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#Post#: 23787--------------------------------------------------
Why Johnny can't write, and why employers are mad
By: Mac Date: November 11, 2013, 11:17 am
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Another one of those cultural things. I kick myself on the
occasion I do some bad writing. These kids don't have a clue.
Lots to blame here including college. How does the college
graduate kids that can't write?
[glow=red,2,300]Why Johnny can't write, and why employers are
mad[/glow]
[quote]Can you tell a pronoun from a participle; use commas
correctly in long sentences; describe the difference between its
and it's?
If not, you have plenty of company in the world of job seekers.
Despite stubbornly high unemployment, many employers complain
that they can't find qualified candidates.
Often, the mismatch results from applicants' inadequate
communication skills. In survey after survey, employers are
complaining about job candidates' inability to speak and to
write clearly.
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were a
net 204,000 new jobs created in October, though the unemployment
rate rose to 7.3 percent. The numbers easily topped economist
expectations of 120,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs for the month.
Experts differ on why job candidates can't communicate
effectively. Bram Lowsky, an executive vice president of Right
Management, the workforce management arm of Manpower, blames
technology.
"With Gen X and Gen Y, because everything is shorthand and text,
the ability to communicate effectively is challenged," he said.
"You see it in the business world, whether with existing
employees or job candidates looking for work."
Others say colleges aren't doing a good job. In a survey of 318
employers published earlier this year by the Association of
American Colleges and Universities and conducted by Hart
Research Associates, 80 percent said colleges should focus more
on written and oral communication.
William Ellet, an adjunct professor teaching writing at Brandeis
International Business School, says the problem starts earlier.
He points out that when the Department of Education in 2012
published what it called "The Nation's Report Card: Writing
2011," just 24 percent of eighth and 12th graders were
proficient in writing. From colleges on down, he said, "nobody
takes responsibility for writing instruction."
Ellet, who previously taught writing at Harvard Business School,
says the problem persists even into business school— and he
believes the problem isn't related to technology. "Most new
technology is text based," he said, adding that a majority of
his students report working with people they have never met and
communicating with them largely through email.
"Thirty or 40 years ago, using writing for that wouldn't have
been possible," he said, and that makes writing that much more
important. "Businesses get that, but I don't think universities
do."
Luckily for Ellet, his students have plenty of motivation to
improve. "Recruiters and companies are saying, 'Send us a
writing sample, and if you don't meet our standards for
communication, we are not hiring you,'" he said.
It's not just anecdotal: In a 2011 survey of corporate
recruiters by the Graduate Management Admission Council, the
organization that administers the standardized test for business
school, 86 percent said strong communication skills were a
priority—well ahead of the next skill. (When recruiters were
asked in a separate question what changes business schools
should make to meet employers' needs, the recruiters
overwhelmingly called for something different: practical
experience.)
Help from some companies
The good news for job seekers is that some companies are
providing help with writing. Lowsky estimates that Right
Management is seeing an increase of 20 to 25 percent in the
number of clients investing in career development for employees,
including improving their communication skills.
T. Rowe Price has been working independently on employees'
communication skills for some time. With offices in multiple
time zones and time sensitive investment decisions to make, the
firm's leaders understand that clear communications are
essential. A number of senior people at the firm may work with
analysts and portfolio managers on their communications, but
Garry Cosnett, head of global equity communications, does it
full time.
Cosnett spends considerable time with newly hired analysts,
helping them learn to organize their writing and make it clear
and persuasive. Another part of his job is to read writing
samples from prospective hires, often second year MBA
candidates. "Sometimes we ask for writing samples even prior to
the interview process, and I will take a look at that," he said.
"I've been doing this for so long, I have a pretty good sense of
what's fixable and what's terminal."
T. Rowe Price tends to hire graduates of the most selective
business schools, along with some lateral hires from other firms
– but even for this elite group, writing can be a challenge,
Cosnett says.
"It's amazing, the frequent disconnect," he said. "These are
people who all did the very best at the best schools, probably
since preschool, but they really have not developed their
writing skills to the degree that they would have to to succeed
in this organization."
Some new hires are skeptical, he said. "People think when they
first meet me that I'm going to grill them on semicolons." But
in fact, he says, he is teaching them what they need in order to
succeed at the firm. "You can be the smartest person here, but
if you can't convince the portfolio managers to buy what you're
selling, you won't be successful." (In Wall Street terms, that
means you won't make much money.)
"So much," he said, "is driven by the written word." [/quote]
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