“Success in the future will belong to those able to tolerate ambiguity in their work,” says Jeff Selingo, author of There Is Life After College. He continues, “Too many recent graduates approach their job descriptions the way they did a syllabus in college—as a recipe for winning in a career.” But, as Selingo points out, more than just competency in the classroom is required for recent graduates eager to succeed in a rapidly changing job market.
Gone are the days of the safe-bet degree. The job market has shifted and both working professionals and newcomers to the workforce must be comfortable with the reality that they are likely to change career tracks more than once, and will need to accrue skills across a variety of disciplines. Selingo reports that the most critical skills for workplace success are the so-called “soft skills”—effective communication, the ability to work effectively in a group, and willingness to act on initiative. Imparting these skills to students at the university level can present challenges for educators, particularly now that many students choose to pursue higher education through online degree programs.
Rethinking Higher Education
Colleges and universities that were previously tasked with ensuring that upon graduation students were competent and conversant in course material, must now consider whether undergraduate degree programs can prove their value in the real world, particularly as online degree programs proliferate. A 2015 study showed that more than half of employers feel that graduates are entering the workforce without the skills necessary to hold entry-level jobs, and that universities are not sufficiently preparing students for life after graduation.
Making students employable means ensuring that they’re strong communicators and capable of engineering innovative solutions to complex problems. This requires educators and practitioners to rethink their curriculums and classroom structures to build in opportunities for soft-skills training without sacrificing a student’s mastery of the original course material.
Project-Based Learning Strategy
Project-based and collaborative learning are among the most tried-and-true methodologies educators can implement in an effort to develop students’ soft skills, particularly creative problem solving and critical thinking. An increasingly popular practice over the last few decades, project-based learning plays on the principle that students learn best when they obtain information in the pursuit of a particular goal. Projects that require students to seek out information on their own offer them an opportunity to collaborate with peers. It also presents low-stakes opportunities for trial and error. This kind of small, short-term failure is key for students as they develop the ability to cope with setbacks, rework strategy, and formulate action plans based on recently gathered information. Technology further supports this by allowing students to communicate via the web with peers and mentors, and to seek answers using digital platforms.
When Soft Skills Become Requisites
Finding ways to emphasize crucial soft skills—from ingenuity to effective communication and beyond—in resumes and cover letters is critical for recent graduates, as well as current employees looking to switch career paths. Students who go above and beyond to learn leadership skills, effective communication, time and resource management, and emotional intelligence make themselves significantly more attractive to employers. Older employees encountering changes in the job market may find that the soft skills they’ve downplayed in the past now make the difference between being indispensable and being unemployed.
Some argue that skills such as communication, the ability to motivate and manage others, and an instinct for gathering quality information are personal traits that can’t be taught. Says Selingo, “Nearly every employer I talked with complained about the lack of ‘soft skills’ in today’s college graduates—customer service, problem solving, planning, and being detailed oriented. They came up so often in conversations that we should begin calling them the ‘hard skills’ because they seem so difficult to teach.” A burgeoning number of business consultants and training firms might disagree.
Who’s Teaching These Skills?
Organizations like The Ariel Group offer consulting opportunities for businesses to deepen their communication skills and abilities, and to train employees in leadership skills, management tools, and building relationships. Online workshops on virtual presence allow remotely stationed workers to learn how to communicate clearly and effectively through virtual communication tools like Skype and videoconferencing technology.
Still, there’s no substitute for practicing these skills in everyday life. Author Jodi Glickman asserts that time and again, the people who enjoy the greatest success are those with the most dynamic communication skills. “Young people need to get out of their comfort zones and drop by a colleague’s office or pick up the phone and speak to a client on the phone. You can’t hide behind email. You really need to practice the art of engaging with people live, face to face. When you have information to share, instead of sending an email, try out giving an update live in a meeting.”
References:
Understanding Project-Based Learning in the Online Classroom http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/understanding-project-based-learning-in-the-online-classroom/
5 Ideas to Shift Learning into a Co-created Teacher and Student Partnership http://www.pearsoned.com/education-blog/5-ideas-to-shift-learning-into-a-co-created-teacher-and-student-partnership/
What are the top ten skills that employers want? http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/top-ten-skills.htm
About GOTJ http://greatonthejob.com/about/great-on-the-job/
The 10 Skills Employers Most Want In 2015 Graduates http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/11/12/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-2015-graduates/#1ae2c98119f6
Project-Based Learning http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-kind-future-work-we-educating-our-kids-jeff-selingo?trk=mp-reader-card
http://www.goodcall.com/news/recent-survey-says-employers-dont-think-college-grads-are-adequately-prepared-for-the-workforce-01244
How to Be Great on the JOB http://www.lindseypollak.com/how-to-be-great-on-the-job-interview-with-communications-expert-jodi-glickman/
How To Learn More About Prospective Hires http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/SM-How-To/How-to-Learn-More-About-Prospective-Hires/
For What Kind of Future Work Are We Educating Our Kids? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-kind-future-work-we-educating-our-kids-jeff-selingo?trk=mp-reader-card
Surveys Show Employers Don’t Think College Grads Are Prepared for the Workforce: http://www.goodcall.com/news/recent-survey-says-employers-dont-think-college-grads-are-adequately-prepared-for-the-workforce-01244
Pinpointing the Fuzzy Demand for Soft Skills http://www.pearsoned.com/education-blog/pinpointing-the-fuzzy-demand-for-soft-skills/
http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/SM-How-To/How-to-Learn-More-About-Prospective-Hires/