Is postgraduate training a guarantee of (better) employment? According to the latest data from the study "Employability and postgraduate courses from LHH Recruitment Solutions", only 1.64% of the job offers published in our country require this type of degree. Although it does not seem like a high figure, having a master's degree can be the differential feature when choosing a candidate in a selection process.
In recent years, more and more specialized master's degrees have been appearing according to the higher education that the candidate has completed. This makes it possible for those who opt for this training to give added value to their studies or seek a more specific specialization within the sector to which they want to dedicate themselves. In this line, when choosing a master's degree, a lot will depend on what that worker wants to specialize in, but luckily today, for each sector there are very specific specializations. From here, it is about seeing what value is given to this master's degree in the job market, and what benefits the student can obtain, both in terms of knowledge and job opportunities.
Studying a master's degree after completing higher education brings many benefits to candidates, as it allows them to provide added value to their candidacy and, above all, benefit from a more practical part (until now, university degrees were basically theoretical), which allows you to gradually enter the world of work and begin to put into action the knowledge acquired during the years of study.
In the event that you already have work experience, studying a master's degree makes it easier for the candidate to have a more pronounced professional growth within their company or sector. Studying a postgraduate course will also allow you to have contacts both with the professors who teach it and with the other students who are studying it, establishing an important networking network, which will be very useful for the future.
From my point of view, although I believe that companies take into account different items when selecting a specific profile –experience, fit into the company culture, languages spoken or written, etc.– it is true that in many cases it is also valued that that person contributes a master's degree in their professional curriculum. Mainly because of the specialization of the position that he is going to carry out. And, today, also, although to a lesser extent, for the skills that he brings in experience in handling new technologies. In the case of middle managers or managers, these studies will also be valued (especially the well-known MBA), as well as the organizational skills and business vision that the candidate brings to the position.
The latest studies highlight that according to the functional area, the companies that value this type of training the most are those that seek to fill positions for the legal area. In second place are quality, I D, and occupational risk prevention. And in third position, the technological, computer and telecommunications functions. This ranking can give candidates an idea of what areas are worth specializing in if they want to do a master's degree and in what type of offers they will be most valued. And although at the moment they occupy a third position, with the constant updating of new technologies, it is important to train in this section. It will be a safe bet for employment.
Companies – especially multinationals – value that people have completed a master's degree as long as it corresponds to their professional profile. Also the ability to have completed these studies (because of the high involvement and effort involved), and the institution in which they have completed it (prestige of the business school, university, etc.). Postgraduate training guarantees the candidate a crucial specialization for which positions and sectors. And the recruiters get a vision of what the candidate is like beyond the knowledge they can acquire through that degree (attitude, skills, involvement...).
I conclude by stating that having a master's degree opens up a wide range of possibilities for the employee in the labor market. In many cases it works as a springboard for those young people who are looking for a first opportunity in the world of work, since it is a differentiating element with the rest of the candidates. In others, for experienced professionals, the postgraduate degree guarantees employability and facilitates the improvement of professional category or reinvention. But, before making a decision, it is essential to analyze which jobs will be the most in demand in the coming years and what the work environment will demand due to digitization and decide what to take based on that information.
