What Employers Look for When Hiring College Graduates?

The majority of students being churned out by institutions nowadays are hard driven to secure gainful employment on the completion of their chosen studies. These hopes have in recent times become difficult to attain across the globe as the working industries keep evolving as far as their operations and conduct are concerned. This leaves these ‘fresh’ graduates at a great disadvantage considering that their mainstream education is mainly focused on basic fundamentals only.

The radical shifts in technology should therefore be implemented across the board to ensure the relevance of new graduate trainees among the industrial workforce. Such a level of harmony can only be achieved if the training institutions, the student and all other stakeholders take into consideration the requirements of the employers today as well as in the near and far future before they establish their training curricular, techniques and resources.

A mere observation of the modern society can give quite critical insight into this future employment. Contrasting between this modern environment the previous  society shows a general trend that can be used to anticipate future employer’s needs that the current students in enrolment can satisfy.

The most significant trend is Automation. This extends from the very basic functions such as data entry up to complex application in fabrication or manufacturing processes. Today’s students should therefore familiarise themselves with such automated process and the use of modern equipment like computers. The reality is that the links between industries are becoming more and more intertwined with the computer being the central and manipulating interface hence any graduate who falls short in computer literacy automatically becomes obsolete.

It is also essential to shift from the traditional standards of conduct in order to adapt to the futuristic workspace. Instead of focusing on the physical aspects of work processes i.e. work skills, students and their respective institutions should focus more on training the skills required to automate such processes or how to manage the automation systems.

A whole different mind-set is also critical for the adaptation of today’s student to future workspaces. The onset of globalisation trends has broken down many barriers has confined in fields like marketing. The future employers and entrepreneurs will no longer be restricted to localised marketing for instance as they can easily access clientele in all corners of the planet. Students should therefore develop a limitless mind-set that thinks ‘international’ and regards the world as merely a global village. This will open up opportunities and markets for employers and the students themselves will like never before.

As the world becomes more digital, students must learn the art of refining their communication skills to suit any scenario whether real or virtual. The basic aspect is of course the language itself; the greater advantage being to the bilingual students who can easily communicate in multiple regions. These skills must also extend well beyond language or interaction abilities. Rather they must develop an open minded approach towards association that is accepting of variations in beliefs and culture in order to accommodate the expensive populations of this global ‘village’.

While the humanities are an equally essential field of study in society, its place in future civilisations or workplaces is quite dire. The more prominent fields of scientific and commercial studies have a greater role to play in sustaining the human race. Technology that enhances or enables the development of basic societal provisions like electricity and food cannot possibly come from poetry or drama studies. Rather, investment in engineering or similar fields can certainly improve and sustain the human race. It is therefore unsurprising that the working class is dominated by these fields.

The near future will certainly bring about astounding innovations like commercial space travel, clean energy and perhaps even hypersonic commercial travel. With this in mind, students ought to consistently check their surroundings and match their studies to the ever-changing needs and trends of their societies.  Furthermore, they must continually challenge themselves to depart from traditional practises and norms and rather employ innovative and creative thinking in all their activity which will surely grab the attention of any future-minded employer.

At MMDU, students are fostered with each and every skill that is needed to match the needs of future employers, be it creative thinking, problem solving, getting familiar with automated processes through project based learning, soft skills, professionalism, teamwork or career management.