Graduates with Soft Skills Will Become Increasingly Important

I want to share this recently published article by Forbes.

 Nine in 10 employers believe that graduates with soft skills will become increasingly important as globalization speeds up, according to a survey by Talent Q, part of Hay Group.

More potential for empathy.

Data analysis of more than 40,000 employees worldwide also revealed that graduates have as much potential as senior managers for self-awareness, self-control and teamwork and more potential for empathy.

However, the majority of employers surveyed by the Hay Group in 2014 believe that entry-level graduates aren’t prepared for the working world and 80% of them were struggling to find graduates with the soft skills they need. “Despite what many employers think, our research demonstrates that today’s graduates have just as much potential to succeed as any other generation, both in terms of cognitive ability and soft skills. It’s up to the business to ensure that this potential is realized by recruiting and developing graduates in the correct way,” remarked Lucy Beaumont, solutions director, Talent Q. “This means focusing on hard and soft skills and looking for potential rather than relying on experience.”

Distinct Mismatches

There is a distinct mismatch between the career aspirations and expectations of 18 to 24 year old and employers’ views on this age group, according to Penna’s research “Challenging misconceptions about Gen Y employees.” This research showed that just 15% of employers believe that the younger members (18 to 24 year olds) of their Gen Y workforce feel certain about their career choices. However, a third of employees in that age group said they felt they had made the right career choice and could see themselves staying put for the long term. A further 39% said they definitely wanted to be working for their company in two years’ time.

Strong sense of loyalty

This group showed a strong sense of loyalty too, which was significantly underestimated by their employers. Nearly two-thirds of 18 to 24 year olds said they felt employer loyalty was important, whereas just 3% of employers associated this age group with being loyal to them. There might also be a disconnect when it comes to how an employer and employee interprets loyalty.

 For 52% of 18 to 24 year olds, caring about the company as a whole rather than just their role and responsibility is what employer loyalty is all about, and for a further 40%, loyalty is associated with going above and beyond what is expected of them. However, it seems employers generally think loyalty is best displayed by talking positively about the company to others.

If you believe this article is valid please contact me to talk about how I can coach and train your employees in these critical skills.

 Marlene Ward coaches and facilitates workshops on Collaboration and Inter-Personal skills.

Contact  [email protected] www.marleneward.com.au