Journal for School of Soft Knocks

Important skills that employers look for in graduates, and suggestions to equip graduates accordingly

Add 'soft' skills to 'hard' education before graduation

Fiq Abdullah, March 2012

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

Abstract

Less than half the fresh graduates in Malaysia do not find a job within six months upon graduation. Employers blame graduates' shortfalls in generic competencies (cognitive, social, emotional). Resulting idling, discontinuity and re-training make for huge costs to graduates and employers as well as to economy and society. Many graduates eventually end up 'sidestepping' and 'hopping' jobs, with consequences to workforce quantity, work quality and depth in the respective fields of knowledge. Academics - handling research as well as education - are asked to teach and train students explicitly the generic competencies; this should benefit also their own cause. Key words: graduates, competencies, soft skills, employability

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

Table of contents 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................4 2. Learning generic competencies complementing academic knowledge .................................5 2.1. Skills that employers expect from graduate employees..................................................5 2.2. What are soft skills?........................................................................................................6 2.3. Why are soft skills important? ........................................................................................7 2.4. Soft skills sought after by employers..............................................................................7 2.4.1. Interpersonal skills ...................................................................................................8 2.4.2. Integrity....................................................................................................................9 2.4.3. Work ethics ..............................................................................................................9 2.4.4. Achievement orientation..........................................................................................9 2.4.5. Problem-solving and decision-making ..................................................................10 2.5. Infusing appropriate skills in graduates ........................................................................10 2.6. Suggestions for employability ......................................................................................11 2.6.1. Explicit personal development programmes during studies ..................................11 2.6.2. Vocational programmes inbetween studies ...........................................................11 3. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................12 References

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

1. Introduction
In Malaysia, a high percentage of graduates from institutes of higher education do not find an adequate job. Recent numbers from the Ministry of Higher Education (2010, according to Rahmah Ismail et al. 2011) show that only 45% of the fresh graduates enter employment within the first six months upon graduation. Studies relate this occurrence to 'job mis-match' between demand of employers and supply from universities and colleges, whereby employers perceive or experience that fresh graduates do not match their expectations and requirements. Employers often refer to lacking 'employability' of fresh graduates: The latter would lack competencies important for making them 'hit the ground running'. Often enough, shortfalls in generic competencies such as soft skills are referred to. Employers and recruiters suggest that the education institutes would not sufficiently teach and prepare its protgs (the students) for the later requirements in 'real life' in the workplaces. They claim that education curricula emphasize specialization in the respective academic fields, but neglect to prepare students for 'real life' and workplace later. Lacking 'generic competencies', fresh graduates require tremendous effort (involving time and cost) from their first employers to retrain them, making them to 'liabilities in the corporations' (Quek 2005). As a result, employers shy away from employing fresh graduates. Note: To be fair, obviously other factors also play a role in employing graduates, such as first of all the overall economic situation. The resulting increased level of unemployment among fresh graduates leads to huge cost on graduates, on businesses as well as on economy and society as a whole: Graduates will either 'hang around' without producing anything, or eventually start working in unrelated fields, possibly below their academic qualification and far from fully making use of what they have studied. Eventually knowledge and skill acquired during education will wane, which poses also loss to economy and society. 4

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The lack of application and pursuing work in their learned field constitutes also a loss to the educational institutes that have 'produced' these people in the first place: The latter will not further advance in their field, will not give back or 'feed back' to the respective field, which will not augur well for the respective academic area neither will it help spreading its application. In such circumstances, knowledge will stay rather skin-deep and not pervade further.

2. Learning generic competencies complementing academic knowledge

Acquiring generic competencies during studies will help the individual graduates, the employers in private and public sectors, and the nation's economy and society as a whole, and it ultimately furthers activity, discussion, examination and hence progress, growth and innovation in the respective field of knowledge, which feeds the interest of academia in this field. Therefore, as education is placed in the hands of academics, institutions of higher education should complement the teaching of discipline-specific knowledge with the necessary elements of social, cognitive and emotional competence. At the outset, this requires education institutions and employers to identify which are these skills.

2.1. Skills that employers expect from graduate employees

Employers worldwide want employees that are well-rounded with knowledge specific to the discipline of their business (functional 'hard skills'), preferably supplemented with experience from working in this field, and that have generic competencies that are needed to 'operate' in the role in their workplace. The latter are typically referred to as (operational) 'soft skills'; in fact, they are needed practically in any workplace i.e. they are not considered specific to the respective job and area of functional/technical knowledge alone. Both hard and soft skills together make up 'employability': Harvey (1999, p. 4) defines employability as "the propensity (of the future employee) ... to exhibit attributes that employers anticipate will be necessary for the future effective functioning of their organization. 5

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Employability means having competencies - 'technical' knowledge, and further skills and attributes (or dispositions) - that make a person more likely to find employment as well as to sustain and to be successful in the found occupation. In this sense, employability refers to 'workreadiness', i.e. employees do not require long 'learning curves' when start working (Mason 1998, Mason, Williams & Cranmer 2009). Employers will look for 'employability' in employment candidates.

2.2. What are soft skills?

According to Towner (2000, in James & Baldock 2004), soft skills are those attributes that enable effective teamwork, communication, presentation, leadership, customer service, and innovative problem-solving. Kate Lorenz (2007) defines soft skills as a cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and a compatible co-worker. Similarly, Moss & Tilly (2001 p.44) refer to soft skills as skills, abilities and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behaviour rather than to formal or technical knowledge. MacLeod (2000, in Malhi 2009b p.6) lists "ability to communicate effectively, creativity, analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, leadership skills, team-building skills, listening skills, diplomacy, flexibility, change-readiness, and self-awareness" as soft skills. In some cases, also fundamental skills such as computer literacy or even generally literacy and numeracy are stated as soft skills. To summarize: Soft skills are the non-technical intra- and inter-personal traits and skills that are required to perform in the workplace and also to get a job in the first place (Quek 2005, Rawlings et al. 2005, Wilton 2008). Soft skills are not job-specific but applicable across a wide range of jobs, lines of work and organisations, no matter which position or title (Rawlings et al. 2005, Wilton 2008). Soft skills refer to personality, cognitive and social competence regardless the specific job, i.e. attitudes, traits and behaviours like sense of responsibility, integrity, (good) values and manners, resilience, time management, self-esteem, and self-projection. Soft skills here incorporates personality behaviours, habits, traits and attitudes, i.e. is used in 6

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a rather 'loose' meaning. Often soft skills are also referred to as 'generic competencies', 'employability skills' or 'transferable skills'.

2.3. Why are soft skills important?

Soft skills have become important for many reasons. The emerging trend to fast-paced and knowledge-based economy with increasing service content comprises multiple responsibilities for the individual, with more participatory management elements under reduced supervision, and increased customer orientation. In the words of Davis & Muir (2004): The effective knowledge worker works in teams, multitasks, and is a critical and creative thinker. This reflects in the importance of soft skills: For example, a study performed by Carnegie Mellon Foundation and Stanford Research Institute interviewing Fortune 500 CEOs found "75% of long-term job success depended on people skills, and only 25% on technical knowledge" (Cholayil 2011, Jayawardene 2010, Malhi 2009a). And that 87% of people that lost employment or failed to be promoted had improper work habits and attitudes rather than insufficient job skills or knowledge (Malhi 2009b p.12). In consequence, recruiters and employers take academic knowledge as given, while soft skills make individuals sticking out from the average pack.

2.4. Soft skills sought after by employers

According to a survey conducted 2007 by Malhi & Wahab (2008 p.61) with over 300 human resource and hiring managers from approximately 100 Malaysian companies, the ten soft skill most sought-after by employers are integrity, ability and willingness to learn, communication capabilities, initiative, sense for achievement (self-motivation, with desire to excel), ability to teamwork, interpersonal skills, flexibility, self-esteem, and critical thinking. A survey of more than 500 job advertisements for graduates in New Straits Times and The Star in the period between June and December 2006 (Malhi 2009a p.5/6) revealed that the most highly valued soft skills were: "oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills (relating well with others), ability to work in a team, problem-solving and decisionmaking, leadership, achievement orientation (self-motivation), pro-activity (initiative), 7

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

integrity, self-esteem (self-confidence), enthusiasm, resilience, positive job orientation (having high standards, being reliable), ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and maturity (emotional stability, ability to perform well under pressure)". Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has made out seven soft skills that graduates should possess; these are skills relating to communication, problem-solving and critical thinking, working in teams, lifelong learning and information literacy, entrepreneurship, professional ethics and morality, leadership (Malhi 2009a p.2). The soft skills mentioned in studies performed in Malaysia are also referred to in research in other than Malaysian contexts (ACCI 2002, De Leon & Borchers 1998, Poole & Zahn 1993). This is no surprise considering the fall of borders in the globalized world, as so aptly described in the 'flat world' by Thomas Friedman (2007). From the soft skills that Malaysian employers and recruiters most often list, a selection may be elaborated further (Malhi & Normah 2005): - interpersonal skills - integrity - work ethics - achievement orientation - problem-solving and decision-making 2.4.1. Interpersonal skills The workplace environment requires employees to relate well with others. The relationships refer to people sitting at desks nearby, coworkers in the same department or in project teams one is assigned to, and also people outside the company, be they from suppliers, customers, or authorities (Cruez 2003, Sonia 2008). For many tasks, employees are required to work in teams, hence ability and willingness to work in teams is essential. To contribute to discussions and decision-making, oral and written communication and presentation skills are required (Agus et al. 2011). These do not only refer to formulating and expressing - 'sending' in communication theory - the own argument but also 'receiving' i.e. 8

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understanding what others say or write. 2.4.2. Integrity According to Jensen (2009), integrity can be defined as a condition of being 'whole', or 'complete'. A person is 'whole' when his/her word is whole, i.e. when he/she honours his/her word. There are two ways to 'honour word': By keeping word, and in time, as promised, or, as soon as knowing not being able to keep word, by informing all parties involved, and 'cleaning up any mess' that this (not keeping word) causes in those people's lives. Note that for integrity, the focus is not on 'keeping word' alone but on 'honouring word'. With this, integrity is basis to be trusted by others. Integrity is important at the workplace because it creates workability. Integrity is necessary but not sufficient condition for (maximum) performance. Out-of-integrity behaviour has huge impact on performance. With this potential impact on performance, integrity is not only 'nice-to-have' behaviour. 2.4.3. Work ethics Work ethics refer to the responsibility that individual employees take on when working in the 'community' of an organisation, as they become accountable for their own contribution as well as the work and results performed by the work group they belong to. Strong work ethics start with would-be formalities like being punctual, and extend to skills such as initiative, pro-activeness, work planning, prioritizing and willingness to 'walk the extra mile' (Agus et al. 2011, Bank Negara Malaysia 2003, Cruez 2003, Sonia 2008). 2.4.4. Achievement orientation The workplace requires employees to deliver results. Achievement orientation is therefore essential. It is based on a high level of self-motivation as (particularly today's) workplaces 9

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

call for higher participation in often cross-functional team settings, with multiple responsibilities but minimal supervision. Employees, therefore, need to exhibit great inner desire to excel. 2.4.5. Problem-solving and decision-making While typically tasks and assignments at universities and colleges are readily formulated, tasks in real workplaces are often not so well defined and clear in the first place. Employees often need to filter out what is the real problem, what is the actual task at hand. Such decisions are often the first steps in delivering results or solving problems. Ability to make decisions, and not to procrastinate or 'hiding behind the bush' are essential in performing at work. Coming to decisions and finding solutions requires disciplined application of methodology and involves also gathering information, searching for alternatives and critical thinking (Agus et al. 2011), however, not to the extent that analysis leads to paralysis.

2.5. Infusing appropriate skills in graduates

How can graduates, educational institutions, businesses and government ensure appropriate skills in graduates? The simple answer: Teach students for employability, not only knowledge. To ensure appropriate skills in graduates, all the affected parties can contribute: The educational institutions by including the learning of soft skills in their curricula, the government by introducing respective policies, regulations, incentives and enforcements, the businesses by cooperating with the academia to provide their requirements and to enable training before graduates start their working lives, and last but not least the students themselves. Educational institutions need to subscribe to teaching for employability (The Edge Malaysia 2008), to produce graduates that are as 'work-ready' as they can get. Besides teaching disciplinary 'technical' knowledge through academic methods by lecturers, this involves instilling social, cognitive and emotional competence. 10

Journal for School of Soft Knocks

Those at universities that still sit in an academic ivory tower (New Sunday Times 2002, New Straits Times 2004) should realize that education systems do not exist in social and economic isolation, but function to meet the particular needs of a particular society at a particular time (Maclean & Ordonez, 2007, pp.123-124). Including soft skills is not "toxic to academic values" (Harvey & Knight 2003) as it actually complements and even enhances use and application of the subject knowledge. Or as management scholar Richard Boyatzis (1995 p.51) formulated it fittingly for his field of expertise: "Graduate management programmes based on the approach of building knowledge in students are not adequate to prepare people for management."

2.6. Suggestions for employability

To instill generic competencies in students, various researchers and practitioners have made a number of suggestions, while some of them have already been practiced in or outside Malaysia. 2.6.1. Explicit personal development programmes during studies Some researchers suggest that educational institutions adopt stand-alone programmes for learning "personal development" such as the 14-week course of the same name introduced in 2001 by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) (Malhi 2009a p.14). In similar vein has the Singapore Management University (SMU) included a programme in their curriculum that includes internship, community service and sessions to learn business etiquette such as meeting, networking, dressing, personal grooming and dining etiquette (Singapore Management University 2008). Government's supervisory agencies for the education sector can make such programmes mandatory, or even offer or sponsor them. 2.6.2. Vocational programmes inbetween studies An ample extent of stints at 'real' workplaces of private and public employers, such as 11

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through internships or other practical hands-on placements, bring to mind the practice in the educational system in some European countries. There, students are required to spend longer periods at workplaces. The practical work experience from such exposure equips them with 'lessons from real life' and contributes to their raising to become more well-rounded employees when entering the workforce. These experiences also help to bridge perception gaps between future employees and employers.

3. Conclusion
High-skilled human capital drives economic growth and innovation. Workers with the appropriate skill sets do not only possess the functional competencies specific to their (technical) job area (the 'hard skills') but also hold strong cognitive, social and emotional competencies - the 'soft skills'. The latter are generic ('transferable') competencies that are required across practically all workplaces and work environments. Employers seek employees that have well-rounded skill sets, and this concerns also fresh graduates. Therefore the institutions of education must complement the teaching in their respective fields of knowledge with the explicit training of 'generic competencies'. The resulting enhanced employability has positive impact on graduate employees and employers, and hence on economy and society. Failing in this mandate threatens to result in fresh graduates idling, career discontinuity, and entails re-training, all of which amounts to high cost to those affected. The seamless transition from education to employment also enables maxed-out application and implementation of the graduates' stock of academic knowledge while their (academic) 'iron is hot'; ultimately, this contributes also to advancement and promotion of the respective (academic) field. All in all, teaching students to employability by adding explicitly soft skill curriculum to 'hard skill' knowledge results in a win-win situation for all involved.

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Journal for School of Soft Knocks

ATTACHMENT

REFERENCES

ACCI (2002). Employability skills: An employer perspective. Getting what employers want out of the too hard basket. Sydney: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). Agus, A., Awang, A. H., Yussof, I. & Makhbul, Z. K. M. (2011). The gap analysis of graduate employees work skills in Malaysia. Presented at: International Business Academics Consortium and Academy of Taiwan Information Systems Research. Accessed on 16 March 2012 at http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/198990 Bank Negara Malaysia. (2003). Annual report 2002. Kuala Lumpur: Bank Negara Malaysia. Boyatzis, R. E. (1995). Cornerstones of change: Building the path for self-directed learning. In Boyatzis, R. E. et al., Innovation in Professional Education (pp. 50-91). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Cholayil, S. (2011, April 27). Self-help and soft skills: Why they go hand-in-hand. EzineArticles. [online] Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Help-and-SoftSkills:-Why-They-Go-Hand-In-Hand&id=6218066 Cruez, A. F. (2003, August 20). Jobless graduates lack critical skills. New Straits Times, p. 9. Davis, B. D. & Muir, C. (2004). Learning soft skills at work: An interview with Annalee Luhman. Business Communication Quarterly, 67(1), pp. 95-101.

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De Leon, D. J. & Borchers, R.E. (1998). High school graduate employment trends and the skills graduates need to enter Texas manufacturing industries. Journal of vocational and technical education, 15(1). Demand outstrips supply (2008, October 6). The Edge Malaysia, netvalue2.0, p. 2. Friedman, T. L. (2007). The world is flat. (2nd revised and expanded edition) New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Harvey, L. (1999). Employability: Developing the relationship between higher education and employment. Paper presented at the Fifth Quality in Higher Education 24-hour Seminar, 28 October 1999, Warwick University. Harvey L. & Knight, P. (2003). Briefings on employability 5: Helping departments to develop employability. York: ESECT. James, M. L. & Baldock, B. (2004). Soft skills: Which ones should be emphasized? Wisconsin Business Education Journal, 53 (1), pp. 16-22. Jayawardene, A. (2010, August 26). John Keells arms Sri Lankan undergraduates to face the real world. Daily Mirror. [online] Retrieved from http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/business/127-local/19552.html Jensen, M. C. (2009). Integrity: Without it nothing works. Rotman Magazine: The Magazine of the Rotman School of Management, Fall 2009, pp. 16-20. Lorenz, K. (2007, September 24). What are soft skills? [online] Retrieved from http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1374-Job-Info-and-Trends-What-AreSoft-Skills/

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Maclean, R. & Ordonez, V. (2007). Work, skills development for employability and education for suspicious development. Education Research Policy Practice, 6, pp. 123-140. Mason, G. (1998). Diversity and change: The challenges facing chemistry higher education.London: Royal Society of Chemistry/Council for Industry and Higher Education. Mason, G., Williams, G. & Cranmer, S. (2009). Employability skills initiatives in higher ducation: what effects do they have on graduate labour market outcomes? Education Economics, 17(1), pp. 1-30. Moss, P & Tilly, C (2001). Stories employers tell. Race, skill, and hiring in America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. New Straits Times (2004, June 24), Nation, New Straits Times. New Sunday Times (2002, January 13), New Straits Times. Poole, V. A. & Zahn, D. K. (1993). Define and teach employability skills to guarantee students success. Clearing House, 67(1), pp. 55-60. Quek, A.-H. (2005). Learning for the workplace: a case study in graduate employees' generic competencies. Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 17, Issue 4, pp. 231242. Rahmah Ismail, Yussof, I. & Lai W. S. (2011). Employers perceptions on graduates in Malaysian services sector. International Business Management, Vol. 5, Issue 3, pp. 184-193. Malhi, R. S. (2009a). The hard truth about graduate employability and soft skills. ADEPT: Higher Education Leadership Research Bulletin, 3, pp. 45-56.

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Malhi, R. S. (2009b). Make yourself employable: How graduates can hit the ground running! Kuala Lumpur: TQM Consultants Sdn. Bhd. Malhi, R. S. & Normah, D. (2005). Empowering Malaysian graduates to thrive in the twenty-first century workplace. Paper presented at the Higher Education & Emerging Trends in Information Technology International Conference, 29-30 March 2005, Muscat, Oman. Rawlings, P., White, P. & Stephens, R. T. (2005). Practice-based learning in information systems: The advantages for students. Journal of Information Systems Education, 16(4), pp. 455-464. Singapore Management University (2008, 12 May). Press release. [online] Retrieved 28 April 2009 from http://www.smunews_room/ edu.sg/press_releases/2008/20080512.asp Sonia, R. (2008, 25 May). Are foreign graduates better than locals? New Sunday Times. Wilton, N. (2008). Business graduates and management jobs: an employability match made in heaven? Journal of Education and Work, 21(2), pp. 143158.

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