Make the Best of Your Investment in College

The following is an excerpt, reprinted with permission, from 10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College, Revised: The Skills You Need to Succeed by Bill Coplin, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. I liked this book because it's designed to help college students graduate with the job they want.

Your college years can be some of the best years of your life. College is a place and time to make your family proud, party, get a credential, find a significant other, or grow up so people will take you seriously. College helps you discover yourself, learn your likes and dislikes, develop your mind and your love of learning, and build an undergraduate record so you can get into a professional school, if that’s what you want to do.

But college should also prepare you for finding a good job and a rewarding career. Your college years can be a training period in which you develop your general skills in order both to get a great job right out of college or graduate school and to succeed in the workplace. By taking advantage of the opportunities that college offers, you can build the base of skills you need not only to land your first job but also to excel at it. Once that happens, you will be on your way to a lifetime of rewarding work.

College can be a truly significant time in your life. That’s why it’s important to use this time well, including preparing yourself for a good job after you finish. Use your college years to gain and polish the skills necessary for a successful career. You’ll be glad you did—and your employer will be, too.

You may be thinking, “Well, skills may be nice, but won’t prospective employers be looking at my GPA?” Prospective employers look at your grade point average (GPA) as a measure of your persistence and your basic intelligence. However, the list below, which was published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in 2010, indicates that employers are really looking for skills. At the top of the list are communication skills, strong work ethic, initiative, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving skills.

Employers Rate the Importance of Candidate Qualities/Skills

• Communication skills
• Strong work ethic
• Initiative
• Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
• Problem-solving skills
• Teamwork skills (works well with others)
• Analytical skills
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Computer skills
• Detail-oriented
• Leadership skills
• Technical skills
• Organizational skills
• Self-confidence
• Tactfulness
• Friendly/outgoing personality
• Creativity
• Strategic planning skills
• Entrepreneurial skills/risk taker
• Sense of humor

What’s not on this list? A high GPA. In a previous NACE survey, it was listed as 17 out of 20. I bring this up because some students think a high GPA is the most important achievement they can have in college. It may be important for graduate schools and some employers, but it is not as important as being able to demonstrate that you have the skills employers want.

A respectable GPA reflects some of the skills discussed in this book. It also measures how well you play the system by figuring out what your professors want and then delivering the goods. In some ways, meeting the standards of professors is similar to pleasing your boss. Your boss is not likely to ask you to fill up a blue book or take a multiple-choice test, but she or he will expect you to follow directions. For these reasons, you want to have a respectable GPA. A 3.0 is respectable in architecture, the physical sciences, and engineering, but a 3.2 is the bottom line in the social sciences, humanities, and some professional schools. However, while the GPA provides some information to employers, it is not nearly enough for them to make a judgment about your job potential. This was true before the days of grade inflation; it is doubly true today.

Your GPA alone is not a reliable indicator of your potential as an employee because your course grades do not reflect the range of skills that today’s employers need. A very strong recommendation from your internship supervisor at a respected corporation about your people and problem-solving skills is much more important than a high GPA. But a high GPA may get you the interview.

Demonstration of good word-processing and spreadsheet skills will get you your first job faster than a GPA of 3.6 and even a master’s degree. Just as college admissions officers look beyond SAT scores when they make their admissions decisions, employers look for qualities beyond your GPA to make hiring decisions. One of my students was hired over several students who had master’s degrees in the department of education from a northeastern state. Why? She knew how to use spreadsheets. The interviewer, who was looking for the spreadsheet skills, asked about pivot tables. The other applicants had no clue what those were, even though they listed Microsoft Excel on their resumes. They may have taken an introductory course, but they clearly did not have extensive experience using Excel. (Taking a course is like being told where the swimming pool is. It does not mean you know how to swim.) The spreadsheet maven was hired; she worked her way up the ladder and eventually did policy work for the organization (and directed others to do the spreadsheet work for her). She is now a senior manager in a charter school.

The emphasis on skills may seem like common sense to you, but when you get to college you will find that courses rarely focus primarily on skill development. In fact, employers have long complained about the poor preparation of most college students. According to a New York Times article, a “1999 report by the Business–Higher Education Forum condemned graduates for lack of skills in problem solving, time management, analytical thinking, and basic writing and speaking.”

It is not that colleges don’t provide opportunities for students to develop problem-solving, time-management, analytical thinking, and basic written and verbal communication skills. Rather, most college students do not know how to take advantage of those opportunities. This book will show you how to use your courses to build your skills in what I refer to as the ten “Skill Sets.” Let’s take a brief look at those ten sets now. (Each of the next ten chapters will focus on one Skill Set.)

Master the Skills that Matter

On the basis of forty-five years of advising experience as well as extensive discussions and interviews with recruiters, successful alumni, and a variety of employers and human resources specialists, I developed ten basic categories of skills. The ten basic Skill Sets are like the five food groups. Just as you need to eat enough from each of the food groups to be healthy, you also need to develop enough of the skills within the ten Skill Sets by the time you graduate to be successful.

The Ten Skill Sets

1. Taking Responsibility
2. Developing Physical Skills
3. Communicating Verbally
4. Communicating in Writing
5. Working Directly with People
6. Influencing People
7. Gathering Information
8. Using Quantitative Tools
9. Asking and Answering the Right Questions
10. Solving Problems

Although lists provided by experts and employers may use different terms and groupings, the ten Skill Sets reflect a broad consensus concerning the skills necessary to succeed in today’s workplace.

Comments

[Matt]

Sorry to say that if you are just learning these in qualities and traits in college it is too late.

All these qualities and traits need to be learned in grade school, middle school and high school and sharpened in college and continue to improve with experience.

They are learned in all different activites outside of school like sports, drama, robotics, jazz band, boy and girl scouts, you name it some skill will be learned doin any of these activites.

The biggest influence on helping develope these skill will be the parent who is involved with there child and helping them underdstand the importance of these traits.

My oldest son is doing quite well in college and next year my youngest will be testing the waters of college. I feel confident that we have done our best with both of them and the rest is up to them.

[GranTorino]

Wow, this is so, so true. Well worded. As a parent, I firmly agree with Matt above. For older people though, this is an updated Dale Carnegie-ish reminder of what to focus on at work, what new books to read, and what continuing education perks one should ask the boss/company for. Thanks FMF for adding fuel to the fire! Gran Torino

[Old Limey]

I have BS and MS degrees in engineering but one thing that I wish I hadn't missed out on was living on campus. I lived at home with my parents for the BS, and at home with my wife for the MS.

I didn't miss out on the "skill sets" but unfortunately I did miss out on college life and all the extra curricular pleasures that it can bring.

[JayB]

I'm sure Old Limey managed to squeeze a few keg stands in there somewhere! ;)

[Old Limey]

@JayB
I went steady with my wife when I was 15, got married at 21 and have been together ever since. I'm a pretty square guy and a fairly typical engineer. When we lived in Denver for two years, every weekend in the Winter someone at work would host a party in their basement and kegs of beer were plentiful. I did get drunk on one occasion and it was such an unpleasant experience I vowed never to repeat it.

[JayB]

Old Limey,
It seems you are definitely living a well rounded life. And to find a lasting partner at that age is something extraordinary! Since college, I am in the same mindset when it comes to excessive drinking though, nothing good ever comes of it. I hope I didn't offend you. My apologies.

[Jim]

I agree with the general point that a high GPA isn't the primary concern of employers. If your GPA is high enough to get you into an interview then how you impress them after that matters more and good experience in industry related jobs and good references is key too.

But I hope people don't assume from this that GPA doesn't matter. I think the point is that a 'very high' GPA isn't a requirement. Its not as if simply having a 3.8 GPA will guarantee you a job over someone with a 3.3 or 3.5. Other skills, job experience and references certainly matter and can easily outweigh 0.2 GPA difference. A 3.0-3.2 GPA in college is about average and you should of course try to do better than average if you can.

[Joe Hoppus - Recetas Faciles]

The university has really been the best time of my life, I definitely frame for good and forever. Everything I am today I owe to the university, however much or little I feel that helped me a lot, I "opened the head" as some people say.
It always helps to study and learn your way around with people your own age or similar, with teachers, etc, that helps a lot to the performance of a person for the rest of his life.
Regards.

[Cherleen @ My Personal Finance Journey]

I cannot agree more with the list of skill sets college graduates need to land on a job and be successful. However, I would rather say that these skills should be developed as early as grade school days. We still have approximately 10 years before my kids go to college but I am trying my best to teach my kids and develop these skills as early as now.

[Veronica @ Pelican on Money]

I can vouch for initiative being a great attribute valued by employers. Nothing says "here I am, ready to work" like coming in way over prepared by figuring out exactly what the employer is after (which involves doing research, figuring out their problems and coming up with potential solutions BEFORE coming to an interview).

[Old Limey]

One's investment in college is just the first step towards success.
My first step in 1951 was to work on getting a BS in mechanical engineering. When that was over and after working for 4 years I switched to a company that paid my tuition to get an MS, allowing me to make up the time I took off to attend class. The company also encouraged me to take programming classes offered in house on company time.

Up to that point in time my education was totally oriented towards my career with no thoughts about retirement. It wasn't until I had retired in 1992 and had consolidated our investments at Fidelity that I gave thought to how to best manage them. That led me down a path that never crossed my mind while I was working. That path led to writing a comprehensive mutual fund and market analysis program that I was able to market very successfully and that I also used to manage my own investments, coincidentally during a great period for the market and the economy.

My bottom line is that some of the best things that can happen to you after retirement are the result of skills that you learned at college and skills that you learned at work. However, while you are acquiring those skills it's highly unlikely that it will occur to you just how useful they may become after you retire.

[Adam]

I was always a bright kid but never tried hard... I graduated with a 3.3 and got a valuable, yet inexpensive degree at a satellite campus of a national brand name. To this day I regret not trying just a LITTLE harder and hitting a 3.5, because my school was ready to offer me a full ride and save me 45 thousand dollars. Oh, to be young and dumb...

Advice for kids and parents alike:
Freshman year, sit down and review your college goals, and their admissions processes. Set a target for GPA, and then spend all your free time gaining these awesome experience as they really are incredibly valuable

[MB]

from my experience interviewing and hiring freshers and mid level managers,

we focus on and prize only one aspect and all our questions are geared to that aspect. it is rightly number one on your list.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND BEING RESPONSIBLE.

I have found a countless number of times that a responsible person (even without great GPA, from noname school etc etc) eventually develops or trains all the other skill sets to do the job and go even beyond.

[Kelly@FinancialBailoutNews]

I really liked this article. Although the older generation may have placed a heavier emphasis on the idea of the GPA, I think these days a good amount of college students understand that it is the skills you acquire, as well as the networking you do that can get you a job. Unless your Dad or Mom knows where to tiny you a job, meeting the right people and attending internship/job fairs is crucial to gaining experience, to demonstrate your expertise and therefore get letters of recommendation. A GPA really does not reflect in any way how someone will perform at a job.