For 20+ years, frequently I would be asked to review dozens (sometimes 100+ resumes) to determine which approximately 10 candidates would be interviewed for initial placement and especially for promotion. It is VERY important to understand three key facts:
- The hiring manager and his senior director (me) can, perhaps, devote a minute (certainly no more than two) to each resume, and
- We are not experts in every arcane technical and managerial discipline; therefore, we are largely guided by perceived educational stature/u, and
- Seasoned professionals (third tier and above supervisors) tend to be 45+ years old (many are in their fifties and sixties); accordingly, newer universities have little real credibility with them (USF may be a fine school and Florida’s taxpayers may have substantially invested in its resources, but it was founded less than 60 years ago and was entirely unknown – probably outside of Florida – when we applied to undergraduate and postgraduate schools, 40 or 50 years ago).
Consequently, when we devote an hour to assess 50 or 75 resumes – and our goal is ONLY to find a few LOW RISK/HIGH PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS applicants to be interviewed – the opportunity for any USF student or alumni to be selected is essentially zero (of course, for internal promotions, this is not true and performance/reputation dominate).
You may feel this is horribly unfair and, clearly, you are correct. However, life isn’t fair and our mandatory objectives are solely:
- To not squander valuable time and to select the interviewees expeditiously, and
- To ensure all those who will be interviewed are very low risk, very high probability of success candidates.
Professional reputations are damaged by poor hiring decisions; accordingly, we are understandably quite risk-adverse. We simply can’t tolerate the Sector President reviewing an individual’s file, after he massively fouled up, and saying: “Who hired this guy? For God’s sake, he’s attended USF!”. His screw up would be equally severe if he graduated from UVa or Vanderbilt, but the unfavorable ramifications for those involved in his hiring might be less catastrophic: “You’re right, boss, he really did a poor job and he should not have been hired, but he’s a Penn BSME and we thought he was very well qualified.”
Finally, in my opinion, Florida would be better (generally more credible, with greater stature) than USF, but – candidly – not substantially so.
@screen8888, I’ve spent a good deal of time on this reply to assist – absolutely not to insult – you. I know it’s tough, but it is also an honest viewpoint from an individual with 45 years of actual post-Bachelor’s experiences.