5 SKILLS MILLENNIALS MUST MASTER

So, what exactly do employers wish more grads knew? According to the Chegg study, hiring managers felt that grads were most lacking in organization, leadership, personal finance skills and “street smarts.” Let’s explore these four skills, and one more I consider crucial. Today we will hit on the first one:

1. COMMUNICATION

This is the topic I absolutely must add to any list of what employers wish Millennials learned in college. According to a 2013 study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 80 percent of employers said colleges should focus more on written and oral communication. No matter what the industry or job function you’re in, you will need to talk to people and send emails.

Mostly due to the rise in email, texting, instant messaging and other electronic communications, today’s grads are much more casual, unfocused and imprecise in their writing and speaking. This doesn’t mean they’re dumb or lazy; it usually means they haven’t been taught how to communicate in a professional way.

While it irritates many employers to have to offer basic writing classes to new hires, this is a simple and painless solution to the problem of Millennials’ weak writing and speaking skills. (On the positive side, employers rarely have to offer Millennials classes on basic technology and software programs.) 

So folks, let's make sure we all focus on our communication skills. Take pride in communicating effectively with everyone in your life; not just your employer. It goes a long way!