It's a Catch-22 situation: You need experience to get a job, but first you need the experience. If no one hires you for that first job, you get no experience. So we go back to school to acquire more qualifications with the hope of getting a job. But as it turns out, employers favor experience over qualifications when it comes to hiring, according to a recent poll conducted by Student Gems in the UK.

One thousand five hundred managing directors were polled, with 61% of recruiters saying they would rather hire someone with relevant experience than one who had a degree. The industries that most valued experience over qualifications were, sales, followed by catering, then graphic design, then photography, then care work.

But this does not mean that these recruiters would hire someone who had experience but no qualifications. Twenty-three percent of employers said they wouldn't consider someone who had no qualifcations.

With millions of students currently studying for degrees, Student Gems said their goal is to encourage students to seek part-time work relevant to their degrees, instead of looking for work in a retail store or at a bar. They recommend that students work on their resumes and improve their experience in their area of study to make themselves employable.

Let's hear your opinion. Do you value experience over qualifications, in your field? Do share with us.