Why Soft Skills Matter: 2010 Job Outlook

2. Why Soft Skills Matter:2010 Job Outlook Beverly Amer, Northern Arizona University

3. Backstory • Soft Skills are: • Traits, attitudes and behaviors rather than technical skills and abilities • More important than ever in today’s job market • A challenge to teach in “technical” courses!

4. What’s the Risk?

5. Why Do Soft Skills Matter?Job Outlook 2010 • Annual Survey – National Association of Colleges and Employers • Across all industries and regions of US • College Hiring: • DOWN 7% for 2010 grads over last year • DOWN 37% in West

6. Take Out Your Phones!

7. Top Five Majors - West • Mechanical Engineering • Finance • Electrical Engineering • Accounting • Business Administration/Management

8. What Employers Are Looking For • Greater emphasis on GPA as an interview screen • 75% of employers use a GPA screen • Most common cutoff is 3.0 GPA • On resume’ – choosing one candidate over another • Leadership position • Major • High GPA (3.0 +) • Extra-curricular activities • Volunteer work

9. What About Work Experience? • 76.6% prefer someone with relevant work experience • Internships count here

10. And Soft Skills? • Communication skills top the list of attributes employers desire most • Other attributes near the top: • Strong work ethic • Initiative • Interpersonal skills • Problem-solving skills • Teamwork skills

11. Oddly Enough… • Attributes employers list as MOST LACKING in college graduates? • Communication skills • Flexibility/adaptability • Tactfulness • Initiative • Teamwork skills • Note: Only 2.3% of employers reported that computer skills are lacking

12. Soft Skills Case Study:Communication Skills • Scenario: First research report assignment at work • Topic: Workplace entrepreneurship • Decision: What should I include in my report and e-mail message? • Video from Soft Skills at Work

13. Meet Jill and Marcus

14. Video Critique • Task • Review Jill and Marcus’ reports and e-mail messages • Correct errors • How did they do? • In a CIS course, where could this be introduced as an assignment?

15. Results? • Swap papers with another group • Assign a grade – how did we do?

16. Why I Teach Communication Skills & E-Mail Etiquette • “I submitted the wrong one, i will attach it to this file, oh and i put average next to the average cause it didnt make sence not to, and im sorry if i was just meant to tell you and you would forget about that one but idont know if i will be here in the morning to check my email but yai will just attach it to this file, well see you tomorrow”

17. Soft Skills & Your Students • How can you help your students start developing their: • Communication skills • Interpersonal skills • Problem-solving skills • Teamwork skills

18. Making Room • Use the technology you are already teaching • Wordone-page written summaries • PPT presentationin groups • Excel spreadsheet analysis to accompany Word reports • Entire workbook integrated into course

19. What’s the Risk?

20. Resources to Help You • Soft Skills at Workworkbook for students • Web site from Cengage • www.cengage.com/ct/softskills • New! “Pro Skills” incorporated into New Perspectives Office 2010 First Course lab manual

21. Contact me! • beverly.amer@nau.edu