Just 12% of C-Suite execs think grades even matter

Candidates are taught from a relatively early age that doing well in education will set them up for a great career. However, a survey from Kingsley Leadership Academy seems to counteract these preconceptions.

When interviewing over 200 C-Suite staff, just 12% believe grades to be a deciding factor when hiring a new employee. Instead, leaders cited ‘work ethic’ (60%) and ‘team work’ (45%) as more essential skills.

“Over 80% of large companies recognize that developing qualities of a future leader is an essential part of a child’s education, with most C-Suite staff advising recent graduates who wish to reach a leadership role to think outside the box as much as possible,” explained Arthur Carmazzi, of the Leadership Academy.

“In many ways, current school systems are outdated and not preparing children to succeed in this way; encouragingly, however, this research highlights what potential employers are looking for, and in doing so, identifies the areas where schools could be doing more to prepare children for a successful career and future.” 

Over half of professional services companies think that ‘leadership’ is the most important skill in a candidate, whilst just two out of the 14 industries examined think grades are even looked upon during recruitment.

In fact, the report found that the majority of large organizations only look at a candidate’s educational background to see where their expertise lies. Instead, for a leadership role, they would rather have someone who’s creative, flexible and adept at people management.