Why Results Matter More Than Degrees in 2025 Job Applications

Here’s an uncomfortable truth about today’s job market: your degree is worth less than it was a decade ago.

Look at the numbers. In Ireland, 63.9% of 25-29 year-olds hold tertiary education. In Luxembourg, it’s 61.1%. France sits at 54.3%, while the Netherlands and Cyprus both exceed 55%. Across the Euro area, we’re looking at an average of 44.9% of young workers with higher education, and in many developed nations, that figure soars above 50%.

The New Baseline

This shift represents a change in how labour markets value education. In countries such as Belgium (50.4%), Sweden (50.1%), and Spain (53.7%), having a university degree has evolved from being an asset to being average. It’s no longer “impressive that you have a degree, it’s “concerning if you don’t.” (See dr. Arie Glebbeek lecture on this phenomenon in the Netherlands (Dutch))

Also in Norway, where 57% of young workers hold tertiary education, employers can’t use degrees to filter candidates effectively anymore. When everyone meets the baseline, different criteria are needed.

Outliers

There are exceptions, of course. In Romania (22.8%) or Hungary (30.3%), a degree still carries significant weight. And specialised degrees in high-demand fields like computer science and engineering maintain their value even in degree-saturated markets.

Two other outliers are Finland and Germany. Finland has one of the world’s best educational systems, yet it has only 34.5% of young workers with a tertiary education. Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, sits at just 37.2%, both well below the EU average.

I’m hypothesising about the exact mechanisms at play here. But it makes sense that Finland’s exceptional primary and secondary education prepares students so well that many don’t need university to succeed professionally.

Germany’s dual education system (Ausbildung) provides respected pathways to well-paid careers without requiring a degree. A German “Meister” (master craftsman) often earns as much as university graduates, without the debt or lost earning years.

The stark contrast is telling. In Ireland or Luxembourg, where over 60% of the population pursues higher education, the degree has become the accepted path to success. Meanwhile, Germany and Finland have maintained genuine alternatives, including apprenticeships, vocational training, and technical certifications that employers value.

Countries with the best foundational education need universities the least, while those with weaker K-12 systems (from kindergarten to high school) view universities as necessary remediation. We’ve created a vicious cycle: the more degrees we produce, the less each one is worth, driving even more people to pursue them.

The New Currency: Demonstrable Results

So what does this mean practically? Well, when half your competitors have the same educational credentials, you need to showcase what you’ve achieved with them.

Let me break down four types of results you can leverage:

1. Professional Achievements

This is the gold standard. If you can demonstrate that your marketing campaign generated a 100% increase in company leads, you’ve proven your value. These real-world results speak louder than any CV.

2. Academic Excellence

Whilst not as powerful as professional results, strong academic performance still matters. In a market where 50% of the population holds degrees, graduating with top marks demonstrates that you not only met the baseline but also exceeded it. It shows intelligence, dedication, and the ability to outperform your peers.

3. Transferable Skills from Other Fields

Being fluent in three languages might seem irrelevant to that data analyst role, but it tells a story. It shows curiosity, discipline, and the ability to learn complex systems. The same applies to athletic achievements or creative pursuits. These “unrelated” accomplishments reveal character traits that help you stand out from other qualified graduates.

4. Demonstrating Potential Through Problem-Solving

Here’s a strategy that’s particularly powerful in degree-saturated markets: solve a company’s problem before they hire you.

Identify a challenge your target organisation faces. Study their materials, reach out to understand their pain points, then provide a solution for free. If you’re a marketer, conduct a competitive analysis. If you’re a developer, fix a bug in their open-source code.

Want to be efficient? If you’re a student, align this with your coursework. That market analysis assignment? Do it for your dream company. You’re doing the work anyway, might as well make it count twice.

Don’t be hold back by the fact that you will probably not actually solve any real world problems at this stage. Even fresh hires need to be trained before they can deliver results. However, it’s the potential you demonstrate by providing insight into your problem-solving skills and strong motivation that will strengthen your application.

The Bottom Line

Employers aren’t collecting degrees; they’re solving problems.

Show them you’re the solution, not just a qualified candidate in a market flooded with qualifications.

Start documenting your wins today, no matter how small. Build that portfolio. Share your process. In a world where everyone has credentials, those who can prove their impact will prevail.