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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Information Technology (IT)
They are talking about this topic: General Skills
The quotes below are about this issue:
Employers see a need for additional training in basic application and interviewing skills among entry-level candidates. Several employers report receiving incomplete or inadequate cover letters, resumes, and applications.
| "The problem that we've had is finding people who can really convey that they're qualified. I did about 20 interviews at [a MnSCU college] a couple of weeks ago, and the number one problem with them was that they couldn't convey their skill set to me. They had a problem interviewing. I really had to kind of dig to try and figure out if they had what it took. I had to pull it out of them. So, that's a big problem that I see: the interviewing skills. They need to tell the prospective employer, 'Hey, I'm here, and I can do this job.' Really selling themselves and really being self-confident." | Central |
| "We say we don't have a lack of applicants, but—earlier in my career—the applicants, especially the developers, could pretty much accurately assess their skill set. Now, the applicants tend to overrate their skill set. They come in and they think they're much better than they are." | Central |
| "I'd like to echo what the other respondent said. We see quite a bit of that. We get a loaded interview, which is fine if you can back it up or you can explain that to the interviewer. We shouldn't have to extract that from you." | Central |
| "Just recently someone interviewed with me, and he was explaining to me his latest project. He helped create a report and showed it to his project manager, and felt like he was the point person between IT and business. He told me about the report and the technical aspects of it, and I said, 'Why did you do a report?' He had no idea. So, he didn't actually know why he was doing the work, and why they picked that solution. And I think that's part of understanding, 'Do I add value? And, if I do, how am I adding value?'" | Metro |
| "We need good soft skills. Being able to present a well-rounded resume, and being able to articulate the things that add value. The question isn't, 'What did you do in your internship?' but, 'How did you add value?' And just an ability to speak and feel comfortable in an interview environment. Because in our environment, the day you start working you are client-facing. You are now serving your clients. And if someone cannot go through an interview and be confident in their skill sets, we can't put them in front of our clients." | Metro |