|
There has been a long war raging between the types of graduates that employer’s versus colleges’ think they want. For over 20 years employers have said that college graduates are good in their individual studies such as: accounting, hi tech, chemistry, biology, etc. But employers continue to complain about the lack of soft skills from graduates. Why? In part two of this two part article we are going to evaluate this battle and try to understand where it is going. (See points 1 through 3 in Part One) 4- Being Engaging – Candidates who are engaging and knowledgeable end up be great employees. It is important to ask questions, add positive information to meetings and discussions. Never use too many metaphors or “fancy” words, it inhibits the communication cycle. 5- Working as a team- This is one of the biggest complaints from human resources and hiring managers. As college students working by one self is normal and you rarely work in a group situation. Once the student enters industry, the only way to be successful is to know how to work in a group dynamic. They are few jobs for mavericks and even a maverick must interface with the rest of the company from time to time. 6- Having Time Management Skills – Being able to keep projects on time and learn how to estimate accurately is a skill that has to be learned. But the graduates that do this the best are the ones who know how to control their personal and social life at work. They only use their phone, tablet and computer on breaks and during lunch and always give work top priority when they are AT work. Employers do not pay employees to socialize ALL day. 7- Learn how to learn – This always sounds funny to graduates who have spent anywhere from two to six years learning but it is important. When we talk to a graduating class we always remind them that by the time they march across that stage until they get their first job, some of their knowledge will be obsolete. So it is important to “learn how to learn.” In the past 10 years it has become easier to learn because of the internet. Everything from Youtube to TED lectures to books and lectures on line. It only takes the time and determination to learn what is necessary to improve and advance in your job. New graduates must realize that their generation will probably see more advances than any other generation before so it is important to dedicate the time and effort to keep up. Hopefully the academic officers and educators today will start to see soft skills as employers do… necessary for a productive, profitable and happy workforce. Let’s hope that this battle will end soon! Jim Stedt is a partner at The Business SoftSkills Company (GetSoftSkillsNow.Com) located in Santa Ana, California. They provide job readiness and workforce success videos for education, business, prisons and individual use. Training is available online, on DVD, or through an affiliate program. These products are the most complete and concise soft skills training packages now available for the price of an average college textbook.
Related Articles -
Soft skills, graduates, employers,
|
