Five Tips for Finding a Job with an Online Degree

Published on Wednesday 9th 2006f August, 2006

After graduating with an online degree, many people with either continue at their current jobs, or find new jobs. Unfortunately, in some job markets, employers are still dubious as to whether the education received from an online school is a strong as the education received from a traditional college. These days, many traditional colleges are allowing students to learn online. But convincing some employers may take more than a rational explanation. Below are five tips that will help during an interview with an employer who is unsure about online learning programs.

1. When updating a resume, include online colleges with their accreditation status. If the college is a known online college or sounds like an online college, include the accreditation information in parentheses after the college. This will ease some employers concerns when they see the college listed on the resume.

2. When interviewing for a job, mention projects that were completed during the program so employers will understand the type of hands-on learning the program provided. Mention internships, marketing reports that were analyzed, and any group projects. Some employers feel that a person cannot learn everything they will need to know over the computer. By explaining different projects and what one learned from these experiences will help to convince them.

3. Always mention other work experiences that are relevant to the job. Employers like people who are problem solvers, who take the initiative, and who produce results. By mentioning other experiences, employers will see beyond one's educational background.

4. When discussing skills learned in college, use descriptive verbs like 'awarded', 'achieved', 'certified', and 'created'. These words will help a potential employer forget that a person's degree is from an online college.

5. If possible, try to connect the online college with a traditional college. If the colleges were affiliated, or if the program hired professors specifically from another college to teach a class, it will give the online college more credibility.

Many employers do recognize online colleges as valuable and understand what they can teach students. Larger companies rely on online colleges to further train their employees. It is still best to avoid mentioning that one's degree is from an online college unless the employer brings it up during an interview, however. Once a person is hired, where they went to college will not matter. What will matter is how well a person serves their company and how they perform their job duties.

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