College Grad Expectations Beyond the Paper

While listening to NPR yesterday, I was highly intrigued by the segment they were airing in reference to the qualification gaps that occur between today’s post college graduates and the employers looking to hire for entry level positions.  Putting today’s high unemployment rates aside for the moment, the segment focused more on the information and insight from both the student graduate on their difficult job hunts, to the employers and what they perceive as issues that frequently arise from students leaving the university to enter the “real world.”  First and foremost, one particular study noted that many employers looking to hire college grads were disappointed in the lack of general communication skills the applicants possessed.  Poor interview skills, poor eye contact, the inability to write an effective business letter and lack of enthusiasm, all which played a part in why many employers passed on post collegiate applicants.  Those that did hire these individuals with their fancy papers, noted that they made the new hires go through multiple interviews, a rigorous trial periods and even yearlong training programs.  Moreover, one of the most highly praised qualifications for applicants was their involvement in an internship.   Employers and applicants alike praised the involvement of internships for the skill sets, communication fundamentals and basic office/work place etiquette, all in which aren’t so easily learned within academic walls.  Whether it’s praise for internships or the dismay for inadequate communication skills, I wholeheartedly back each notion as prime factors in obtaining a new career.

Graduating from The University of Michigan-Flint last winter, I now posses that fancy paper that will likely back my future job inquiries, however, I’ve been ‘faking it until I made it’ for a loooong time.  I’d like to thank my above average communication skills for that.   Fresh out of high school I enrolled at the university and began my job search immediately.  It was approximately my 3^rd or 4^th interview at a law firm that I amped up my game.  Extremely under qualified, the odds were against me, to say the least.   However, given the chance to even interview, I knew I had the possibility to sell myself and could do so with a smiling face, exuberant personality and unmistakable drive to impress and succeed.  Concluding the interview, I remember the lawyer looking at me with a grin, telling me how under qualified I was, reminding me that my pay would be decreased from the original offered amount, however he was willing to give me a shot.  That’s all I ever asked for.  Having a personality that says “determined,” or hell even “I give a shit,” says a lot.  Having been somewhat of an older, non-traditional student if you will, I can recall encountering several students at the university that lacked in basic human to human interaction, precisely why classes like public speaking and communication theory should be required as a gen. ed. class, period.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this topic falls 100% on the university, but rather on the students themselves to strive for more.  The university can only do so much, but it’s up to the individual whether or not they push themselves out of their comfort zone and become more than complacent in both their academic careers and overall communication skills.

Lastly, the idea of an internship, or in my case, a full-time job, can teach these valuable skills and lessons that both employers and students strive for, is an understatement.  I believe it’s extremely advantageous for students to have that “real world” experience.  I think for an employer to hold so much weight on these types of credentials is absolutely warranted.  I’ve learned years of valuable lessons that a college education simply can’t equate to.  While I certainly learned an overwhelming amount of information during my college years, I also learned some not so important things, which as pessimistic as it may sound, was a waste of time, energy and money.

In any event, I simply wanted to comment on the segment and give my endorsement to the findings.  My wheels have certainly been turning, for if employers, in today’s day and age are having a hard time finding qualified individuals, perhaps I should take my communication degree, work experience and awesome ( J ) personality down a new, perhaps more rewarding avenue than the one I currently travel. 

-A professor once told me (whom I believe his professor once told him), communication majors may not always be the first hired, but likely to be the first ones promoted -