College students place so much faith in what college they attend and the major they select, which are definitely paramount. However, there is another factor that college graduates should be paying attention to.
A new survey of recruiters, hiring managers, and college seniors conducted by iCIMS titled “The Class of 2017: Jobs Outlook Report” was released. There was a surprising finding from the survey that revealed one secret skill that you should have.
The survey found that 65% of recruiters and hiring managers say strong written or spoken communication skills are more important in an entry-level job applicant than their college major.
“Strong communicators have a competitive edge,” says Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer for iCIMS Insights.
The report states that approximately 90% of college seniors are confident in their interview skills, but they are tremendously overconfident in their interview skills. More than 60% of recruiters say the interview skills of job applicants leave much to be desired.
HR managers recommend job candidates become much more familiar with the company and the industry.
“Candidates think they’re doing homework, but there’s a difference between rattling off facts that they learned from a company website and crafting narratives around their experience,” Vitale told Forbes. “Today there is more information available about businesses than ever before. It’s not enough to know when the company was founded, who the CEO is and where their headquarters are.”
Vitale recommends that candidates clearly explain the value they bring to the company, how it will benefit the customer, and help advance the company’s position in the market.
The #1 factor that 76% of recruiters look at more than college major is based work experience.
Here’s the problem that all grads and job seekers need to know. The report finds a wide gap between what recruiters expect from entry-level job candidates and how those college seniors view their own communication skills.
Another protip from recruiters is for job applicants to follow up after the interview is over. The study said 74% of entry-level applicants do not send a thank you note, an email, a phone call, or a hand-written note after the interview. If a candidate doesn’t follow up after the interview, it gives the impression that the applicant doesn’t really care about getting the position.
The top cities college seniors would most like to work in after graduation are New York City (35%), Los Angeles (29%), and San Francisco (23%).
So work on your communication skills if you want to ace that job interview.
[Forbes]