In the previous article (READ: Top 12 Universities Favored By Companies And Employers), we mentioned that the school where a job applicant came from still matters.
However, according to the Jobs and Salary Report 2015 by Jobstreet.com, the school you came from is NOT the number one basis for acceptance.
Eighty percent (80%) of the employers surveyed in the study said that they would like applicants to emphasize INTERNSHIP when they are interviewed.
Your grades is not at the top either.
If you are newly out of college, you know how daunting it feels to create your resume, hand it to companies and employers and wait for them to call you back for an interview. Job hunting is not that simple.
So what is the secret sauce?
INTERNSHIP.
Based on the report, internship is the main factor that employer look into when hiring applicants fresh out of college. Eighty percent (80%) of the employers surveyed in the study said that they would like applicants to emphasize this when they are interviewed.
Grades come in second in the employers’ list (at 52% – lower that the 58% of last year’s result).
Surprisingly, coming in third at 50% (2% shy of the 2nd place) is a part-time job. This factor was at 40% last year, thus a significant 10% increase for this year’s study.
Aside from these factors, communication skills, trainability, willingness to learn and initiative also came up in the survey. Although minor, employers prioritize these skills as well over other factors.
This stresses that on-the-job experience and work experience while in college matter a lot for a fresh graduate to land a job.
So the next time you plan out your career path, make sure that you get work experience while in college.