Career Connections Blog
Top Skills for Job Candidates
|
BETHLEHEM, PA—New college graduates looking to crack the still-tight job market need to hone their verbal communication skills, say employers taking part in a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Among employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey, verbal communication skills topped the list of “soft” skills they seek in new college graduates looking to join their organizations. (See Figure 1.) That’s not surprising, according to Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Employers consistently place communication skills at the top of the list of key skills,” Mackes says. Following verbal communication skills in terms of importance were a strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills, and initiative—skills that “employers see as critical in today’s workplace,” says Mackes. Interestingly, when asked how satisfied they were that new college graduates could deliver on key skills, employer response was mixed. They reported being “very satisfied” with the teamwork and analytical skills of new college graduates, but verbal communication skills, initiative, and a strong work ethic all fell below that level, with ratings hovering between “somewhat satisfied” and “very satisfied.” Even if candidates can deliver on those top five skills, employers have a fairly substantial list of other skills they deem as important and other attributes they seek, says Mackes. “In fact, employers rated nine other skills/qualities as ‘very important’ to ‘extremely important,’ and most cited GPA requirements and a preference for new graduates with internship or other relevant work experience,” she says. While a strong work ethic or top-notch communication skills are unlikely to mitigate a dismal GPA or lack of experience, such skills are important in a tight job market. “Among candidates with similar qualifications, the candidate who can offer the employer more of those important soft skills has an edge,” notes Mackes. Figure 1: Employers Rank Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities
Source: Job Outlook 2011, National Association of Colleges and Employers. |
|
About Job Outlook 2011: Each year, through the Job Outlook survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys its employer members about their hiring plans and other employment-related issues in order to project the job market for new college graduates for the current class and to assess a variety of conditions that may influence that market. Data for Job Outlook 2011 were collected from NACE employer members from mid-August through October 15, 2010. A total of 172 surveys were returned—a 20.7 percent response rate. Of those responding, 12.8 percent of respondents were from the West, 29.7 percent were from the Midwest, 25.6 percent were from the Northeast, and 32 percent were from the Southeast. |
|
Top Majors for College Class of 2011
| CONTACT | Andrea Koncz, ext. 121, or Mimi Collins, ext. 119, 800.544.5272 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| akoncz@naceweb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mcollins@naceweb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DATE | November 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUBJECT | Top Majors for College Class of 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BETHLEHEM, PA— Employers are most interested in hiring new college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in the business, engineering, and computer science fields, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Nearly 62 percent of the organizations taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey cited plans to hire accounting graduates. Other popular degrees at the bachelor’s degree level included finance (57 percent of respondents), electrical engineering (53.5 percent ), computer science (53 percent), mechanical engineering (53 percent), and business administration/management (52 percent). “The results are not surprising,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “These degrees are consistently cited by organizations involved in college recruiting and hiring as among the most sought-after.” Employers in accounting services; government; and finance, insurance, and real estate companies look like “best bets” for jobs for accounting graduates. Finance, insurance, and real estate companies also expressed a lot of interest in finance, computer science, and business administration majors. (See Figure 1.) NACE provides periodic updates on the job market and demand for new college graduates throughout the academic year through a series of reports and surveys. From December through April, NACE will update hiring projections for the Class of 2011. In early 2011, NACE will release results of its Salary Survey report, which will provide a first look at starting salary offers for new college graduates from the Class of 2011. Figure 1: Who's hiring, by industry
Source: Job Outlook 2011, National Association of Colleges and Employers. All data are for bachelor’s degree graduates.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
About Job Outlook 2011: Each year, through the Job Outlook survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys its employer members about their hiring plans and other employment-related issues in order to project the job market for new college graduates for the current class and to assess a variety of conditions that may influence that market. Data for Job Outlook 2011 were collected from NACE employer members from mid-August through October 15, 2010. A total of 172 surveys were returned—a 20.7 percent response rate. Of those responding, 12.8 percent of respondents were from the West, 29.7 percent were from the Midwest, 25.6 percent were from the Northeast, and 32 percent were from the Southeast. About NACE: Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. For more information, visit www.naceweb.org. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media at www.naceweb.org/pressreleases/. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RESEARCH for Job Interviews and Career Fairs!
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.”
I love using quotes to help make a point and I frequently share this one, which is attributed to the U.S. Navy SEALs, when preparing my clients for interviews. It’s also one I wish someone had shared with me before my first on-campus interview as a graduate student at Michigan State University.
Dressed in my brand new business suit and feeling upbeat, I confidently greeted the corporate recruiter and took my seat. After a few moments exchanging pleasantries, I was soon over my head and being battered about like a sailor on the doomed ship S.S. Central America!
What happened? Very simply, I overlooked a critical and universal ingredient for success in virtually all endeavors – adequate preparation. While I had thoroughly researched the company, I had not anticipated and prepared how to respond to some basic interviewing questions. As a result, I was simply unable to offer thoughtful, concise and impactful responses. I guess I thought a combination of spontaneity and charm would be enough to ace the interview. I was badly mistaken.
After I blew the interview, I drafted a long list of possible questions and spent countless hours developing and practicing my answers. Throughout my career, I have used this same approach and studied for every interview with the same focus and diligence as if it were a final exam.
Thank goodness I was only a college kid interviewing for a job and not a Navy SEAL in battle.
Use of Career Services Linked to Job Offers
Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, June 23, 2010
NACE’s 2010 Student Survey shows a strong link between use of career services and a student’s ability to get a job offer.
Results show that, the more frequently a senior used career services, the more likely he/she would receive a job offer. Just under 29 percent of those who received job offers had not used the career center—meaning the remaining 71 percent with offers were career center users.
In addition, the study found that the likelihood of getting a job offer increased with the frequency of use, so that those who used the career center four or more times a semester were more likely to have job offers than those who used it once a semester.
Among those who had used the career center, the most services they were most likely to use were:
- Resume writing/reviewing assistance (used by 70.1 percent of those using career services)
- Career center job listings (66.2 percent)
- Job-search assistance (62.3 percent)
- Career counseling (51.3 percent)
- Internship assistance (51.2 percent)
Resume writing help was not only the most used service, but also the most highly rated in terms of its helpfulness, followed by practice interview sessions (used only by a handful of users), job listings, and individual career counseling.
NACE’s 2010 Student Survey was conducted February 9, 2010, through April 30, 2010. More than 31,470 students representing more than 400 colleges and universities nationwide took part; more than 13,000 of those were graduating seniors. A final report on the study’s findings will be available later this year.
Interns More Likely to Have Job Offers
Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, May 26, 2010
New graduates who took part in an internship program are more likely to have received a job offer than their peers who decided to forgo the experience, according to results of NACE’s 2010 Student Survey.
The study found that 42.3 percent of the seniors who had internship experience and applied for a job received at least one job offer. Conversely, only 30.7 percent of seniors without internship experience who applied for a job received an offer.
The study also found that those who had an internship were more likely to accept the offer—and have a job to go to following graduation. More than one-quarter of the intern group with offers accepted them; less than 20 percent of the non-intern group did so.
One possibility for interns’ higher acceptance rate: a higher salary than the average offered their non-intern counterparts. Survey results show the median accepted salary offer for seniors with an internship was $45,301—nearly 31 percent higher than the $34,601 median accepted salary offer to non-intern seniors.
The 2010 Student Survey was conducted February 9, 2010, through April 30, 2010. More than 31,470 students representing more than 400 colleges and universities nationwide took part; more than 13,000 of those were graduating seniors. A final report on the study’s findings will be available later this year.
Does dress matter at a career fair?
The "Internships and Interns" group on Linkedin.com recently ran a survey of human resources directors. There was just one question: "Does dress matter at a career fair?"
Here are some excerpts quoted from their responses:
You bet it does. Although it depends on what business or position a candidate is looking for, so there is no standard response to this one. I like business casual for our engineering candidates. I don’t like torn and revelaing clothes or flip-flops and unkept hair. Long hair is fine if combed and under control, and please, remove as many piercings possible.
Consultant firms, banks and Fortune 50 seem to like suits (men and women). One of the recruiters made a great suggestion, “Dress for one level above the job you are seeking.” Makes a lot of sense to me.
Career Fair attendees should always “dress for success” no matter what the dress policies are for the companies they are meeting with. If you don’t have a suit, I recommend a button-down shirt and tie for the guys and a MODEST blouse and dress pants or skirt for the gals. Students always ask me how they can set themselves apart from other candidates – this is an easy way to do it! We definitely notice!
What you wear always creates a first impression; in fact over 50% of that first impression comes from the way you look. Statistics show that productivity goes down on ‘dress down Fridays’!
I don’t expect suits, but stronger candidates would hopefully grasp the concept that this could be their first meeting with a potential employer and that they need to make the right impression. A student approached our stand at a careers fair in November wearing flip flops, shorts and a ripped T-shirt and confidently asked “Why should he come and work for us?”. I gave him a flyer and asked him to come back when he could answer the question “Why should we employ him?” The point is that I clearly remember him for all the wrong reasons, and I would urge students to be sensibly dressed when meeting potential employers if they wish to avoid making the wrong impression.
Here’s an additional thought. Dress impacts the way we present. Jeans and a T-shirt put us in a different mindset than when we put on that interview suit. Candidates need to be at the top of their game in every way, and what they look like and feel like when they walk out the door is all part of the picture.
Cool Federal Internship of the Week: Public Affairs Specialist (for graduate student in communications)
COOL INTERNSHIP OF THE WEEK
In your position as a Public Affairs Specialist you will:
* Develop and implement informational programs that utilize various communications methods and media,
including news releases and fact sheets, radio and television scripts, audio-visual presentations and articles for
agency and national publications.
*Develop FHWA and USDOT highway transportation-related materials that include speeches, policy statements,
technical publications and program documents.
*Respond to public and media inquiries about FHWA's various national highway programs.
Requirements:
*You must be a U.S. citizen.
*You must have experience preparing written communication documents in a variety of media for diverse
audiences.
*You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a degree seeking student in a graduate program from an
accredited school majoring in communications or a related field of study.
Salary: 42,209 - 65,393 USD /per year
Location: Washington, D.C.
Deadline: May 5, 2010
Contact Information:
Please email your resume to:
Linda Gurunlian
Email: linda.gurunlian@dot.gov
Subject Line: “Public Affairs Specialist Position”
For this announcement and others like it see www.makingthedifference.org.
Public Affairs Specialist (Student
Trainee)
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a major agency of
the Department of Transportation. The FHWA is charged with the
broad responsibility of ensuring that America’s roads and highways
continue to be the safest and most technologically up-to-date. Although
state, local, and tribal governments own most of the nation’s highways,
the FHWA provides financial and technical support to them for
constructing, improving, and preserving America’s highway system.
This position is a part of the Student Career Experience Program
(SCEP).
National Student Employment Week
To all our student workers on and off campus:
A great big THANK YOU for your invaluable service to our school and community. ULM will be celebrating National Student Employment Week, April 12-16. We set aside a week to recognize your dedication and hard work as a student employee. During that week, your department will have a celebration activity to honor you. The Office of Career Connections will give away a door prize each day.
In addition to these activities, we will also be celebrating with you by having an Open House Reception in the Career Connections Office, University Library 302, Tuesday, April 13 from 10 am - 4 pm. Refreshments will be served during the event. Free food coupons donated by area businesses will also be available to you at the reception, and two nice door prizes will be given away. ULM President Dr. James E. Cofer, Sr. will also attend the reception around 11:00 am to express his appreciation to you.
I encourage you to attend these events mentioned above, this week is all about YOU! Again, THANK YOU, student workers. ULM salutes its' WARHAWKS AT WORK!