“It’s like a puzzle, where the winner will be the one with the most pieces. A Mexican may have in his favor having a postgraduate degree abroad, but if he does not have the skills The main skills needed for the position are less likely to be selected compared to another applicant who studied here and who does have the skills required,” he explains.
So, how does it benefit having foreign studies in the labor market? It depends, says Alejandro Paz, country manager of the recruitment company Robert Walters. The contracting company would have to value this type of differentiator and monetize it, either because of the specialization or because it is a unique profile.
It is advisable that the applicant in question do a preliminary investigation of the company they are looking to enter. That he knows his values, DNA and that he identifies a general profile in the collaborators who are part of his staff. Today, there are several organizations that even have scholarships to study abroad and alliances with universities as labor benefits.
On the other hand, unfortunately, in some selection processes there are still biases that feed discrimination. So much so, mentions Paz, that, in full boom of the edtechthere are several masters on-line that are excellent, but that are not valued or do not have the same weight as the face-to-face educational programs offered by renowned universities.
“That is why the recommendation is to do a postgraduate degree, as far as possible, in recognized schools and in areas of specialization that are required in the market to have a differentiator at the time of a job interview,” he says.
However, this is also a double-edged sword, adds José María Pertusa, co-director of the automated recruitment company Apli. Having a master’s degree abroad is a factor that causes a great impact on the interviewer. “As a recruiter, and being immersed in a traditional selection process, you assume that the person who comes from studying abroad or from a foreign company inherently has the desired skills.”
“As a general practice in the industry, it is dangerous to get carried away by this type of leap of logic, when in reality what you have to do is measure whether the applicant has the necessary skills for the position or not; and to determine it there are techniques that are much more precise than simply assuming a guess, ”he warns.
This does not mean that studying outside the country of origin is not a good alternative. It does make a difference in certain positions that specify it. It allows the applicant to have intercultural training, with the possibility of living a different educational experience. In a selection process, it is the differential between two candidates who master the skills required for the vacancy.
access to employment
A higher education degree improves opportunities in the labor market compared to lower educational levels, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, working conditions have worsened in the last decade and young people with higher education face two problems: informality and over-qualification.
“The labor market faces several paradoxes. On the one hand, Mexicans who have studied abroad can become overqualified and, on the other, companies cannot find the specialized talent they need. This has led informality to exceed formal employment rates in the country”, reflects Ventura.
According to the OECD, less than a quarter of the Mexican population between the ages of 25 and 34 has obtained a higher education degree, and within this small proportion of graduates, the evidence shows that their skills are not being used effectively.
The goal of specializing in high-tech, high value-added industries is also hampered by the low and declining proportion of graduates from ICT programs (2% of graduates and new entrants), according to the OECD. This suggests the existence of a mismatch between skills and the needs of the labor market.
According to the recruitment company Manpower Group, the sectors of mining and extraction, construction, communications, transport and services are those that experience the greatest difficulties in finding workers, while agriculture and fishing, commerce and manufacturing they have fewer problems.
The recruiters consulted believe that the lack of experience, high salary expectations, little technical training and the lack of skills in demand are the potential challenges for hiring personnel.