Soft Skills VS Academic Qualification

Employers Rank Soft Skills Above Academics

Posted on Sep 24, 2013 | Comments Off

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 September 2013- According to a recent JobStreet.com survey, employers are increasingly looking beyond academic results when it comes to hiring fresh graduates. The number one deciding factor is good interpersonal and communication skills, followed by a good command of English and the right salary expectation.

Over 85 per cent of the employers surveyed are looking at hiring fresh graduates as they can be easily trained and are quick to adapt to a company’s culture. The other 14 per cent believe fresh graduates lack the necessary experience, maturity and communication skills required for the job.

Every year about 180,000 students graduate from institutions of higher learning. There’s always been a gap between employers’ expectations of graduates and the quality of graduates produced. Nearly 70 per cent of employers think the level of quality among fresh graduates is only average. They said it’s not due to lack of academic qualification, but because of their bad attitudes or poor communication skills shown during interviews and/or at work. Here are the top five reasons for fresh graduate unemployment:

Top Reasons for Fresh Graduates Unemployment

Workplaces today are more complex and globalized, with managers expecting their staff to get up to speed much faster than in the past. Job candidates were shown to be lacking the most in written and oral communication skills, adaptability, multitasking, making decisions and problem solving.  Sadly, these are many of the skills employers need most.

“The work place, universities and society should work closely to narrow the gap of these expectations. Apart from universities needing to create more well-rounded graduates, graduates should also create opportunities for themselves to have proper career planning and seek to constantly improve their skills. Employers too need to step up and be more innovative in helping these young employees learn to resolve specific business problems,” said Ms. Chook Yuh Yng, country manager of JobStreet.com.

On the bright side, employers do not discriminate against graduates based on their educational background. A high 64 per cent indicated they don’t have any preference when it comes to hiring a graduate from a public university, private university or foreign university.

From: JobStreet.com