Employers: graduates lack nous

Employers want newcomers to have a good understanding of what the world of work is all about. This was the message - loud and clear - from research by Dave Hodges and Noel Burchell of Unitec's Business Faculty into the way employers viewed business graduate competencies.

"Employers felt there was a real lack of practical nous in graduates," says Hodges, an associate dean at Unitec Faculty of Business.

"There was a strong feeling that students should be exposed to the workplace before they graduate. Many businesses, especially smaller ones, want graduates who can hit the ground running."

Hodges and Burchell surveyed 154 employers across the Auckland, including retail, wholesale, education and public services. Of these, 56 per cent were businesses with less than 50 staff. Hodges then interviewed 11 employers in more depth.

According to employers, work experience provided a better understanding of workplace realities such as staff politics, interpersonal communication, pressure of deadlines, the critical role of clients and importance of time management.

A strong advocate of cooperative education, Hodges believes cooperative papers within qualifications can help students gain that experience. All Unitec business degree students complete a one-semester industry based paper involving 150 to 160 hours (about two days a week) of study related work within a company.

Auckland University of Technology career counsellor Geoff Martyn, who oversees AUT business degree cooperative placements, says AUT students complete a minimum of 12 weeks at 40 hours a week for their cooperative education paper. Many degrees have some form of work experience as an integrated component.

He points out that all students need to build work experience throughout their study years, not just business students. It can be part time, full time, casual work, voluntary work or project and group work within study.

"I constantly advise students that don't have it to seek it out while they are studying. Leaving it until a week or semester before final exams is too late."

Victoria University Career and Employment Centre director Liz Medford agrees work experience is important.

"A trend we have seen is the increasing value employers are placing on work experience, be it paid or unpaid. There appears to be a growing number of summer internship jobs as employers find this a better indicator of future performance - a buy before you try approach."

Victoria University runs a regular employment skills survey every three years; the most recent being in 2003. Both Victoria University and Unitecs' research provide a list of the competencies most desired by employers (see side bar). Energy and passion, team work, strong interpersonal communication skills, problem solving, initiative, motivation and flexibility make the top 10 in both surveys.

Martyn says the top three skills repeatedly asked for by employers he deals with are the ability to communicate accurately, clearly and at a professional level, experience in the work force and the 'right attitude'.

Several employers also complained that graduates wanted to be told everything and were reluctant to look outside the square.

A reluctance to do mundane tasks was another issue employers noted. "Yet the 'small firm' nature of New Zealand means graduates have to be multi-taskers and take a more holistic view rather than resenting photocopying," explains Hodges.

Deadline pressures were another big issue for employers, according to Hodges. He says cramming the night before to complete an assignment may work with academic assignments, but not with the workplace.

"In a workplace you need to be talking to other people, discussing issues and working together. Leaving things to the last minute can cause huge problems."

What employers want from graduates

Top 10 competencies, according to Hodges and Burchell's business graduates competencies study.

* Ability and willingness to learn new skills
* Energy and passion
* Team work and cooperation
* Interpersonal communication
* Customer service orientation
* Order, quality and accuracy
* Flexibility
* Problem solving
* Achievement orientation
* Initiative

Top 10 skills/attributes sought after in university graduates

* Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills
* Self motivated/self managing
* Team player
* Sound academic achievement
* Analytical and conceptual skills
* Strong written communication
* Flexible and adaptable
* Problem solvers
* Energy and enthusiasm
* Professional ethics

Victoria University Employers Survey 2003