What do employers? Making the Most of College Part I

Peter D. Hart Research Associates surveyed 305 business executives and 510 recent college graduates in November and December 2006. Here’s what they had to say:

Skill: The ability to work in teams.

Most jobs are not a one many show. Tasks require different types of expertise from more than one employee.

Where do I get that skill?

Look for classes that have a group project in them. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Most people think of groups as the third circle of hell. Group projects are typically tough, so most students avoid them, and for good reasons. Students who are very serious about their grade coming in to contact with those that could care less is a recipe for disaster. Counting on other people is tough. But taking at least on class where you produce a tangible result as a group will give you valuable experience and important reference points about your ability to be a part of a team.
So how do you find the right class? Ask friends in your major for classes where they had a positive group experience. Ask professors how groups are evaluated before you sign up. Make sure it’s a fair grading system. Find out if the project is practical or busy work. Look for projects that have a tangible end-product and use different skills from each person in the group.
Other ways to get this experience is by joining a campus organization or by requesting a team project in your internship.

Skill: The ability to write well

Writing is an important component to almost any job. Writing reports, emails, and letters are all examples of writing done in almost any industry. Many students graduate with very little writing experience. To some degree it’s not their fault. Colleges that have large classes make it more challenging for professors to assign writing. Such projects take longer to grade. It’s much easier to offer short answer or multiple choice exams. Even fewer courses offer chances to write large reports or to revise an assignment.

Where do I get that skill?

Look for classes with a heavy writing component. If it doesn’t say on the syllabus, ask the professor if he or she uses a lot of writing on tests. In some cases it doesn’t hurt to ask a professor if you can substitute a larger writing project for a final exam.

One of the biggest problems in learning to write is that assignments are graded once and then never revisited. Good writing requires revisions. Sometimes lots of revisions. If your classes don’t offer revision, then be sure to ask professors for the opportunity to correct your writing, even if it won’t impact your grade. You can’t get better if you never correct yourself. This will also get you accustomed to being edited and critiqued.

Other places to get the skill include writing for a local student paper. Even if you don’t intend to be a journalist, it’s a great experience that will teach you how to write in a concise manner. You can also offer to write up a newsletter for an organization.

It’s important that you write FOR somebody who will give you feedback. Journaling, blogging, and writing letters are great for improving your typing, but they are less likely to help you improve your technique if you never get reactions.

Skill: the ability to work independently

Yes, I just got done telling you the importance of the ability to work in a group. Just as important, however, is your ability to work with little or no supervision. Working on your own is an essential characteristic in most work environments. Can a manger give you a task and feel certain that, barring any unforeseen problems, you will do it and do it well? You’d be surprised how often the answer is “no.” It’s very common when you are new to a job to need extra supervision and hand-holding. But after that initial learning phase, you should be able to tackle tasks and work on your own.

Working independently also means taking initiative to do work before you are asked. Great employees don’t just sit around with their feet up when they have finished their tasks, they look for more work. It also means taking responsibility when you screw up. Being able to admit to a mistake and finding ways to learn from it, solve the problem, and move forward without blaming others or becoming defensive is part of working on your own.

In a work environment you may be asked to set your own goals, structure your work day, and determine what your deliverables might be for a given project. You will need to push yourself to doing a better job or deciding when a project is complete and should be shared with others.

How do I get this skill?

Independent studies are a great way to develop the ability to work independently. Students typically come to a professor with an idea or goal, they set a plan of work, a schedule of deliverables, and present a final product for evaluation. An independent study should require minimal supervision from your professors (thus benefiting you and them.) Final projects and papers for classes are also important for helping you learn to work on your own.

Where else can you get this skill? You can practice in any work environment by taking some ownership of your job. Working retail? Work with your manager to set a daily sales goal and think of ways you can challenge yourself to meet it. Learning to set goals, schedules, and structure tasks can be done in everyday life. Buy a daily planner and use it. Write down goals for your day, your week and your semester. Check them off regularly. Structure your day so that you can achieve your tasks and track how your time is spent. Above all, be honest with yourself.

The ability to hold yourself accountable for what you accomplish and how you get it done is what separates independent workers from those who require close supervision.