Online Education - From the Employers' Viewpoint

Undoubtedly, employers are mostly skeptical about degrees obtained online. However, a number of them have realized that online degrees obtained from an accredited and reputed university with an established track record of performance-oriented teaching is credible. An increasing number of people enrolling for online professional degree courses every year have forced the employers to consider the benefits of online education. There has been a significant rise in online schools and colleges in Europe and the US, which is indicative of the increasing popularity of e learning. So much so that some of the most reputed educational institutes in Europe and North America are offering courses to their students online.

Research reports indicate that media, communication, and marketing industries, which are technology-driven, have whole-heartedly accepted the candidates who have secured professional degrees from accredited universities offering online education. These industries have shown their openness to understand various advantages of learning virtually.

Prepare Yourself for an Interview

Given below are some tips that you may work upon, if you are an online degree holder, to prepare yourself for an interview with your prospective employer, in case he fails to understand the credibility of your online degree:

· Insist on giving a test to give your employer a scope of evaluating your talent in the particular field and to show that you have garnered significant knowledge of the industry.

· Communicate in such a manner that the employer gets a glimpse of your time management, self-disciple, and self-motivation skills that you acquired through your online education.

· Highlight the importance of networking. Show him through your speech and assignments about how you benefited from regular online interactions with your mentors and fellow-candidates, and virtual learning.

· Illustrate your debating skills to the employer, to eliminate the doubt that online degree holders lack oral communication skills.

· Show your prospective employer samples of your assignments so that he understands the importance of an online degree program.

· You must produce transcripts as well as letter of recommendation that you obtained from your instructors, who obviously will be reputable, in case they are teaching at an accredited and established online institute.

· You must carry certificates that prove that the institute, from where you obtained your degree, is authentic and accredited, and the courses that it offers are certified.

· If possible, carry research material that highlight the importance of online education, various benefits they yield, and show how education online is equivalent to courses studied conventionally. This will convince the employer that you took up the course very seriously after thoroughly measuring its advantages and disadvantages.