“While I’m unemployed, should I return to school to get an advanced degree? Or maybe I should pursue a professional certification? Which will help me get re-employed quicker?”
As I lecture on the job search challenges and resume writing, I often get asked a question that is difficult to answer. “Should I return to school or should I obtain a professional certification while I’m unemployed? Do you think it will help me get a job?” Yes, there are a lot of anecdotal answers, but there is very little research to support a trusted response. And while most of us recognize the many benefits of continuing education, the real question is how beneficial is it in helping a job seeker become re-employed?
I’ve heard various opinions, but there doesn’t seem to be any definitive data supporting or refuting its benefit. These questions have been posed to the U.S. Department of Labor, and while they have data for those that do NOT currently have a degree, they have very little data to answer this question when asked by an experienced professional that already holds a college degree but finds that re-employment is taking longer than expected. This is where the questions most commonly arise — the professional with several years of work experience, with a bachelors degree, and unemployed for 3, 6, 12 months or more!
As a doctoral student at Pepperdine University in the field of Education, I decided to try and answer these questions. My dissertation is focused on insights from both Job Seekers and from Recruiters/Hiring Managers dealing with business professionals trying to become re-employed after losing a job. I hope to have the findings published and presented to the U.S. Department of Labor and to the U.S. Department of Education. But, to effectively assess the value of Continuing Education to the Job Seekers, I need your help.
Please consider this an invitation to take a 15-minute online survey regarding education and re-employment. If you are at least 21 and you 1) have experience hiring or interviewing job candidates sometime since September 2001, I’d appreciate your time and insight. Or, if you 2) are an experienced professional with at least a bachelors degree and have been unemployed for more than 3 months sometime since September 2001, insight on your job search experience would be appreciated.
If you’d like to participate or you would like more background information on the research, please check out this website: http://www.trayser.com/dissertation
Thank you in advance for helping with this research!
Posted by mrl8nite 
