Employers Seek Real Skills
Skills Employers Seek
Yet another report indicates that today’s college graduates too often lack the skills employers seek. A special report issued by the Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace (March 2013) notes that about 50% of surveyed employers said they had difficulty finding new grads qualified for positions in their companies.
What skills do the grads lack? According to the report, employers say too many job candidates who are starting work miss “written and oral communication skills, adaptability and managing multiple priorities, and making decisions and problem solving.”
Nearly everyone agrees that most new grads possess loads of technological expertise. However, too frequently they don’t know how to use technology to solve specific problems at work.
To-Dos for Interns, Summer Associates & New Hires
If you happen to be a new hire, intern or summer associate, tackle this challenge immediately. Consider setting the following specific goals:
1) Weekly write 500 really great words on any subject of your choosing. Share your writing samples with others and receive their feedback.
2) Seek out any opportunity you can find to make a public presentation. Speak for five minutes on a subject without referring to a PowerPoint slide or notes.
3) The next time you receive competing assignments, or the next time an assignment conflicts with a training opportunity or social event, avoid asking a recruiter to intervene. Every opportunity you're presented with is important, and you must demonstrate your ability to balance competing demands on your own.
4) Use your smart phone, laptop or tablet to improve your problem solving skills. Start each day with two quick on-line games that force you to think and choose.
What You Need to Know?
Employers increasingly seek employees that have strong non-cognitive skills.
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