From Melissa Korn, At Work Blog, WSJ.com:
“Nearly 80% of current college students say they’re “very” or “completely” prepared to put their organization skills to work, while just 54% of hiring managers who’ve interviewed recent grads would agree, according to a survey of 2,000 U.S. college students and 1,000 hiring managers, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of education company Chegg.
Students overestimate their abilities by at least 10 percentage points on each of the 11 criteria measured in the survey, according to the findings.”
From the study:
| Assessment characteristic |
Students view |
Recruiters’ view |
| Making decisions without all the facts |
47% |
37% |
| Ability to communicate with bosses and clients |
70% |
44% |
The study also found that collaboration, managing up (i.e., managing your manager(s)), making persuasive arguments, and critical thinking in general, were unprepared for. The feeling that more hands-on and applied learning would be supportive to both students and employers.
Methinks starting more ‘hands-on and applied learning’ in middle- and high-school would also be supportive.