The Important Skills That Employers Are Looking for in Graduates

7/28/2019 The Important Skills That Employers Are Looking for in Graduates

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FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

OUMH1103

LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

ASSIGNMENT TITLE

The important skills that employers are looking for in graduates

Name : Dunstan Pilang Anak Rapail Ampi


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Table of Content Page

Introduction 1

1. The important five (5) skills that employers are looking for in graduates.

1.1 IT and computer skills 2

1.2 Communication skills 3

1.3 Teamwork 4

1.4 Problem solving skills 5

1.5 Leadership 6

2. Suggestions for future graduates, government bodies and educational 7-11

institutions to ensure that future graduates are equipped with the skills.

Conclusion 12

References 13


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Introduction

Every year, thousands of fresh university graduates flood the job market

armed with impressive paper qualifications but fail in their effort to market

themselves. To be a marketable graduate, you need to differentiate yourself from the

rest of the flock.

These days, at one of the most economically difficult times in history, you will

need to present something unique to the interview table, one that will make potential

employers wants you very badly to fill in the positions in their company. Now the big

question remains, what are the qualities that employers are looking for in graduates?

Among the top 5 skills that employers are looking for in potential workers are

IT and computer skills, communications skills, problem solving skills, teamwork and

leadership. These 5 qualities are the ones employers emphasize the most when

selecting potential workers for their companies. A worker that possesses these 5 skills

will definitely become an important asset to their company as their skills will enable

them to contribute deeply in their companys line of work.

Thus, it is imperative that future graduates should prepare themselves with the

necessary skills that employers are looking for, before leaving college or universities,

in order to make them stand out in the line when they are applying for jobs in the later

stages of their lives.

During these economically desperate times, getting a job as soon as possible

after graduating means a lot to graduates, to earn a living and the most important thing

of all is of course having the ability to pay back the student loans accumulated during

the university or college days. Any delays on the graduates quest to look for a job

will only result in having their loan accruing more and more loan interest fee.This report will delve more on the subject matter of uncovering what are the 5

top qualities that employers are looking for in graduates, and suggestions on how

graduates can prepare themselves with the necessary skills before entering the

working world.

Dunstan Pilang Anak Rapail Ampi 1

OUMH1103 Learning Skills For Open And Distance Learners


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1. Five different skills that employers are looking for in future graduates

Listed below are five different skills that employers are looking for in future

graduates.

1.1 IT and computer skills

According to Cryer (1998), ICT is seen as an important element of

developing students' 'marketability' to employers. Most employers will

expect graduates to be able to use a computer and work using it. For most

graduates, this will not pose a problem for them since they have already

learnt how to use a computer during their university years, using

computers to complete their assignment and to do their research by

accessing the Internet. Various institutes of higher learning nowadays also

integrate IT and basic computer courses in their syllabus.

Most employers will also expect graduates to be able to use at least

Microsoft Office software, as this is the core of every job. Report and

presentations will be prepared using this software, thus demanding the

users to be fully proficient in the usage of this software to help them in

their work. However, the types of software being use at work will vary

with the types of jobs. For example, an architect or an engineer will

probably have to be proficient in the usage of design software like

AutoCAD.

So, it is very important that graduates prepare themselves ahead by

familiarising themselves with the relevant software that is related to their

future career. Graduates can always go for short software training courses

or try learning by themselves. They can learn themselves by downloading

software guides on the internet, or simply purchasing relevant reference

books about the software.

One of the best ways to learn by your-self is by watching tutorial

videos about how to use the target software on the popular video sharing

site, YouTube.com. This is so far the best way to learn since graduates can

see it, and they can pause or play the video again multiple times if they

want to repeat the lesson. The tutorial video can also be downloaded and

stored.




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1.3 Teamwork

These days, having the best academic qualifications does not ensure that

graduates will get a graduate job. Employers are also seeking for graduates

that can contribute greatly in the workplace, and that skill is called

teamwork. A person that employs good teamwork skills can operate

smoothly and efficiently within a group, thus helping the group to achieve

some results. According to Singh and Singh (2008), Malaysian employers

prefer to recruit graduates that have the ability to work as a team.

The ability to work as a team matters because most employers own big

companies that employ a lot of people and graduates are to be expected to

work with a lot of people. So, finding a graduate that is good in teamwork

is top priority for most employers. The employers might be looking for

someone to strengthen their companys team, which might be lacking in

certain areas but the position can be filled by the potential graduate.

An example where teamwork will help is when your boss gives your team

a problematic, under budget project. The teams progress was stalled

because they were stuck in a certain problem that they cant solve, but

because of the simple solution that you contributed, the team was able to

complete the project successfully. So the idea is that everyone is the same

or equal, and everybody must contribute their energy, ideas and thoughts

to help the team achieve their target. In other words, all members of the

team must become one so that they become stronger and can overcome

any obstacles that they had encounters with.




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1.4 Problem Solving Skills

Employers are also in hot pursuit for potential workers that excel in

problem solving skills. Usually graduates are tested during interview

sessions by means of doing activities in small groups of applicants or by

employing a psychometric test.

What are problem solving skills? According to Md. Yunus, et al. (2005),

Problem solving is a generic skill that needs to be acquired in ensuring

success in learning and in the workplace. It is a matter of a person being

able to use their logical thinking, in combination with their imagination, to

assess the problem they face and being able to solve the problem by

employing logical thinking, creativity and analytical skills.

Why problem solving skills are important to employers when it comes to

choosing their potential workers? It is because problems are a normal

occurrence in our daily working lives, and a person who is able to solve

problems easily are an important asset to the company, which is why

employers are so keen on getting their hands on it. They want workers who

can solve problems on their own and thus speed things up, like maybe a

stalled company project.

For example, during the interview process the candidates can perform well

and pass the interview, but that does not guarantee that they will perform

good at their job later. Stress, pressured situation and short deadlines will

affect a persons ability to complete their job and being able to solve any

problems on their own is a bonus for them.




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1.5 Leadership

Employers are also looking for graduates that have leadership qualities in

them. Why is this important to them? We all know that it is impossible for

graduates to fill positions as manager straight away, but employers are

keen to employ graduates that show their leadership abilities because these

graduates will become an important asset to the company.

A graduate with leadership qualities can motivate others, colleagues or

small teams that are assigned to them, setting good examples for the others

to follow and proper assignments of works. Now, what does a good leader

do? A good leader is the one in control of steering the big ship, the leader

is in charge of the steering, steering the ship slow in its intended direction.

The leader is the one who sees the big picture. A good leader must be

organised, respects the teams under their command and be courteous to

them even if under pressure in stressful conditions. A good leader must

make their presence noticed, simply just being there as a leader is not good

enough as the leader needs to influence the group around them, focussing

their collective work force and combining it to become the final end results

that is desired.

Now, let me give an example of a situation where leadership qualities play

its role in the workplace. You are a leader of a small team. Your team has

just been assigned a very difficult target. You work hard to achieve the

target by motivating and guiding the team to achieve the target. Because

the total amount of work was a lot, you had to ask the team to sacrifice a

few days to do some overtime in order to finish the work. You also had to

manage some disciplinary problems among the team, by counselling or by

removing the incompetent staff from the team after considerable amount of

thinking. Finally, the team was able to finish the problematic project.




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2. Suggestions for future graduates, government bodies and educational

institutions to ensure that future graduates are equipped with the

necessary skills.

The first suggestion is how graduates can improve themselves in IT and

computer skills. Nowadays, graduates should not have any problem in the

field of IT and computer skills. All universities employs some sort of IT and

computer courses in their syllabus and plus, students need to be skilled in the

usage of computer in order to complete their assignments. Students nowadays

spend a lot of time in front of the computer but most of the time, students used

it for the wrong reasons, and engaging in online chat rooms and wasting time

in social media sites such Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and so on.

In order for graduates to grasp IT and computer skills, they need to start

nurturing those skills early in their lives. Go for short computer courses, or try

learning on your own. There are lots of abundant resources on the Internet to

facilitate self learning. Once you have mastered the applications or software,

you can be proud of yourself for managing to upgrade yourself. For those

choosing to learn IT and computer skills at established computer training

centres, that is also a good option provided that they manage to complete the

course and get a hold of some training certificate. Those certificates will

definitely help when graduates go for job interviews. Computer courses such

as Microsoft Office are always a good bet, since most employers expect

graduates to be able to use this software already. Graduates that have already

mastered the essential software in their line of work could also improve their

chance of securing a job by learning to use other types of software that could

be relevant to their jobs. Employers like to employ candidates that are willing

to learn new things and be able to learn quickly on their own.

Graduates can also further enhance their IT and computer skills by their own

blog in the Internet. It can help them learn how to run and manage a micro

site. It can also help them to develop some basics of website design and

improving their written language by writing blog post.




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The second suggestion is how graduates can improve their communication

skills. So many young graduates nowadays are living in their own cocoon and

are not aware of their surroundings. Some also maintain their bookworm

mindset wherever they go, thus these graduates cant communicate well with

their colleagues. These are the types of graduates that can pass any

examinations with flying colours but these are the ones that cant

communicate well with others. And no employers will be employing these

graduates since nobody works alone.

A graduate can develop their communication skills by a lot of ways. They can

also make use of their time at university to polish their communication skills

by getting actively involved around the campus. Simple acts such as joining a

student association, joining a debate club or drama club. Graduates can also

join the university radio group if they have one. These activities can definitely

help graduates to improve their communication skills as they get involved

around a lot of people.

Graduates can also get involved in their societies by joining their society

committee or their local resident council. That way, they can expand their

view and it also helps them to gain a firsthand experience by attending

meetings and so on.

For graduates that are having problems with their command of English

language, they can always improve it by enrolling in extra English classes.

Although it will incur some cost to them, but it is a wise investment as

graduates can improve their English in the end. Reading is also recommended

to graduates since these days, most graduate dont like to read. They only read

what they need to read, such as to only pass in their examinations. Get to read

good books in English as these activities could improve their vocabulary and

grammars. Only by reading more English books, graduates will be exposed to

the beauties of the English language and hopefully in the end, be able to use it

properly.




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The third suggestion is how to instil teamwork skills in graduates. From the

governments side, they have launched quite a few programmes that can

promote teamwork skills. An example would be the PLKN programme, which

most graduates have to attend before they attend colleges or universities. Not

only are these programmes is effective in instilling teamwork skills into our

youths, it is also an effective tool to nurture harmony among many races. Any

graduates that have attended PLKN will be able to work with anyone,

regardless of race and religion. These types of programmes will enable them

to prepare themselves for their future, especially when they are finally

working to support themselves. It is suggested that the government offers

more programmes like this, in order to further enhance our youths.

On the graduates side, they can improve their teamwork skills by getting

involve in and around suitable activities at the university. For example, they

can try to join the quiz team or debate club. The quiz team or debate club will

require a lot of team work as they have to cooperate with each other if they

want to win in a competition. Brainstorming sessions, discussions and

supporting each other is expected from these activities.

Being involved in team sports activities is also a good way to promote

teamwork skills. Sports such as football, rugby and hockey require the players

to unite as one team, in order to win the game. However, it doesnt matter if

your team doesnt achieve elevated status in the game league, because the

most important thing is the sports team itself. Win or lose, the team will

endure it as one team, and will accept any outcomes that come from it.

Teamwork skills can also be gained outside university walls. Part time jobs,

involvement in student committees during school days are also a good place to

start nurturing teamwork values. Its just a matter of whether a graduate wants

to do it or not. So, graduates are advised to just grab any chance they have to

practice and polish their teamwork skills before they graduate.




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The fourth suggestion is about ways of learning problem solving skills. It is a

vital skill that needs to be learnt by every graduate who aspires to get a job as

soon as possible after they graduate from institutes of higher learning. Those

who possess this skill will be a hot commodity among their potential employer

because a graduate that is skilled in problem solving skill can be a great

investment for them, getting workloads done faster and the ability to work

with minimal supervision.

Graduates can practice problem solving skills by simply not giving up when

their first try or solution was not successful, but rather keep on trying to work

it out until the problem is solved. Draw a simple plan on how to solve a

problem, eliminating ways that doesnt work and employing dare to fail

attitude. According to the book The Ideal Problem Solver, graduates can try to

employ the IDEAL model, which is created by John D. Bransford and Barry S.

Stein. By using this model, graduates can use it to break down the process of

solving problem into a few easy stages. The first stage is to identify the main

issue; the second is to define the obstacles in solving the problem. The third

stage is to examine options on how to solve the problem. The fourth stage

would be to determine and act on an agreed course of action. The final stage is

to have a look at what the outcome of the action implemented, and to assess

whether any changes is needed to correct it. The IDEAL model is a great tool

for graduate who wishes to be more efficient in their problem solving skill.

Graduates must also not be shy to ask around if they think others might have

the idea or the solution that can help them to solve the problem, because in the

end what matters is that the problem is successfully tackled.

Playing strategy games such as Chess or Monopoly can also help graduates to

boost their problem solving skill. It does look like a simple game but it is not

easy to win and requires a seriously thought strategies and some creative

thinking, in order to win the game.




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The final suggestion is about how to nurture leadership skills in graduates.

According to Vince Lombardi (2001), Contrary to the opinion of many

people, leaders are not born, leaders are made, and they are made by effort and

hard work. This statement shows that nobody is born a leader and everyone

has the same chance, anybody can become a leader, if they work hard at

polishing their leadership skill.

Once again, graduates can make use of their time at universities to polish their

leadership skill, as opportunities are abundant for them. They can polish their

leadership skill by taking a leadership role in student alumnis, societies and

unions. By managing these, graduates can get a feel and gain confidence in

them. They will also learn how to take up responsibility and how not to abuse

the power appointed to them, as they might get voted out by other graduates if

they abuse their power or position as leaders.

Graduates will also have the opportunity to practice their skill in influencing

others, in order to achieve the big target. Influence is important in polishing

leadership skill because influence is the essence of leadership. According to

Robert N. Lussier and Christopher F. Achua (2009), Influencing is the

process of a leader communicating ideas, gaining acceptance of them, and

motivating followers to support and implement the ideas through change. So,

a good leader will be able to influence the team assigned to the leader and be

able to steer the whole team to the intended target or focus.




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Conclusion

It is apparent that employers are keen to employ graduates that have outstanding

qualities in them. A graduate that possesses skills such as IT and computer skills,

communication skill, teamwork skill, problem solving skill and leadership skill are a

hot commodity amongst employer that wishes to make their company more efficient.

Graduates, who aspire to work as soon as they graduate from institute of higher

learning, should employ the suggestions that have been listed in this coursework. As

skill development efforts will definitely takes some time to be implemented, it is

suggested that graduates act on it as soon as possible. It is never too late to learn and

acquire new skills, since education is a lifelong process.

As our nation goes further to achieve a developed country status, it will need more

quality graduates that possess a multitude set of skills, in order for the country to

support its pillar of growth and development.




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References

From Book:

Vince Lombardi, JR. (2001). What it takes to be #1, Vince Lombardi on leadership.

New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Bransford, John D., & Stein, Barry S. (1984). The IDEAL problem solver: A guide

for improving thinking, learning, and creativity. 1st ed. New York: W.H.

Freeman.

Cryer, P. (1998). Transferable Skills, Marketability and Lifelong Learning. Studies in

Higher Education. Volume 23, Issue 3, Page No: 207-217.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2009). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill

Development. 4th ed. South-Western Pub.

From Journal

Gurvinder Kaur G. S., Sharan Kaur G. S. (2008). Malaysian graduates employability

skills. UNITAR e- Journal Vol. 4 No. 1, Page No: 14-44.

Md.Yunus, et al. (2005) Problem Solving Abilities of Malaysian University Students.

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 17 (2).

Page No: 86-96.

From Internet:

Haggag, S. (2012). Local grads 'fail to meet job market's expectations' . [Online].

Available: http://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-job-

markets-expectations . [2012, March 26].


http://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-job-markets-expectationshttp://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-job-markets-expectationshttp://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-job-markets-expectationshttp://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-job-markets-expectations

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The Important Skills That Employers Are Looking for in Graduates