How college grads view their career readiness skills versus how employers view them

How prepared are new college graduates to make a successful transition into the workplace? Students entering the job market and their potential employers have very different perceptions about the “career readiness” of new college graduates, according to new research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Using eight competencies in their research report, “Career Readiness Defined,” that NACE has identified as constituting “career readiness,” employers and graduating seniors were asked to indicate how proficient new graduates were in each category. For the most part, employers were less likely to view new college graduates as proficient in these competencies than were the students themselves (see Figure 1.)

The differences between how grads view themselves and how employers view them can be problematic because it suggests that employers see skills gaps in key areas where college students don’t believe any gaps exist. ~ NACE

Specifically, employers and graduating seniors differed greatly when it came to new graduate proficiency in professionalism/work ethic, oral/written communications, and leadership. The biggest gap was in the professionalism competency; nearly 90 percent of seniors believe they are proficient in their professionalism competency, but less than half of the employers agreed with that assessment.

The greatest agreement between the two groups was around the new graduates’ ability to work in teams. More than three-quarters of employers said new graduates were proficient, compared to 85 percent of the students.

Only in terms of the technology-related competency were employers more likely than their student counterparts to view new graduates as proficient. Nearly 66 percent of employers rated new graduates as proficient in digital technology – the ability to leverage technologies to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals – compared to just under 60 percent of graduating seniors.

Figure 1: Employer vs. Student Perception of Proficiency in Career Readiness Competencies, by Percentage of Respondents

In their report, NACE defines career readiness as “the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.” For more information about NACE’s career readiness competencies, check out the research on their website.

~ Posted by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter