. If you are still interested, you should continue through the process. Don't forget that interviewing is a two-way street. They are evaluating you for skill and fit just as you are evaluating them. You can always drop out of the process or turn down an offer if you find that the environment mirrors your previous team.
AnonymousOctober 4,2023 at 12:40PM UTC
Past behavior is the best indicator of futures behavior.
But......you may be projecting your insecurities onto the situation as bias.
AnonymousOctober 4,2023 at 2:01PM UTC
If I get to the interview stage, I make no negative assumptions. They won't waste time interviewing someone who isn't hireable. They may have an internal or even external candidate who's a shoo-in, but I won't make that assumption.
There are many non-Ivy schools with stellar reputations, though which school has that reputation varies by specialty. I got my master's degree from Columbia, but Indiana University is more respected in my field.
Sarah BordersOctober 5,2023 at 1:42PM UTC
Here’s an exercise that may help, depending on the industry: On a computer (laptop or desktop—not a mobile device), go to LinkedIn and look up the company. Click on the “People” tab, and I’m willing to bet in the demographic graphs that show up there, you’ll see a diversity in where the employees went to school. Even if there isn’t much diversity in background, statistically speaking, that means they’re due for it.
I’m sorry you have had such a negative experience with your old team. Done properly, the hiring process should be about getting the best candidate for the role and not the candidate with the most prestigious educational background. Another way to look at this situation is that you don’t want to work for a company or on a team that is that exclusive. As I’m sure you’ve observed, it’s a bit of a slippery slope when one or more of those Ivy Leaguers turns out not to be a good fit or can’t deliver on the idealized expectations they project. Just don’t forget that you’re interviewing them, too. Good luck!
AnonymousOctober 5,2023 at 1:55PM UTC
If you get to the interview round, asking the hiring manager how he feels about the school you attended might give you an idea. Likely, he wouldn't expect that question, so don't necessarily toss the red flag if he hesitates. Go in prepared with a response if he asks you why you asked that question. Just give generalities about your experience with companies that prefer Ivy League degrees.
AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 1:46PM UTC
Nice question! It’s easy to be the outsider and this question will at least help you get an idea of the culture.
AnonymousOctober 5,2023 at 4:44PM UTC
Without knowing where you went to school, unfortunately, certain schools have reputations such as "being a party school" or "letting in anyone with a pulse " or not being "academically rigorous" which is no to say that you cannot get a great education or graduate with great qualifications. Its possible that this may cause a certain degree of bias on the part of the hiring manager, which is unfair and may cause some worthy candidates to be overlooked.
Also, Ivy league schools as well as many private colleges have extensive and deep rooted alumni associations. Alumni help alumni in the job market. Therefore, if a hiring manager discovers a candidate is an alumni of their particular school, that candidate could very well have an edge against other candidates with all things being equal.
This is an unfortunate bias. I worked at a job where 90 percent of the employees were alumni of two prestigious private colleges and it was hard to not feel like an outsider. The best you can do is go into an interview showcasing your best self, qualifications and uniqueness you could bring to the job. If relevant to the job, you could also discuss internships, relevant coursework and extra curricular endeavors during your undergraduate that might give you an edge. Best of luck to you.
AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 1:40PM UTC
As you mentioned, if for no other reason than practicality, it doesn’t make sense to limit your potential employees to a small pool of highly sought after candidates.
I spent some time in HR at a fortune 50 company that had a “leadership program.” Those employees were hand-picked, usually from ivy-league or top tier engineering and business schools. They were treated much differently than “regular” employees (Apple electronics vs dell laptops, etc.), put on all the highly visible projects, and generally a pia for everyone else. They usually left the organization within 3-years, and the program really ticked off the “regular” employees that had proven themselves for years. The 8 month rotation meant that they had just enough time to make a mess of something, and then move on, leaving someone else to clean up. Of course, all their assignments were successful. There were a few that were amazing as people and as thinkers, but more in the meh or WTH categories.
My point? Unless the corporate world changes (it hasn’t yet), I’d steer away from an organization that is biased towards ivy-league candidates. It tends to be a mess for everyone else. - you don’t want to be the clean up crew for group of people who can do no wrong and all their life experiences has taught them this.
I also spent the last two years working at an Ivy-league university, and for the most part, feel the same way about a significant chunk of the folks that work there - very important, ALL of them, and in general just more difficult to move towards consensus. Lots of people cleaning up after them - and the waste (time and money) was crazy!
AnonymousOctober 6,2023 at 6:41PM UTC
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Definitely something to keep in mind.
maria roseOctober 6,2023 at 6:51PM UTC
If you have not seen the series called Suits, you should watch it because it addresses this issue of the preferences for a degree from a certain brand name school versus looking at potential employees skills set ability to fit the job. Most companies that “hire” from a certain school are looking for a certain mindset of thinking not realizing that they can find that same mindset without the name brand degree if they interview correctly in their application search. Never feel guilty that you don’t have a pedigree degree because the degree paper name didn’t give you your skills , you developed your skills.
AnonymousOctober 7,2023 at 12:38PM UTC
Was your negative experience an intern or entry level role? This is always so weird to me. Never in my 10+ years of experience has anyone turned to me after I make a decision, lead a team, implement something, build strong business relationships, etc. and ask "..but where do you get your degree from?" Note, I've always worked for some big brand companies folks know and admire.
If you have the skills and knowledge, lead with that. Further, if you get the role, your new teammates shouldn't be asking you what school you went to...it's just silly for professional adults with experience to ask IMO.
Wanda ShawOctober 7,2023 at 11:55PM UTC
Someone - namely a job recruiter, has assessed your talents and acumen and have pretty much said that you are qualified to apply to a position and you’re doubting your capability to perform because your degree isn’t from an Ivy League school? Here’s my simple ask, Why? I get it that you’ve had a negative experience in the past with an organization that pretty much operated on a cliques principle. It’s unfortunate, but you’ve allowed this one bad experience to live in your head to the point that it’s literally threatening to stop your future advancement. Please don’t let this happen. Life is way too short and good opportunities too infrequent for you to sit in doubt about your skillsets over something as trivial as the name on your undergraduate diploma. Take the next step in the interview process. Even if you fail, the one thing you won’t have to live with is the regret from not trying. Best wishes.
AYANNALYSEOctober 8,2023 at 6:00PM UTC
The fact that they choose an outsider I would be proud as hell.. being from ivy league doesn't make you smarter.. sometimes their background is what got them there ..
Jennifer Fay Bogar-RichardsonOctober 9,2023 at 1:50PM UTC
IMO, that’s lazy recruiting. If a school name is your focus, then you’re poor at vetting real talent. I’m definitely not saying this doesn’t exist among Ivy League graduates (my brother graduated from two Ivies and works for one), I’m saying there’s tons of talented people in the workforce that would contribute just as much, if not more to drive the company forward.
AnonymousOctober 9,2023 at 3:06PM UTC
Only a problem if you didn't graduate from the Ivy League!
Shelby COctober 9,2023 at 5:23PM UTC
We focus on positive comments here. Please remove yours.
maria roseOctober 11,2023 at 5:05PM UTC
Having a specific Ivy League degree doesn’t necessarily guarantee a person a job. It’s just a perceived mindset.
Annetta MosesOctober 9,2023 at 11:46PM UTC
In general, people are comfortable with what is familiar. If a person has a degree from a school they may tend to hire heavily from that school because those individuals fit with the company. I also know that good HR departments encourage hiring managers to have diversity. And I have worked for companies that skewed toward having a lot of people from one ivy league school appreciate the knowledge people who went to others schools brought to the company. Every company is unique. Give this new company the benefit of the doubt. Once you have a job offer you can ask about their recruiting policies and determine if they value diversity. Then you can decide to accept the offer.
Good luck.
Rosa GoesOctober 12,2023 at 9:49PM UTC
I recommend you move forward with the company and if all is going well in the process, you can request an informal interview with the team you will be a part of and ask them questions about the job.