What Employers Expect of Graduates

by GRADUAN

Zawiyah Omar outlines the expectations of employers so that graduates can work on closing any gaps they may have.

It is easy to underestimate what is expected of you as a graduate when you enter the job market. In fact, employers have definite expectations as soon as you walk into an interview or on your first day on the job. Welcome to the real world of the employable GRADUATE.

So, what are employers looking for in graduates of this millennium? A scan of the recruitment section of the daily newspapers will give some clear indications. Other than good academic credentials, job advertisements constantly define a graduate as the person with the following qualities - highly confident, eager to learn, results-driven, possesses enthusiasm and initiative, good communication and interpersonal skills, excellent written and spoken English, and last but not least, proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

A bit hard to swallow?

Talks with Human Resources Directors of some multinational companies reveal that their expectations do not run off from the list above. These are real expectations and if you feel that you are lacking in one or more of them, try firstly to understand what each one means. Then, brush up on those shortcomings and come out stronger and more equipped to meet such expectations.

Understanding These Traits and Skills

Highly confident

Self-confidence is to demonstrate with certainty your abilities to perform. You are able to show boldness and be firm but not to the extent of being arrogant. You are able to speak your mind with clarity and ease, without showing any hint of being nervous. Simply said, you are sure that you are the best candidate for the job.

Eager to learn

The often-heard phrase "Learning is a lifelong journey" appropriately describes this particular trait. What you have acquired in the classroom is just a small fraction of the knowledge and skills that you will acquire through your entire career. Therefore, the desire to learn and improve is what employers look for. There should be constant learning due to the fact that we are living in changing environments. Learning enables us to stay competitive and to do the things we do today better tomorrow.

Results-driven

Execution and delivery should be foremost in your drive for results. You are guided by the objective, whether this is the bigger objective of the company, the objectives of the department or the micro-objectives of projects in which you are involved. A clear understanding of the objectives will show the means for you to drive for the results.

Enthusiasm and initiative

Enthusiasm is not just interest. It is having the passion to do things. When there is passion, there is initiative. Initiative is when you take the lead and make changes for the better. This trait will bring you through your career in a positive way since it is easily recognised.

Good communication and interpersonal skills

It also requires you to be able to communicate appropriately with personnel at all levels. This is because in an organisation, there will be employees reporting to you, colleagues at the same level as you and higher level managers and officers you may be reporting to.

Interpersonal skills go hand-in-hand with communication skills because of the need to communicate with different employees of different levels. Each individual has unique characteristics that you may need to adapt to. The art of interpersonal skills therefore needs to be nurtured so that you can work effectively with different people.

A company culture that practices informality to some extent will allow this trait to be easily applied.

Excellent written and spoken English

This may not be an absolute requirement for all companies but it is increasingly becoming one of the must-haves, particularly if you are planning to work for a multinational company. It is an increasingly important requirement because of the need to communicate not only internally but also externally to counterparts and customers around the world. Just speaking the language is not sufficient. You need to be able to write in the language as well.

HR practitioners are able to spot the lack of English language proficiency as early as at the point of receiving your application letter/resume and during the crucial interview session itself. Lack of proficiency in the language will inadvertently affect your self-confidence during an interview.

Microsoft Office applications

This will not be an issue if your courses in college or university have given you sufficient exposure to the use of Microsoft office applications. This skill is almost expected since most of our work, either in the classroom, at home or in the office, will require us to utilise these software applications. We can see, just by observing around us, the need to be computer savvy in order to execute our daily tasks.

You hopefully now have a clearer understanding of the traits and skills expected of you, the Graduate. Be honest with yourself and take the simple assessment test given here. Upon knowing the rating you have given yourself on these traits and skills, take the necessary actions to close the gaps so that you will be better equipped for that giant step into the working environment.

Your self-assessment of critical traits and skills

Use the table provided to assess yourself on the critical traits and skills. Refer to the description above of each trait/skill and place a (/) against each one in the table. In the list, assess yourself by giving the rating, "Competent", "Average" or "Need Improvement" for each trait/skill. Then, work on the ones that are in the "Need Improvement" category, while those marked in the "Average" category can be worked on further to move them into the "Competent" category.

How do I close the gaps?

Traits such as self-confidence, eagerness to learn, enthusiasm and initiative are not easily learned simply from taking classes. These need to come from within yourself and need to be honed and practised. Knowing what these traits represent, you are to consciously demonstrate these in your daily routine.

However, skills such as communication, proficiency in the English language and computer skills can be learned through courses. Invest in the time and effort to take up extra classes, either part-time or full-time. Do not leave these skills within the classroom only, instead practise and use them in order to be better at them.