Academic English - Essay Example

Global recession has affected the dynamics of the labor market. Today, because the vacancies are so low and companies are trying their best to cut down costs, including human resource, there are many applicants for every available job. This may turn the labor market into a very competitive area and there is more pressure on the applicants. Graduates, even from top universities, are not guaranteed to get a job in today’s world (Turner, 2010). This means that universities now have to make sure that they take extra measures to ensure that their students have a competitive edge over others and get a job after graduated. This essay sheds light over the importance of universities to add value to the graduating students to make it easier for them to get jobs. It also discusses the key steps that universities should take to achieve that purpose. Universities need to realize that, just like any other organization, they need to add value into their offering (Bennett, 2001). Before recession, a student would just need to study hard to earn him a degree. However, due to the increased competition in the labor market, the universities must ensure that the bachelor programs they offer do not just focus on what the degree is about, but give the students some extra chance to give them the competitive edge over others. As far as the courses are concerned, universities should not just teach the various theories, but should also show how they are applied in the real world. It is good to teach students about the origins and history of theories, their contributions and their evolvement. But it is also important to show them how it is applied in the real world by giving the current situation. Practice is very important (Ahmet & Fallows, 1999). This can be done through organizing field trips, seminars and workshops in collaboration with different companies in order to give talks and explain to the students how to use the course material in the real world. Another way of doing this is through altering the course material to include and case studies as a major part. This gives the students a feel of the real world, through this they can learn how to challenge and make decisions just like they would in the corporate environment. For this reason, most graduate programs include an internship requirement from the student to ensure that the student has some experience before he graduates and is ready to start a job. (Connor & Brown, 2009) Another very important aspect of student development is team work and collaboration (American Society for Horticultural Science, 2007). No employer wants an employee who cannot work in a group, no matter how efficient or effective he is as an individual. In fact, employers would prefer an employee who has individual characteristic but has good team working capabilities over an employee who is great working individually but does not work well in groups. Globalization has brought a coordinated way that people can work in groups. In such a situation, the importance of team work and collaboration can be shown. Students must be trained as much as possible to put forget their differences with others in the groups and work in complete harmony to achieve the defined goals. No differences, be it ethnic, racial, cultural or religious should come in the way when the team is working to attain a common goal (Schreiber, 1996). In today’s world of technological advancements and increased dependence over software solutions, every student must be made to develop Information Technology (IT) related skills. Whichever degree program the student belongs to, it is essential for him to understand how organizations, these days, are adopting IT solutions to make their operations more and more efficient and to gain an edge over their competitors. Even for business, accounts or finance graduates, the management or number crunching is not just limited to paper now. There are software solutions for everything, and it only makes sense to know how to use them when the employers are adopting them in their organizational processes (Stewart, 1997). IT skills should not just be limited to using software systems. Students must be encouraged to be active participants over the World Wide Web in becoming known and creating a competitive edge over others. Blogging is one of the very recent trends. If the employer searches about a student on the internet and finds that he or she is running a successful blog with a big fan following, it will tell him many things. To the employer, the student will appear to have good writing skills, good presentation skills, and an already established network of fans that can be used for business related purposes. The importance of blogging is explained by Tom Johnson in his article “How to Get a Job in Technical Writing – A 7-step Guide for Students”, where he explains how blogging can be used to gain experience and sharpen communication skills. (Johnson, 2009) Once the student has developed the skills discussed above, it is the responsibility of the placement department of the university to step in and take charge. The placement department acts as an intermediary between the students and the employers and ensures that the graduating students get jobs in the field they want (The Florida State University, n.d.). They must be in contact with the employers continuously to know of their needs and must adapt with their changing requirements. Also, they must have a strong liaison with their alumni. Alumni have a strong bond with their university. Being in contact with the alumni would enable the universities to have an insight of the market requirements and would also help the university’s students to get some preference over others. An important thing that career development department must do is to organize mock interviews and mentoring sessions for the students. Many bright students may get rejected by the employer because of a bad interview. Interviews are opportunities for the graduates to show the employers their potential. A good interview can create the difference between a prosperous career and rejection and the graduates must make proper preparations before hand to impress the employer when they get the chance. (Poitevin, 2009) As discussed, the job market is becoming more and more competitive because of the current economic crisis. Universities must remain on their toes and constantly try and add value to their graduating students through developing their skills and getting them geared up for the corporate world better than others. However, there is no one way to do this. Universities must add value based on the environment they operate in using the best ways possible. References http://onlineuniversity.ytdyj.com/finish-your-college-degree-online-get-a-better-paying-job/ Ahmet, K, Fallows, S.J. (1999), Science in Support of Professional Disciplines: An Experiential Approach, 6th International Conference on Experiential Learning, Tampare, Finland.  Ahmet, K, Fallows, S.J. (1999), in Fallows, S.J., Ahmet, K (Eds), Experiential Learning Through Practicals, Kogan Page, London.  American Society for Horticultural Science (2007). Teamwork Improves Learning and Career Success. Science Daily. Available from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105095721.htm. [Accessed on 24th March 2010]. Bennett, D.(2001). Assessing quality in higher education. Bnet. Available from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NKR/is_2_87/ai_88581415/. [Accessed on 24th March 2010] (1995), Skills for Graduates in the 21st Century, Association of Graduate Recruiters.  Connor, H, Brown,R.(2009). The Value of Graduates and Postgraduates. Council for Industry and Higher Education. Available from http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/cmsweb/downloads/rcuk/researchcareers/VoGFinalreport.pdf. [Accessed 24th March 2010] Georgia State University (n.d.). Teamwork and Leadership. Available from http://www.gsu.edu/career/teamwork_and_leadership.html. [Accessed 21 March 2010] Johnson, T.(2009). How to Get a Job in Technical Writing — A 7-Step Guide for students. I’d Rather be Writing. Available from http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2009/09/22/how-to-get-a-job-in-technical-writing-a-7-step-guide-for-students/ [Accessed on 24th March 2010] Placement Office(n.d.). The Florida State University. Available from http://www.law.fsu.edu/placement/index.html. [Accessed on 24th March 2010] Poitevin, R.(2009). Tips For a Successful Job Interview - How Good Preparation Can Make All the Difference. Ezine Articles. Available from http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-For-a-Successful-Job-Interview---How-Good-Preparation-Can-Make-All-the-Difference&id=3208400. [Accessed on 24th March 2010] Stewart, I.(1997).The Importance of IT skills in the employment market. The Computer Bulletin, Volume 39, Number 1, February 1997, pp. 2-3(2).Oxford University Press. http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nk49AAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=Experiential+Learning+Through+Practicals&ots=lsDdpTtUBq&sig=5ruDVZbTiTCqlimgEOQveulc_6U#v=onepage&q=Experiential%20Learning%20Through%20Practicals&f=false http://www.funkygrad.com/think/displayarticle.php?artID=202&subcat=work Muddles and Huddles: Facilitating a Multicultural Workforce through Team Management Theory Journal article by Evelyn Jaffe Schreiber; The Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 33, 1996 http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000432758 Read More