Press Coverage
A degree of success - without the exams
Daily Mail - 2003-02-23
A degree is the best way to kick off a successful career, isn't it? Well, not always - and more people will probably be looking at other routes up the career ladder in the near future.
While a university degree is widely believed to be an automatic passport to success, it is not the only way to the top. You might be better off going straight into a career instead......
.......But you will stand a better chance if you write your CV specifically to compete with graduates, according to Zena Everett, of recruitment consultancy Perriam and Everett.
She says: "Be sure to stress your career goals and any work or training you have done to achieve them. You could even state openly that you chose not to do a degree in order to get started on your career - making your lack of degree into a positive attribute."
However, employers see a degree as evidence that you can stick to a tough task for three years, so your CV should demonstrate a similar level of commitment in some other way.
If you have been involved in a long-term project or have done charity work for some years, you should tell potential employers about it. You also need to show you can compete intellectually.
"Mention any courses or hobbies that demonstrate your ability to learn, such as building your own website or researching something you are interested in," Miss Everett says.
