What employers look for on college students’ resumes

According to a new survey report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE,) college students working their way through a job search can impress prospective employers by emphasizing their abilities to solve problems and being able to work as part of a team.  When NACE asked employers participating in its Job Outlook 2018 survey which attributes—beyond a strong GPA—they most value, employers indicated that problem-solving skills and an ability to work in a team are the most desired attributes and are of equal importance. (See Figure 1.)

This is the second consecutive year that the largest percentage of employers will search for these attributes on students’ resumes.

Following problem-solving skills and teamwork abilities, written communication skills, leadership, and a strong work ethic are also highly valued attributes that employers want to see evidence of on resumes.

Employers also provided insight into the influence of attributes when deciding between two otherwise equally qualified candidates. This year, NACE added four attributes—all related to work experience—to the original list that had been used in the past.

While past surveys consistently found the student’s major to be the deciding factor between two otherwise equally qualified candidates, this year the most influential factors are whether the candidate completed an internship with the hiring organization and whether the candidate has internship experience within the hiring organization’s industry. (See Figure 2.)

Additionally, general work experience and no work experience are found to be more of a deciding factor than a candidate’s high GPA (3.0 or above), involvement in extracurricular activities, school attended, and volunteer work. The only other attribute that held its ground with the addition of the new attributes is leadership. It continues to follow immediately after the student’s major in terms of influence.

 

 

The Job Outlook survey is conducted each fall to forecast hiring for the graduating class. Based on responses from 201 organizations nationwide that hire new college graduates, Job Outlook 2018 contains hiring projections for the college Class of 2018. It also offers insights into what employers seek in job candidates, information about compensation plans, and more. The Job Outlook 2018 report is available for purchase at www.naceweb.org/store/2017/job-outlook-2018/.

Prepared by: Ace News Today Staff  /  Source:  NACE