Why employers are interested in where you got your degree

A Nairobi-based firm that conducted a three-year talent review of graduates concluded that those from public universities are “creative, ambitious, and fully engaged in being the best in their careers.”

“They are mostly creative and show their ability to think out of the box. They come ambitious and driven. You find that most of the recruited candidates have already started venturing into their own small businesses, part time jobs or internships before they graduate,” said another expert.

But graduates from foreign universities, particularly in the US and UK, are preferred for jobs at high management level due to their perceived interaction with developed markets.

“They bring in a wealth of new experience from their respective international work exposure,” says Ms Catherine Wahome, an associate human resource director at Deloitte, a recruiting agency.

However, employers have an axe to grind with graduates from some Indian and Ugandan universities.

“We are selective ... we consider only those from reputable or well-known institutions ... graduates from Kenya tend to fare better than their counterparts in Uganda and Tanzania,” says a senior official in a top city company.

The survey involved filling out a questionnaire sent to human resource directors and employment agencies as well as professional bodies’ chief executives.

More interviews were done through phone calls and face to face in areas where the respondents did not want to appear on record. Employment agencies represented their clients’ views besides their own.