Why College Grads Aren't Ready for the Real World

Given the lack of available talent to fill key roles, an increasing number of employers are looking to hire college graduates this year, according to a recent survey from CareerBuilder. They're also willing to pay more money to do so. That said, many of these employers feel that academic institutions are falling short when it comes to preparing young people to work in today's business environment, findings show. Specifically, there's too much emphasis on book learning as opposed to real-world challenges, survey participants said. Job candidates are failing to develop the right combination of tech and soft skills. And college graduates in general often struggle with respect to problem solving and communicating-the latter both verbally and written. "New college graduates have better prospects this year than in years' past-both in terms of opportunities and salary offers," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "They still face challenges, however. (A significant share of) employers feel colleges do not adequately prepare students with crucial workplace competencies, including soft skills and real-world experience that might be gained through things like internships." A total of 2,175 hiring managers and HR professionals took part in the research.