Article Precis 1 - Essay Example

This report summarizes the research conducted on 233 employers who were investigated for their perceptions regarding the employees’ skills, and their level of satisfaction with the skills of their workforce. Skills studied in this research included generic skills like communication and teamwork. The business sectors assume the responsibility of making the students and universities aware of their expectations so that the skills incorporated in the students through the educational programmes may be made consistent with the requirements of the market.

The top ten skills of employees considered important by the employers included in the study in the order from most important to least important were found to be communication skills, team-working skills, integrity, intellectual ability, confidence, character/personality, planning and organization skills, literacy i.e. good writing sills, numeracy i.e. the employees should be good with numbers, and analysis and decision-making skills. At least 60 per cent of the employers considered the social skills of the employees and their personalities more important than their academic qualifications.

85 per cent of the employers considered the communication and team-working abilities of the employees to be of immense importance. The traditional hard skills of literacy and numeracy were found to be ranked 8th and 9th in terms of importance as ranked by the employers. One reason for this could be the fact that employers generally expect the employees to have these hard skills, and these skills are thus taken for granted. According to the employers included in the research, personality of an employee matters more in small companies as compared to large companies because the effect of individuals’ personalities is more influential in small teams as compared to large teams.

This research also investigated the top 10 skills that the employers are satisfied with. These skills when ranked from the most important to least important were found to be IT skills, postgraduate qualification, good degree classification, qualification of the employee from a reputable institution, employee’s intellectual ability, character/personality, team-working skills, relevant course of study, integrity, and cultural fit with the company. This research found the importance-satisfaction gaps with respect to the skills of employees in view of the employers.

The largest importance-satisfaction gaps in the skills of new graduates ranging from the maximum gap to the minimum gap were found to be in commercial awareness, analysis and decision-making skills, communication skills, literacy i.e. good writing skills, passion, relevant work experience, planning and organizational skills, confidence, and personal development skills. The top ten most important skills in new graduates with respect to the degree of internationalization of the employing firms ranging from the most important to least important were found to be communication skills, team-working skills, integrity, intellectual ability, confidence, character/personality, planning and organizational skills, literacy, numeracy, and analysis and decision-making skills.

The online recruitment media was found to be both the most frequently used recruitment medium and the most effective medium in view of the employers whereas student magazines were found to be both the least frequently used and the least effective medium