"Prestigious school complex": the substantial unfairness behind the unfair procedures
The employment of college graduates has always been the focus of attention from all walks of life.
In the labor market, some employers use whether the first-degree graduate school is a "double first-class" college or the traditional 985, 211 colleges and universities as the screening threshold, restricting graduates with the first degree from ordinary colleges and universities from applying for jobs, leading to graduation from ordinary colleges The gap in employment opportunities between graduates and major college graduates has widened, which has aggravated the employment anxiety of college students.
The employer’s first degree preference,
Mainly because of the balance between recruitment cost and talent selection
The first degree preference is essentially a matter of talent selection by employers.
From the perspective of the employer, using the first degree of "985" and "211" as the screening criteria increases the screening efficiency and is a more time-saving and labor-saving approach in recruitment.
Under this circumstance, graduates from colleges with the first degree of "985", "211" or "double first-rate" send signals of individual value to the labor market.
Employers recognize "985", "211" or "Double First Class" college graduates as outstanding talents who have passed the college entrance examination. They can create higher value in the employer and are easier to grow into the backbone of the enterprise.
Although this kind of recruitment selection method may miss the best in ordinary colleges, the recruitment cost saved can make up for the loss of missing outstanding talents.
Most employers who have a preference for the first degree in the recruitment process are generally screened through the first degree when the second degree is not much different. They are selected among the best, and there are few who ignore the second degree and only Recruitment and hiring decisions are made based on the first degree institution.
Such a decision may neither conform to the economic principles of recruitment, but also easily lead to various legal disputes.
On the whole, the main reason for the preference of employers for the first degree is the consideration of the balance between recruitment costs and talent selection.
Take the recruitment of teachers in colleges and universities as an example. When recruiting faculty with doctoral degree, many colleges and universities require that the first degree of job applicants must be “985” or “211” and other key universities.
Even many colleges and universities that are not “985” or “211” themselves have put forward such requirements.
Such requirements frequently appear in the recruitment information of various enterprises and institutions, and even appear in local civil service examinations.
Although some employers did not publicly state their preference for the first degree in their recruitment information and did not use it as a recruitment condition, they still use the first degree as the standard in actual recruitment, and this standard will eventually be known to job seekers.
Many factors have led to the preference of employers for the first degree.
The imbalance in the supply and demand of graduates with a high degree of education in the labor market is the root cause of this phenomenon.
Since the expansion of college enrollment, the number of graduates with a high degree of education in my country has continued to rise, while the growth of high-quality jobs has been limited, resulting in intensified job hunting competition.
The threshold for high-quality corporate jobs has also continued to rise.
Surveys have shown that most college graduates can perceive the phenomenon of "checking three generations of academic qualifications" in recruitment.
"The complex of prestigious schools" is the psychological factor that causes this problem. Employers regard graduates from key universities with their first degree as a means to enhance their organizational influence.
In addition to the difference in employment results,
There is also a preference for the first degree in terms of starting salary, salary increase, promotion opportunities, etc.
In addition to differences in employment results, preference for first degree may also extend to other aspects of talent use.
For example, in terms of starting salary, salary increase, and promotion opportunities, there is a preference for the first degree.
If these differences are supported by performance results, they are in line with laws and corporate employment standards.
However, if the key colleges and universities provide differentiated treatment for different graduates based on whether the first degree is only, it may involve employment discrimination, and employers will face legal risks.
From a more macro perspective, the preference for the first degree will have a negative impact on the labor market and increase social operating costs.
First of all, the first degree discrimination will exacerbate the job-hunting anxiety of ordinary college graduates and increase the job-seeking difficulties of ordinary college graduates.
In particular, outstanding talents in ordinary colleges and universities are unfairly rejected by employers, and they have lost opportunities for employment and development.
Second, the preference for the first degree will exacerbate the value differentiation between key colleges and ordinary colleges, intensify educational unfairness and excessive stratification of colleges and universities, further increase the degree of competition for college entrance examinations, cause employment pressure to be transmitted to elementary education, and cause social education pressure The increase in general has promoted the spread of over-education and slow employment.
Third, the preference for the first degree may lead to unfairness within the organization.
The first degree preference is applied to recruitment selection, which in itself is a manifestation of the insufficient selection ability of the employer.
If the preference for the first degree extends to other aspects of employment in the organization, it will not only undermine the principle of fair competition within the organization, but also violate the scientific outlook on employment, which is an unfair judgment of talents.
Fourth, the preference for the first degree may exacerbate the waste of higher education.
Even in non-professional, non-technical ordinary positions, some well-recognized employers with strong strength and high salaries do not consider the actual qualifications of the position, and still use key college graduates as the recruitment criteria, resulting in a waste of highly educated talents.
Replacing the previous "985" and "211" projects with dynamically adjusted "double first-rate" projects is an effective attempt to prevent the consolidation of resources and identity.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has clearly stipulated that it is forbidden to issue recruitment requirements that restrict the level of colleges and universities at job fairs held by colleges and universities, that is, the words "985", "211" and "double first-class" college graduates should not be mentioned in corporate recruitment information.
Although there is no special policy and regulation for talents using other first degree preferences, it is difficult to be judged as employment discrimination at the judicial level, but this does not mean that employers have unlimited first degree regulations.
Our country’s law protects citizens’ equal employment rights, and the employer’s restrictions on the first degree should meet the requirements of the legality and rationality of the purpose and means. If blindly following the trend and breaking away from the actual employment, there is a suspicion of discrimination.
Excessive emphasis on the first degree, regardless of job content and job requirements, is a behavior that undermines social fairness taken by employers based on the strength of the buyer's market, and it replaces sincere understanding and care of talents with a labelled management method.
Unfair procedures may eventually lead to substantive unfairness, affecting the formation of a correct view of talents in the entire society, affecting the evaluation and use of talents in the society, affecting the practice of talent development and the construction of an innovative country under the current Chinese conditions, and then affecting the overall strategy of strengthening the country by talents Advance and realize.
(Author: ZHANG Chenggang, associate professor, director of the China Research Center for the new forms of employment Labor School of Economics, Capital University of Economics and Trade)