Page 45 - Keys to College Success

workers are likely to hold several jobs and to experience several career shifts over their
working lives. Because the job environment today is so different than it was for college
students a generation ago, it requires a different set of skills.

What Jobs and Employers Require
As industry has given way to technology, more and more jobs demand knowledge
work. Today’s employers also report that transferable skills—skills applicable to any
KNOWLEDGE WORK
Work that is primarily
concerned with information work or life situation—are what they need most in their employees. Workers who
change jobs frequently may find that transferable skills are more important for employ-
1 rather than manual labor. ability than job-specific skills.
The 2011 Job Outlook survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employ-
CHAPTER employers are looking: 8
ers (NACE) reports the following as the top ten skills and qualities for which

Detail orientation Flexibility

Strong work ethic Teamwork skills Verbal communication

Analytical skills Initiative

Problem-solving skills Written communication Computer skills

According to the same survey, newly hired workers do not demonstrate enough
mastery in these areas. Employers surveyed said they were only “somewhat satis-
fied” with performance in 7 out of the 10 skill areas. The only areas in which
employers felt “very satisfied” were computer skills, teamwork skills, and analyti-
cal skills. 9

College Builds Transferable Skills
Graduating with a well-rounded educational base, in addition to your major concen-
tration, will build your employability. If you put effort into your studies, you can
develop transferable skills in every course you take. You can solve problems in math as
well as in sociology; build a strong work ethic in a Spanish course as well as in bio-
chemistry; develop verbal communication skills by speaking up in accounting class as
well as in freshman comp. Even your leisure time can be productive. If you take the risk
to participate in activities, you will build communication, teamwork, and problem-
solving skills, just to name a few.

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