Employers’ expectations regarding recent graduates

A study was recently conducted exploring employers’ expectations in relation to recent graduates. The study focused on the types of soft skills that employers look for from young workers, beyond professional knowledge and competence. It found that employers have similar expectations of recent graduates, regardless of their field of training, and are particularly critical of their language skills, practical experience and motivation levels.

Universitas Press Kft, a Hungarian research company specialised in research on various aspects of higher education, carried out a study to explore employers’ expectations in relation to young graduates’ competences and skills. The study aimed to identify the skills, abilities and personal traits, besides the professional competences, that are particularly sought after in the labour market. The study also addressed the issue of the role and evaluation of the training that young people in higher education receive.

Study methodology

The study consisted of structured interviews with human resource (HR) managers and/or heads of 57 companies and public institutions, as well as representatives of 13 job centres or headhunting agencies. The sample included a variety of company types – in terms of size, sector of economic activity, location and type. Private sector companies and public institutions were included, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large multinational companies from Budapest and rural areas in Hungary.

The study aimed to shed light on the specific expectations that employers have of students graduating from third-level type B programmes in particular training fields – such as the sciences, social sciences, information technology (IT) and the humanities. This corresponds to generally more practical, technical or occupational programmes at the first stage of third-level education, according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 5B). The study sample thus included companies that recruit graduates from those areas.

Study findings

Preference for new graduates

The study found that young graduates are not in a disadvantageous position in the labour market compared with their older counterparts. According to the interviewees, preference may be given to older jobseekers depending on the seniority of the position. However, some companies actually prefer to hire recent university graduates over those with work experience, as they are often more easily adaptable to the companies’ specific needs and culture. This is often facilitated by internship programmes offered to students by some companies. The duration and conditions of such internship programmes vary depending on the company. Most often, these are unpaid work opportunities; however, such opportunities enable students to gain experience. They may also be offered employment at the given company after the programme, depending on their performance.

General expectations

It was found that employers have similar expectations of recent graduates, regardless of their field of training. When asked to select the most important attributes from a general list of competences, skills and abilities, the majority of employers identified the following qualities as being the most sought after and important in the selection process:

• motivation – qualities that enable career starters to ‘compensate’ to some extent for their lack of experience; such qualities include ambition, dedication and a drive to learn and acquire new skills;

• commitment to learning and self-development – as a career starter needs to learn many new things both in the professional domain and as regards the work culture;

• general intellectual ability and intelligence;

• oral and written communication skills – including language and presentation skills, which are also important in order to successfully participate in teamwork and given the increasing importance of foreign languages;

• ability to work in a team – which requires the sharing of information and attention to others, as well as openness to colleagues or work processes originating from different cultures;

• responsibility;

• computer skills;

• professional competence interpreted as a high level professional knowledge acquired at school/university and the ability to apply these skills in practice – students’ efforts to enhance such skills are also highly valued, for example through scholarships abroad or completing more than one specialisation.

Room for improvement

The study found that most employers are generally dissatisfied with the language skills of young graduates, especially with regard to specialised language skills. Moreover, the general level of young graduates’ professional competence was often criticised, which was often associated with the failure to apply theoretical knowledge in practice. This is often a result of the overly theoretical nature of training and insufficient opportunities among studies to apply their skills in practice.

Most employers were also critical of the motivational level of applicants and their commitment to take a long-term perspective to employment, which highlights a problem in their attitude to work. Some employers complained about the prevalence of unrealistic self-assessment among applicants, which manifests itself in exaggerated pay demands for instance. This may derive from an overestimation of the value of the diploma, which also raises the issue of the responsibility of schools and universities in providing students with appropriate career orientation. Other areas for improvement, according to the study respondents, included the ability to work independently, communication and computer skills, and young people’s problem-solving abilities.

Prestige of higher education institutions

The majority of the interviewees confirmed that the prestige and reputation of the higher education institution was taken into account during the selection process. While in general it is not a deciding factor in the selection process, it may play a role when there are several applicants with similar qualifications and skills to choose from.

Commentary

The study highlighted several areas in which the skills and competences of young, jobseekeing graduates could be improved. While action is clearly required from higher education institutions to help provide students with better quality education and related services, the responsibility of the other stakeholders was also highlighted. Students should be more proactive in searching for opportunities to put their skills and training into practice and in increasing their self-development. Employers, on the other hand, should play a more active role in establishing contacts with higher education institutions to inform them of their needs, as well as to provide students with internship opportunities to help increase students’ practical skills.

Orsolya Polyacskó, Institute of Political Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences