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Employers Prize Communication Skills
Picture students in Composition I class…
Students are hard at work on their final research papers for the semester. They have chosen to research some fascinating topics such as non-pharmaceutical treatments for fibromyalgia, the effects of parental favoritism among children, and what nutrition is best for a successful workout.
Writing research papers is a fact of college life, but did you know that those papers have a really important impact on finding a job after graduation?
According to Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., and Dr. Randall S. Hansen from the Quintessential Careers ® website at http://www.quintcareers.com, three of the top skills most sought after by employers are communication skills: “By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively. Successful communication is critical in business”; analytical/research skills: “Deals with your ability to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather more information if necessary, and identify key issues that need to be addressed”; and computer/technical literacy: “Almost all jobs now require some basic understanding of computer hardware and software, especially word processing, spreadsheets, and email.”
Wow! Academic research papers develop all three of those skills! To all of our Composition I students, I say, “Write on!”
Anne Devlin, Composition I instructor
Posted in Blog, Uncategorized
