The most important college class
What is the most important skill to focus on with your college class schedule? Last week, I promised to reveal what I believe is THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL NEEDED TO LAND A JOB. Every day, I meet with graduates applying for entry-level positions, often with their newly minted diplomas in hand. Unfortunately, 99% of them are missing the most crucial piece needed to solve the job offer puzzle.
The last two posts focused on the skills and topics that should be included in a 4-year education. Two weeks ago, the topic was public speaking. I posted what is essential to landing a job and a successful career. Last week’s post pointed out why English, Accounting, and advanced skills in Microsoft Excel will help you stand out. These skills are demonstrated not only in the interview process but also after you are hired. I am not suggesting that one should earn a degree in English. I am saying that advanced skills in these areas are rare. They are needed in every aspect of the job and will make a candidate stand out in today’s economy.
The four essentials
If you are an effective public speaker, a strong writer, and have a better-than-average understanding of Accounting and Excel, you are in the “must call” pile of resumes. Remember, if you are an electrical engineering major, everyone applying for an entry-level engineering position will have an electrical engineering degree. Everyone applying for entry-level positions will typically have a Bachelor’s degree or an MBA, particularly if they hold a general business degree. What will separate you from the rest of the pack are your strengths with the above four tools. They separate you because so few candidates are familiar with them. These skills can be leveraged in any position.
Effective public speaking and writing skills are essential to help you secure a job and communicate your ideas once hired. With Excel, you can get to work and make a difference in the first week. Regarding Excel, it is easy to prove advanced proficiency during the interview. I would be proactive in promoting the skill. I list accounting because every company is working towards a bottom line. Most employees don’t understand what that bottom line is. Most managers assume that their employees do not understand financial concepts at a basic level. Consequently, employees who understand financials are much more mature than their peers.
Quick to contribute
These four skills are areas in which you can improve your college career. You can make an immediate and significant impact immediately after you are hired. These skills will help you stand out. You have a shot at adding value to projects your peers wouldn’t even be qualified for.
As promised, I will reveal THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL FOR LANDING A JOB this week.
What skill do I see most candidates missing? What do most college class schedules lack during the $40 – $100K, 4-year education? Most college graduates possess the necessary credentials and degrees to secure a job. Most college graduates lack the specific skills to interview successfully for a job offer.
The missing ingredient
Candidates would receive offers if they knew how to navigate the networking, resume, interviewing, and salary negotiation processes. I don’t believe that this is a skill that graduates are including in their college class schedules. As a result, my next business venture will be HRNasty’s job interview boot camp. Attendees will receive instruction, CDs, and interactive videos. But wait, if you act within the next 10 minutes, I’ll include the top interview questions and answers!
Interviewing skills are not just needed to land a position. These skills are essential to secure a stronger offer. Knowing how to interview will also make us better interviewers. Being a more accomplished interviewer will help you build a stronger team.
Most of the recent graduates I meet fall into three categories.
Category 1:
Received no exposure to any instruction or mentorship when it comes to finding a job. Parents and college career counselors may have offered some advice. This guidance is usually outdated. I say this because of the old-school questions and tactics I see candidates using in today’s job hunt. Times have changed. This was demonstrated when laid-off baby boomers struggled to find jobs in 2007.
Category 2:
This group is only one step ahead of the first group. They are still in the same sinking boat. This group of recent graduates has undergone a one- or two-hour interview training session conducted in a large group setting. One or 2 hours isn’t enough time to learn this dynamic skill. We spend 15 to 20 hours a week studying topics in our field of study over the course of 2 years. We spend $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 or more over four years to qualify for a position. Why do candidates spend only 1 or 2 hours learning how to land the job we worked so hard to qualify for? It is tough to learn any skill in an hour. Interviewing is a single skill that will pay off the investment in a 4-year college. Job landing skills are taken for granted at the university level.
Category 3:
The third category is one I know exists. Colleges with strong business programs typically offer a business club or business association. These clubs offer interview prep sessions and will not be listed in the class directory. These informal groups will have an organized program to help students refine their resumes and develop their interview skills. The sessions are not just 1-2 hours, but range from 20 to 30 hours, including multiple mock interviews. These candidates usually perform very well during an interview. If landing a job was the goal of going to school, these candidates received what they needed from their college experience. These sessions were not required for graduation. Interview training is an extracurricular activity and takes place outside the college class schedule.
It isn’t the person most qualified for the job that receives the offer. It is the candidate that is the most prepared for the interview.
I remember hearing the story of a relatable fighter pilot training. During the World War, if a fighter pilot made it through 7 dogfights, their chance of surviving dogfights increased exponentially. This number seemed to be the magic number where pilots learned enough to be successful and return home. Many pilots failed on their first and second missions. They did not make it home. As pilots approached their 7th dogfight, they gained enough experience to be successful. With this in mind, the Air Force created a new training program. This training provided the pilots with the proficiency level of a pilot who has participated in 7 dogfights. The percentage of pilots coming home increased significantly.
A single mock interview isn’t enough
I try to apply the same theory when working with recent graduates. My goal is to get them to a level of comfort where they can be successful. A single mock interview won’t do it. This is why I don’t care for the 2-hour seminar that covers networking, resume writing, interviewing, and salary negotiation. Getting a candidate comfortable with seven mock interviews is beneficial. With seven real-life interviews, you get the experience. Unfortunately, you do NOT get any feedback on your performance. With multiple mock interviews, you get the most critical piece of the puzzle. You receive feedback on your answers and your body language. We crash and burn in the mock interview, not in the dogfight.
If you are in school, I recommend skipping the 2-hour interview prep show. Beg, borrow, or steal your way to the interview prep series of classes put on by the School of Business. If you have already graduated, read and take notes on blogs like this. Google “top 40 interview questions for (your position here).” A degree isn’t enough. Don’t take the suggested college class schedule for granted.
See you at the after party,
HRNasty
nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.
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