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The 2023 graduates were all freshmen in the spring of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic began to affect every aspect of life.
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| Graduates in the US take soft skills courses to find job opportunities in businesses. |
Because they spend most of their time studying online and doing remote internships, they don’t accumulate many soft skills. That’s why many new graduates in the US are actively participating in soft skills enhancement classes.
Not only bachelors, many third-year students also want to find opportunities to work directly with colleagues during internships to improve communication skills. In a survey conducted by TimelyCare Company (USA) in April with about 700 students graduating in 2023, 53% of students asked said they wanted a completely direct working environment, while 21% wanted to work completely remotely.
Commenting on the new generation of graduates after the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Jialan Wang, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois (USA), assessed that although today's graduates are very proficient in digital, they still need to improve their professional email skills and communication skills. Understanding the reality of Gen Z employees (born from 1997 to 2012), some businesses and universities have organized training to help them adapt to the office environment.
The University of Michigan now requires many business students to take classes that teach soft skills like how to make face-to-face connections. Accounting firm KPMG offers new hires face-to-face training, including tips on how much eye contact and pauses to make in conversation. New hires practice situations like resolving conflict in a group and making simple introductions to clients and colleagues. Deloitte and PwC have offered similar training since earlier this year. Consulting firm Proviti has expanded its training program for new hires to include topics like how to facilitate discussions, work in professional teams, and dress appropriately.
The trend of US graduates rushing to take soft skills training courses comes at a time when competition is fierce due to reduced recruitment demand. According to the Wall Street Journal, in February 2023, the unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-old graduates in the US was 4.6%. This figure is double the 2.3% rate from December 2021. At Villanova University in Pennsylvania, the number of full-time graduate jobs posted through the school's channels in the first quarter of 2023 decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year. The decline was mainly in the software, financial services and biotechnology sectors.
Many career offices at American universities say that businesses are hesitant to hire graduates, a far cry from two years ago when they were competing for students in the first weeks of the new school year. With unemployment high and unable to find the jobs they want, graduates are looking for other options to make a living. According to a survey by the US-based recruitment software company iCIMS, about 90% of 1,000 college seniors are considering graduate school or taking a job outside their major.
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