12B – Inquiry Question

Inquiry Question

What traits do employees look for in college graduates who apply for positions in their companies?

Employers want their employees to have the necessary skills and knowledge of the world around them.  This is a skill that a liberal arts education provides.  Students that are really interested in liberal arts should be encouraged to follow their choice successfully.  Employees want their employees to be able to think for themselves and to make intelligent decisions.  Communication skills are at the very top of the list of life skills that employees are looking for.  A liberal arts education will provide these skills to students.  A specific degree will more likely prepare students for a much more specific job.  This may or may not be the job that they end up having for the long term.  It is very hard for all students to know exactly what career they want to pursue when they complete college. Some people know what they want and some are still undecided.  In this case a liberal arts education is a great choice.  This still provides you with a college education, and gives you flexibility with your career choice.

In the United States there is continued pressure to prepare students for the workplace and this can be achieved with a liberal arts education.  Employers want their employees to write better, speak better, and to reason better. 

“A majority of employers want their employees to have more knowledge of global issues, more knowledge of cultural diversity in the U.S. and abroad, and more civic knowledge, among other things. Both the skills and the knowledge for which employers clamor are those provided by the liberal arts.”

Cited from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timhall/liberal-arts-and-the-work_b_3055433.html

In the workplace it is necessary for employees to be able to use their skills when writing and communicating and when applying critical thinking to their decisions.  All employers look for these traits in their staff.  The stereotype of a liberal arts college is that they do not always prepare its students for finding a job after graduation.  But, we do know that liberal arts colleges do help teach students to develop all of the qualities that are in demand by employers.  They are taught to be successful in the choice of a career.