FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

OUMH1103 LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

ASSIGNMENT TITLE The important skills that employers are looking for in graduates Name : Dunstan Pilang Anak Rapail Ampi

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Introduction 1. The important five (5) skills that employers are looking for in graduates. 1.1 IT and computer skills 1.2 Communication skills 1.3 Teamwork 1.4 Problem solving skills 1.5 Leadership 2. Suggestions for future graduates, government bodies and educational institutions to ensure that future graduates are equipped with the skills. Conclusion References

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Introduction Every year, thousands of fresh university graduates flood the job market armed with impressive paper qualifications but fail in their effort to market themselves. To be a marketable graduate, you need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the flock. These days, at one of the most economically difficult times in history, you will need to present something unique to the interview table, one that will make potential employers wants you very badly to fill in the positions in their company. Now the big question remains, what are the qualities that employers are looking for in graduates? Among the top 5 skills that employers are looking for in potential workers are IT and computer skills, communications skills, problem solving skills, teamwork and leadership. These 5 qualities are the ones employers emphasize the most when selecting potential workers for their companies. A worker that possesses these 5 skills will definitely become an important asset to their company as their skills will enable them to contribute deeply in their companys line of work. Thus, it is imperative that future graduates should prepare themselves with the necessary skills that employers are looking for, before leaving college or universities, in order to make them stand out in the line when they are applying for jobs in the later stages of their lives. During these economically desperate times, getting a job as soon as possible after graduating means a lot to graduates, to earn a living and the most important thing of all is of course having the ability to pay back the student loans accumulated during the university or college days. Any delays on the graduates quest to look for a job will only result in having their loan accruing more and more loan interest fee. This report will delve more on the subject matter of uncovering what are the 5 top qualities that employers are looking for in graduates, and suggestions on how graduates can prepare themselves with the necessary skills before entering the working world.

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Five different skills that employers are looking for in future graduates Listed below are five different skills that employers are looking for in future graduates. 1.1 IT and computer skills According to Cryer (1998), ICT is seen as an important element of developing students' 'marketability' to employers. Most employers will expect graduates to be able to use a computer and work using it. For most graduates, this will not pose a problem for them since they have already learnt how to use a computer during their university years, using computers to complete their assignment and to do their research by accessing the Internet. Various institutes of higher learning nowadays also integrate IT and basic computer courses in their syllabus. Most employers will also expect graduates to be able to use at least Microsoft Office software, as this is the core of every job. Report and presentations will be prepared using this software, thus demanding the users to be fully proficient in the usage of this software to help them in their work. However, the types of software being use at work will vary with the types of jobs. For example, an architect or an engineer will probably have to be proficient in the usage of design software like AutoCAD. So, it is very important that graduates prepare themselves ahead by familiarising themselves with the relevant software that is related to their future career. Graduates can always go for short software training courses or try learning by themselves. They can learn themselves by downloading software guides on the internet, or simply purchasing relevant reference books about the software. One of the best ways to learn by your-self is by watching tutorial videos about how to use the target software on the popular video sharing site, YouTube.com. This is so far the best way to learn since graduates can see it, and they can pause or play the video again multiple times if they want to repeat the lesson. The tutorial video can also be downloaded and stored.

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1.2 Communication skills When communication skills are mentioned, quite often our mind draws out an image of a brave person speaking in front of a large crowd. Actually, real communication is a like two-way street and it requires the user to effectively convey the intended message to another party, while also being able to listen and take notes of feedback. So, a person can be a great speaker in front of a large crowd but when that person has difficulties to understand his audience, which means that person is not a great communicator. Communication skill is all about the ability to exchange information efficiently with other people. At work, one of the main tasks is to make sure that your colleagues get the information that they need to know, whenever they need to know it. Graduates are also expected by employers to have a high level of competency in using English to communicate. Being able to communicate fluently in English means a lot these days and employers put a lot of weight in this criteria. As our country progresses more into a developed country, more and more foreign investors are coming here to set up high tech companies and industries. Most of these foreign companies use English as their medium of interpretation, so graduates dont stand a big chance of securing any jobs from them if they dont have a high level of competency in English. Even local companies too are looking for graduates that are fluent in English, so being able to communicate effectively in English will definitely make potential graduates stand out in the crowd. According to Sam Haggag (2012), The lack of proficiency in English limits their ability to communicate beyond the borders of Malaysia and this lowers their confidence and curtails their ability to add value in the workplace. This statement is a strong proof that a graduate that is weak in their English communication skill is limiting their chances to get employed fast by an employee.

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1.3 Teamwork These days, having the best academic qualifications does not ensure that graduates will get a graduate job. Employers are also seeking for graduates that can contribute greatly in the workplace, and that skill is called teamwork. A person that employs good teamwork skills can operate smoothly and efficiently within a group, thus helping the group to achieve some results. According to Singh and Singh (2008), Malaysian employers prefer to recruit graduates that have the ability to work as a team. The ability to work as a team matters because most employers own big companies that employ a lot of people and graduates are to be expected to work with a lot of people. So, finding a graduate that is good in teamwork is top priority for most employers. The employers might be looking for someone to strengthen their companys team, which might be lacking in certain areas but the position can be filled by the potential graduate. An example where teamwork will help is when your boss gives your team a problematic, under budget project. The teams progress was stalled because they were stuck in a certain problem that they cant solve, but because of the simple solution that you contributed, the team was able to complete the project successfully. So the idea is that everyone is the same or equal, and everybody must contribute their energy, ideas and thoughts to help the team achieve their target. In other words, all members of the team must become one so that they become stronger and can overcome any obstacles that they had encounters with.

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1.4 Problem Solving Skills Employers are also in hot pursuit for potential workers that excel in problem solving skills. Usually graduates are tested during interview sessions by means of doing activities in small groups of applicants or by employing a psychometric test. What are problem solving skills? According to Md. Yunus, et al. (2005), Problem solving is a generic skill that needs to be acquired in ensuring success in learning and in the workplace. It is a matter of a person being able to use their logical thinking, in combination with their imagination, to assess the problem they face and being able to solve the problem by employing logical thinking, creativity and analytical skills. Why problem solving skills are important to employers when it comes to choosing their potential workers? It is because problems are a normal occurrence in our daily working lives, and a person who is able to solve problems easily are an important asset to the company, which is why employers are so keen on getting their hands on it. They want workers who can solve problems on their own and thus speed things up, like maybe a stalled company project. For example, during the interview process the candidates can perform well and pass the interview, but that does not guarantee that they will perform good at their job later. Stress, pressured situation and short deadlines will affect a persons ability to complete their job and being able to solve any problems on their own is a bonus for them.

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1.5 Leadership Employers are also looking for graduates that have leadership qualities in them. Why is this important to them? We all know that it is impossible for graduates to fill positions as manager straight away, but employers are keen to employ graduates that show their leadership abilities because these graduates will become an important asset to the company. A graduate with leadership qualities can motivate others, colleagues or small teams that are assigned to them, setting good examples for the others to follow and proper assignments of works. Now, what does a good leader do? A good leader is the one in control of steering the big ship, the leader is in charge of the steering, steering the ship slow in its intended direction. The leader is the one who sees the big picture. A good leader must be organised, respects the teams under their command and be courteous to them even if under pressure in stressful conditions. A good leader must make their presence noticed, simply just being there as a leader is not good enough as the leader needs to influence the group around them, focussing their collective work force and combining it to become the final end results that is desired. Now, let me give an example of a situation where leadership qualities play its role in the workplace. You are a leader of a small team. Your team has just been assigned a very difficult target. You work hard to achieve the target by motivating and guiding the team to achieve the target. Because the total amount of work was a lot, you had to ask the team to sacrifice a few days to do some overtime in order to finish the work. You also had to manage some disciplinary problems among the team, by counselling or by removing the incompetent staff from the team after considerable amount of thinking. Finally, the team was able to finish the problematic project.

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Suggestions for future graduates, government bodies and educational institutions to ensure that future graduates are equipped with the necessary skills. The first suggestion is how graduates can improve themselves in IT and computer skills. Nowadays, graduates should not have any problem in the field of IT and computer skills. All universities employs some sort of IT and computer courses in their syllabus and plus, students need to be skilled in the usage of computer in order to complete their assignments. Students nowadays spend a lot of time in front of the computer but most of the time, students used it for the wrong reasons, and engaging in online chat rooms and wasting time in social media sites such Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and so on. In order for graduates to grasp IT and computer skills, they need to start nurturing those skills early in their lives. Go for short computer courses, or try learning on your own. There are lots of abundant resources on the Internet to facilitate self learning. Once you have mastered the applications or software, you can be proud of yourself for managing to upgrade yourself. For those choosing to learn IT and computer skills at established computer training centres, that is also a good option provided that they manage to complete the course and get a hold of some training certificate. Those certificates will definitely help when graduates go for job interviews. Computer courses such as Microsoft Office are always a good bet, since most employers expect graduates to be able to use this software already. Graduates that have already mastered the essential software in their line of work could also improve their chance of securing a job by learning to use other types of software that could be relevant to their jobs. Employers like to employ candidates that are willing to learn new things and be able to learn quickly on their own. Graduates can also further enhance their IT and computer skills by their own blog in the Internet. It can help them learn how to run and manage a micro site. It can also help them to develop some basics of website design and improving their written language by writing blog post.

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The second suggestion is how graduates can improve their communication skills. So many young graduates nowadays are living in their own cocoon and are not aware of their surroundings. Some also maintain their bookworm mindset wherever they go, thus these graduates cant communicate well with their colleagues. These are the types of graduates that can pass any examinations with flying colours but these are the ones that cant communicate well with others. And no employers will be employing these graduates since nobody works alone. A graduate can develop their communication skills by a lot of ways. They can also make use of their time at university to polish their communication skills by getting actively involved around the campus. Simple acts such as joining a student association, joining a debate club or drama club. Graduates can also join the university radio group if they have one. These activities can definitely help graduates to improve their communication skills as they get involved around a lot of people. Graduates can also get involved in their societies by joining their society committee or their local resident council. That way, they can expand their view and it also helps them to gain a firsthand experience by attending meetings and so on. For graduates that are having problems with their command of English language, they can always improve it by enrolling in extra English classes. Although it will incur some cost to them, but it is a wise investment as graduates can improve their English in the end. Reading is also recommended to graduates since these days, most graduate dont like to read. They only read what they need to read, such as to only pass in their examinations. Get to read good books in English as these activities could improve their vocabulary and grammars. Only by reading more English books, graduates will be exposed to the beauties of the English language and hopefully in the end, be able to use it properly.

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The third suggestion is how to instil teamwork skills in graduates. From the governments side, they have launched quite a few programmes that can promote teamwork skills. An example would be the PLKN programme, which most graduates have to attend before they attend colleges or universities. Not only are these programmes is effective in instilling teamwork skills into our youths, it is also an effective tool to nurture harmony among many races. Any graduates that have attended PLKN will be able to work with anyone, regardless of race and religion. These types of programmes will enable them to prepare themselves for their future, especially when they are finally working to support themselves. It is suggested that the government offers more programmes like this, in order to further enhance our youths. On the graduates side, they can improve their teamwork skills by getting involve in and around suitable activities at the university. For example, they can try to join the quiz team or debate club. The quiz team or debate club will require a lot of team work as they have to cooperate with each other if they want to win in a competition. Brainstorming sessions, discussions and supporting each other is expected from these activities. Being involved in team sports activities is also a good way to promote teamwork skills. Sports such as football, rugby and hockey require the players to unite as one team, in order to win the game. However, it doesnt matter if your team doesnt achieve elevated status in the game league, because the most important thing is the sports team itself. Win or lose, the team will endure it as one team, and will accept any outcomes that come from it. Teamwork skills can also be gained outside university walls. Part time jobs, involvement in student committees during school days are also a good place to start nurturing teamwork values. Its just a matter of whether a graduate wants to do it or not. So, graduates are advised to just grab any chance they have to practice and polish their teamwork skills before they graduate.

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The fourth suggestion is about ways of learning problem solving skills. It is a vital skill that needs to be learnt by every graduate who aspires to get a job as soon as possible after they graduate from institutes of higher learning. Those who possess this skill will be a hot commodity among their potential employer because a graduate that is skilled in problem solving skill can be a great investment for them, getting workloads done faster and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Graduates can practice problem solving skills by simply not giving up when their first try or solution was not successful, but rather keep on trying to work it out until the problem is solved. Draw a simple plan on how to solve a problem, eliminating ways that doesnt work and employing dare to fail attitude. According to the book The Ideal Problem Solver, graduates can try to employ the IDEAL model, which is created by John D. Bransford and Barry S. Stein. By using this model, graduates can use it to break down the process of solving problem into a few easy stages. The first stage is to identify the main issue; the second is to define the obstacles in solving the problem. The third stage is to examine options on how to solve the problem. The fourth stage would be to determine and act on an agreed course of action. The final stage is to have a look at what the outcome of the action implemented, and to assess whether any changes is needed to correct it. The IDEAL model is a great tool for graduate who wishes to be more efficient in their problem solving skill. Graduates must also not be shy to ask around if they think others might have the idea or the solution that can help them to solve the problem, because in the end what matters is that the problem is successfully tackled. Playing strategy games such as Chess or Monopoly can also help graduates to boost their problem solving skill. It does look like a simple game but it is not easy to win and requires a seriously thought strategies and some creative thinking, in order to win the game.

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The final suggestion is about how to nurture leadership skills in graduates. According to Vince Lombardi (2001), Contrary to the opinion of many people, leaders are not born, leaders are made, and they are made by effort and hard work. This statement shows that nobody is born a leader and everyone has the same chance, anybody can become a leader, if they work hard at polishing their leadership skill. Once again, graduates can make use of their time at universities to polish their leadership skill, as opportunities are abundant for them. They can polish their leadership skill by taking a leadership role in student alumnis, societies and unions. By managing these, graduates can get a feel and gain confidence in them. They will also learn how to take up responsibility and how not to abuse the power appointed to them, as they might get voted out by other graduates if they abuse their power or position as leaders. Graduates will also have the opportunity to practice their skill in influencing others, in order to achieve the big target. Influence is important in polishing leadership skill because influence is the essence of leadership. According to Robert N. Lussier and Christopher F. Achua (2009), Influencing is the process of a leader communicating ideas, gaining acceptance of them, and motivating followers to support and implement the ideas through change. So, a good leader will be able to influence the team assigned to the leader and be able to steer the whole team to the intended target or focus.

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Conclusion It is apparent that employers are keen to employ graduates that have outstanding qualities in them. A graduate that possesses skills such as IT and computer skills, communication skill, teamwork skill, problem solving skill and leadership skill are a hot commodity amongst employer that wishes to make their company more efficient. Graduates, who aspire to work as soon as they graduate from institute of higher learning, should employ the suggestions that have been listed in this coursework. As skill development efforts will definitely takes some time to be implemented, it is suggested that graduates act on it as soon as possible. It is never too late to learn and acquire new skills, since education is a lifelong process. As our nation goes further to achieve a developed country status, it will need more quality graduates that possess a multitude set of skills, in order for the country to support its pillar of growth and development.

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References From Book: Vince Lombardi, JR. (2001). What it takes to be #1, Vince Lombardi on leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Bransford, John D., & Stein, Barry S. (1984). The IDEAL problem solver: A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity. 1st ed. New York: W.H. Freeman. Cryer, P. (1998). Transferable Skills, Marketability and Lifelong Learning. Studies in Higher Education. Volume 23, Issue 3, Page No: 207-217. Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2009). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development. 4th ed. South-Western Pub.

From Journal Gurvinder Kaur G. S., Sharan Kaur G. S. (2008). Malaysian graduates employability skills. UNITAR e- Journal Vol. 4 No. 1, Page No: 14-44. Md.Yunus, et al. (2005) Problem Solving Abilities of Malaysian University Students. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 17 (2). Page No: 86-96. From Internet: Haggag, S. (2012). Local grads 'fail to meet job market's expectations'. [Online]. Available: http://www.mmail.com.my/story/local-grads-fail-meet-jobmarkets-expectations. [2012, March 26].

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