The majority of businesses have high expectations for newly hired college graduates today, according to senior executives and managers.
Sixty-one percent of business leaders surveyed say that businesses have high expectations (productivity, contribution, hours worked, etc.) for recently hired college graduates.
Even though the expectations are high, the majority of graduates are better prepared for entering business compared to the past (five to 10 years ago), according to the global survey of 143 senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research.
“With the pressures of work today, it is no surprise that college grads are expected to hit the ground running,” said NFI Research CEO Chuck Martin, author of SMARTS (Are We Hardwired for Success?)
More than half (52%) of senior executives and managers say that when it comes to hiring recent college graduates into business today compared to the past (five to 10 years ago), the newly hired graduates today are better prepared.
“Although the recent graduates may be better prepared intellectually, they are not as prepared for the soft skills (interpersonal skills) required when working in a business environment or office,” says one survey respondent.
By organization size, more executives at large organizations say that expectations of today’s colleges graduates are high.
Seventy-five percent of business leaders at large organizations say that expectations of newly hired college graduates are high, while 59% of leaders at small businesses say the same.
NFI Research surveys 2,000 senior executives and managers globally every two weeks. It has chronicled the transformation of business and countless workplace issues for more than eight years. NFI’s Chairman and CEO Chuck Martin is a best-selling author of seven business books and frequently presents NFI's findings to businesses around the world.
