Richard Taylor made the point recently that high-level academic qualifications can be a barrier to innovative thinking. Surrounded by MBAs he often finds he's the one who can think outside the box, whilst the formally educated apply their models and generate identikit ideas.
Sifting through applications for jobs I find often find - for expediency's sake if nothing else - that I have to use academic credentials as a proxy for suitability. But Richard reminds us that this is small-minded. Who hasn't worked alongside the holder of a doctorate who can't teach for toffee? Or the unfortunate recipient of a third from a 'second-rate' university who has pupils eating out of his hand?
It's tough when sifting through 50+ applications to a tight deadline to spot the pied pipers but it's surely worth it. Wildcards can sometimes be superb.