John and Jane are both UConn accounting students graduating this year. They\u2019ve taken the same courses and learned from the same professors, and they\u2019re both finalists for the same entry-level job at a large company.<\/p>\n
John\u2019s grades were a bit better than Jane\u2019s, and he has a higher overall GPA. But Jane did an internship at an accounting company, where her final project involved making a presentation to the firm\u2019s senior leadership. She was also a leader in student government, and she volunteered at a local animal shelter on the weekends.<\/p>\n
In this hypothetical scenario, who\u2019s the more attractive candidate?<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s employment market, as hiring managers place greater emphasis on the importance of so-called \u201csoft skills,\u201d more often than not it\u2019s Jane who\u2019d get the job offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing employers do not resonate well with is a student who may have an extremely high GPA, but has done nothing else in their time here,\u201d says Jim Lowe, assistant vice provost and executive director of UConn\u2019s Center for Career Development. \u201cTwenty years ago, I will tell you, \u2018I went to class and I got really good grades\u2019 was the name of the game. It\u2019s not the name of the game anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our hypothetical Jane\u2019s out-of-classroom activities help to demonstrate to potential employers her mastery of soft skills \u2013 those somewhat intangible competencies, like critical thinking, creativity, professionalism, communication, and teamwork \u2013 that are increasingly important to hiring managers. Fifty-seven percent of senior business leaders say that soft skills are more important than hard skills, according to LinkedIn Learning\u2019s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, a survey of more than 4,000 professionals, with creativity securing the top spot as the most valued soft skill.<\/p>\n
In his work with students and recruiters through the Center for Career Development, Lowe sees the importance placed on soft skills every day, he says, and while soft skills aren\u2019t a new concept, they help demonstrate a candidate\u2019s ability to transition from the higher education environment to the workplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a day where if somebody were looking for a computer programmer, they would only go to the School of Engineering for computer science majors,\u201d Lowe notes. \u201cNow, they have broadened that and said, \u2018We\u2019ll take a look at any major, because the technology is so specific to our industry, to our company, we tend to train them on the technology piece. We just want good solid talent coming in.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who have the most creativity, great communication skills \u2026 it\u2019s just as important as the technical skills that you get from an engineering course load,\u201d says Daniel Murphy \u201906 (BUS), senior vice president for digital engineering with the consumer financial services company Synchrony, who also recruits at UConn for the company\u2019s information technology needs. Murphy says that most universities don\u2019t teach the modern programming languages that his team uses for coding, making soft skills like creativity and communication critical to his recruitment efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I speak to IT groups, a lot of what I speak about are social and professional skills,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cIf you want to make real, big, lasting change, you need the help of others. Motivating a team to work together, and convincing your boss to support your vision to take a big swing takes more than just technical skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
In decades past, soft skills might have developed naturally over time, Murphy observes, as students left their dorms to interact with peers and build new friendships on a campus community. But in this era of technology, where social media and mobile communications often make continuing high school friendships easier than cultivating new relationships, the natural forces that would have helped to build soft skills may be less a part of the college experience.<\/p>\n
While UConn\u2019s general education requirements help expose all students to a core curriculum designed to give students a well-rounded academic experience regardless of their major, both Lowe and Murphy agree that experiences outside of academics are critical to developing the soft skills that employers are searching for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we hear employers say on a regular basis is that the classroom piece is important,\u201d says Lowe, \u201cbut it\u2019s the experiential learning that they\u2019re really looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experiential learning, as Lowe refers to it, can include any learning outside a traditional college classroom. Internships, co-ops, and job shares, as well as involvement in student organizations or clubs \u2013 and taking advantage of leadership opportunities in those organizations, in particular \u2013 all help to develop the soft skills that are in demand with today\u2019s hiring managers. Murphy agrees, adding that work experience, particularly in a team environment, demonstrates your ability to communicate, motivate, and keep others engaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need work experience, and you need to be part of a team,\u201d he says. \u201cUConn\u2019s a big school. It\u2019s easy to get lost. You have to make it a bit smaller in order to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are more than 600 active groups and clubs at UConn, Lowe says, and the Center for Career Development can help connect students with internships both on and off campus. He says an essential key to success at UConn, and to building soft skills that will take students into the next phase of life, is to stay engaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you tell your story? It\u2019s not a robust story if you only have one chapter,\u201d says Lowe. \u201cYou want to be able to say, \u2018I really engaged in life here,\u2019 which gives the employer the sense that you\u2019re going to engage in the culture of their company.\u201d<\/p>\n
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