The helpful folks at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) have recently provided vital information for college graduates entering the work force. This is must-have information, for knowing what employers want in new hires should be part of every graduate’s career plan.
According to NACE’s Job Outlook 2013 Survey, the number one skill/quality employers seek in job candidates is “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization.”
Here’s the NACE top ten in order:
- Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization.
- Ability to work in a team structure.
- Ability to make decisions and solve problems.
- Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work.
- Ability to obtain and process information.
- Ability to analyze quantitative data.
- Technical knowledge related to the job.
- Proficiency with computer software programs.
- Ability to create and/or edit written reports.
- Ability to sell or influence others (NACE, 2012)
This information is timely and relevant for me as well. For my doctoral dissertation, I am currently formulating research on the influence of Web 2.0 technologies on Millennial Generation students’ interpersonal communication skills and abilities. My own research echos the NACE finding — employers want new hires who can communicate effectively face to face.
In fact, Numbers 1 and 10 go hand in hand. Successful employees need excellent interpersonal communication skills in order to sell and influence others. Book after book, study after study, all proclaim that employers want effective communicators, but these works often cite “written and oral communication skill” equally. However, the NACE study is clear: the ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization is critically important.
Why is there such sudden emphasis on face-to-face communication among employers? Could it be that there really is a deleterious effect of growing up digital, of being a heavy user of Web 2.0-enabled technologies? Could it be that college grads of today are less skilled (or less predisposed) to communicate effectively face to face?
I have been curious about such questions since I began my college teaching career in 2004.
By next spring, I hope to have clear answers to such questions once my mixed methods research is completed. I intend to study the phenomenon of Millennial Generation students’ interpersonal skills and abilities in considerable depth. I am excited about what I will learn.
But in the meantime, I hope all my students will pay attention to what NACE’s study found out.
Growing up in the digital world does affect my generation’s and future generation’s ability (or comfort level) with more personal communication – whether it be face-to-face or even on the phone. We prefer to text and email all the time.
I spend the majority of my job communicating with local media, and I even would prefer to send tons of emails to pitch ideas and follow up rather than just pick up the phone and call. With that said, many younger magazine editors and television producers/bookers never answer their phones or return voicemail messages, but they are quick to reply to emails.
I’ve even heard of people “texting out” of work instead of just calling their boss or the office, they will send a text to say they won’t be in.
Hello May, great to hear from you. Thanks for your insight into Millennials. What you say here is interesting. I agree. It seems face-to-face communication is dying with the advent of Web 2.0. It is curious, isn’t it.
I hope you are well and happy. I miss having you in class.
Les
As I am part of the Millennial generation I can say I’ve seen it do great and horrible things. Although there are many who are extremely vocal online and extremely awkward in real life there are those who can balance. Personally I love talking to people face to face and since the common perception is that most my age don’t like it, I stand out a bit. Combine the networking you can do online with the ability to hold a conversation and you’re already a tier above the rest.
Every contact I’ve made, every internship I’ve had has somehow come about through social media and with after some time at that position I am usually told they were more concerned with my personal skills and “aura” than anything on my resume. I’d love to help you out on your study any way possible by the way. Going to go “play out in the sunshine”