Recruitment practices are the gateway to talent acquisition for any institution, but in Bhutan, the current standards of recruitment often seem to miss the mark. Across industries, the requirement for specific degrees—such as BBA, B.Com, or MBA—has become a rigid norm, especially for sectors like banking, finance, and management. While it is true that certain roles necessitate specialized education, this inflexible approach can be a hindrance, resulting in missed opportunities for both organizations and individuals.
It’s high time we rethink how we hire, and the first step is recognizing the limits of Bhutan’s conventional recruitment practices. Are we genuinely selecting the most capable people for our jobs, or are we merely filtering candidates based on paper qualifications? This blog post is a call to action, challenging the one-size-fits-all recruitment mindset, and advocating for more inclusive, skill-focused hiring processes.
The Overemphasis on Specific Degrees
A prevailing issue in the recruitment landscape of Bhutan is the overemphasis on narrowly defined academic qualifications. Organizations, especially in fields like banking, often require candidates to have degrees such as a BBA or B.Com as a baseline requirement for consideration. However, this approach tends to overlook other attributes that are equally crucial—attributes like practical experience, creativity, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit.
The unfortunate truth is that many employers are simply using degrees as a lazy shortcut to judge an applicant’s capabilities. But a degree is just one dimension of a person’s profile. It speaks to a specific type of training, but it doesn’t tell you whether someone is capable of thinking on their feet, managing complex situations, or connecting with people in a meaningful way—qualities that are vital for most roles in today’s rapidly evolving work environment.
Specialized Skills vs. General Competencies
While specialized education is essential for certain careers, such as engineering, medicine, or law, it is not always necessary for more general roles. Banking, for example, requires a foundational understanding of financial systems, but many tasks in banking also require critical thinking, customer relationship skills, and a keen understanding of human behavior—competencies that individuals from varied educational backgrounds might possess.
Imagine a situation where a talented candidate with a background in psychology or sociology is rejected from a customer service role in a bank simply because they lack a BBA. The truth is, someone trained in understanding human behavior may actually be better equipped to handle client interactions, navigate complaints, and build relationships with customers—all of which are crucial to a bank’s success. Yet, they are disqualified because the institution has restricted its vision of what a qualified candidate looks like.
The Self-Imposed Limitation of Talent Pools
By focusing too narrowly on educational qualifications, organizations in Bhutan are drastically limiting their potential talent pool. Instead of finding the best fit for the role, they end up filtering out candidates who may not possess a specific degree but who have cultivated valuable skills in other fields.
This overemphasis on degree-specific hiring creates a two-fold issue:
- Underutilization of Talent: Individuals who possess skills and potential for certain roles are often overlooked because they do not meet the narrow educational requirements.
- A Constrained Workforce: Graduates feel pressured to pursue fields like business administration or commerce just to fit into the predefined roles that companies deem “acceptable,” leading to an uninspired, unmotivated workforce that chose their path out of necessity rather than passion.
Education Should Not Be the Make or Break Factor
Education is an important aspect of any candidate’s qualifications, but it should not be the make-or-break factor that decides their entire career trajectory. Education provides a foundation, but actual workplace skills are honed through real experience, adaptability, and continuous learning—traits that a degree cannot always reflect.
A truly effective recruitment process would be one that looks at an applicant’s education as part of a broader assessment of their overall abilities, motivations, and potential for growth. Recruiters should ask themselves: Does this candidate have the ability to learn on the job? Are they motivated and passionate? Do they bring diverse experiences that could add value to the organization? By answering these questions, employers are more likely to build a capable and dynamic workforce.
A Need for Wholesome Recruitment Practices
Organizations in Bhutan should reevaluate their recruitment strategies and consider adopting a more holistic approach. Instead of relying solely on degree qualifications, companies should focus on candidates’ overall profiles—examining work experience, internships, personal projects, extracurricular activities, and, importantly, their attitude and willingness to learn.
Take for instance the example of a startup hiring its first few employees. Most startups, due to resource limitations, cannot afford the luxury of only looking at people with the “right” degrees. They look for individuals who can wear multiple hats, adapt quickly, and solve problems independently. This mindset is precisely what many larger organizations in Bhutan could benefit from: hiring people for their potential and adaptability, not just their diplomas.
Moreover, Bhutan’s cultural and economic context is unique, and this uniqueness should be reflected in the recruitment process. The Bhutanese workplace benefits immensely from people who understand local culture, values, and the importance of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in guiding societal progress. Someone may not have a specific degree, but if they are passionate about contributing to Bhutan’s progress and well-being, their motivation can make a significant difference within an organization.
A Call for Change
If Bhutanese organizations continue to put rigid filters on who can and cannot apply for certain jobs, they risk stunting not only their growth but also that of the entire country. Education is evolving, and people acquire skills in diverse ways—through self-study, online courses, mentorship, and real-world experiences. Companies must adapt to this changing landscape and acknowledge that a degree is merely one of many paths to competence.
It’s time for Bhutanese employers to reconsider how they evaluate candidates. Rather than narrowly focusing on specific educational credentials, they should prioritize potential, skills, cultural fit, and passion for the role. Organizations should consider scrapping degree requirements for positions that do not truly need them and focusing instead on designing assessments or interview processes that reveal the actual capabilities of applicants.
Towards a More Inclusive Hiring Future
The time has come to shift towards a more inclusive, skills-oriented recruitment process in Bhutan. By doing so, organizations will not only open their doors to a more diverse and vibrant group of applicants, but they will also benefit from innovative, motivated employees who bring their best to the job—not because they have the “right” degree, but because they are the right fit.
Organizations must not shoot themselves in the foot by limiting their talent pool to those with specific degrees. Instead, they should focus on crafting recruitment strategies that value skills, life experience, cultural fit, and the will to learn and grow. Ultimately, it’s not just about filling a role; it’s about finding the right person to thrive in that role, drive growth, and contribute meaningfully to the success of the organization and the community at large.
