HEADLINE: TEN THINGS EMPLOYERS WANT FROM COLLEGE GRADS
BYLINE: CARNEGIE LIBRARY'S? BUSINESS LIBRARIANS
BODY: "10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College: The Know-How You Need to Succeed" by Bill Coplin. Ten Speed Press, 2003
It's sad but true that in our current economy it's very difficult for
new graduates to find meaningful employment. You want to use the
academic expertise that took four years and a considerable sum of money
to acquire. Your goal is to graduate with a high grade point average so
you'll be a desirable job candidate. But are grades alone enough to
make you stand out from the competition when you begin the interviewing
process?
The answer is, "No," according
to author Bill Coplin, a professor and student adviser at Syracuse
University. The students, recruiters, employers, and successful alumni
he has worked with make it clear that while grades certainly matter,
they aren't necessarily the most important thing employers are looking
for because they don't reflect the wide range of skills that are
necessary in today's workplace.
Coplin
realized that students who had mastered certain skill sets outside the
classroom were more likely to achieve future success. "10 Things"
synthesizes these essential skills into "Know-How Groups." The 10 broad
categories include establishing a work ethic; developing physical
skills; communicating orally; communicating in writing; working
directly with people; influencing people; gathering information; using
quantitative tools; asking and answering the right questions; and
solving problems.
This book provides a
practical blueprint for developing proficiency in each of the Know-How
Skill areas while you are in college. Courses and noncourse activities
are suggested, along with the minimum skill level you should achieve by
the time you graduate. Many sections conclude with a list of useful
print and online resources. For example, you should be able to speak in
front of a group without suffering from extreme stage fright. Take a
speech communications course that focuses on presenting to groups. Join
organizations that require you to speak in front of others. Make a
point of developing the interpersonal skills that you'll need during
your job interviews and in every job you take. Volunteer to work for a
political candidate, get a job in the alumni office cold-calling for
donations or get a job in your college library. The main thing is to
seek out possibilities for demonstrating initiative and a strong work
ethic.
If you can design a Web page, put
together a PowerPoint presentation, create a spreadsheet and know some
of the more advanced software programs such as PageMaker and Access,
you'll be invaluable to potential employers. Take courses and jobs that
require you to sharpen your research and Internet searching skills.
Learn how to collect and analyze data and develop effective
problem-solving strategies. Discover techniques for managing your time
and money well, because discipline in these areas is vital to getting
and keeping a job.
Many first-time job
seekers are passed over in the hiring process in favor of other
candidates who may be less qualified but are able to write and speak
effectively and have the ability to think quickly on their feet. If you
follow the good advice proffered in "10 Things Employers Want You to
Learn in College," you will be positioned far ahead of your classmates
as you begin the search for a promising career. Both college students
and their tuition-paying parents will be glad they took this course.
Also recommended are:
* "The Game Makers: The Story of Parker Brothers from Tiddledy Winks to
Trivial Pursuit" by Philip E. Orbanes. Harvard Business School Press,
2004.
* "Accounting for Managers" by William H. Webster. McGraw Hill, 2004.
