When graduating college, many students are skeptical that they have not obtained a suitable amount of skills for their future job. The Office of Career Development recently held a workshop to address this concern.

The workshop, titled “10 Things Employers Expect You to Learn in College,” took place on Sept. 22 in the Lee Nursing Building Auditorium.

Presenter Dollie J. Newhouse, Director of the Office of Career Development, has worked in the Office of Career Development for five years and has seen students come into her office unsure about what potential employers are looking for besides good grades.

“Many students I have worked with have assumed that making good grades is enough to land them a great job after graduation,” Newhouse said. “In reality, employers expect students to do well academically and to develop a range of transferable skills.”

The workshop was focused around what a recent survey of employers expected students to have learned while attending a university.

Skills that were discussed included establishing work ethic, developing a professional look, learning verbal communication skills, learning to write, working with people, influence of others, gathering information, using quantitative tools, asking the right questions and problem solving.

Students that attended the event learned how to explore the skills that they have unknowingly obtained in college and apply it to what potential employers are looking for.

Newhouse gave students a different approach for looking at the 10 expectations that employers have for potential employees. She took real examples and experiences that students face daily in a classroom setting and used those experiences as examples of meeting the employer’s expectations. She also gave students information on how to achieve these expectations if they have not already started.

“Most students do not have much experience working in a professional setting, so they have not been exposed to employers enough to realize what employers want and need from their employees,” Newhouse said. “Furthermore, students expect the culture of work to mimic campus culture, and it does not. Their employers do not have the same objectives as their professors.”

A panel of discussion was opened to students at the end of the workshop for any additional questions. The topic of interest for most students was interviewing and appropriate attire.

Newhouse discussed the proper and improper colors, types of clothing and how one should dress for an interview.

“It is always better to be overdressed than under dressed in an interview,” Newhouse said.

Senior Christine Williams found the workshop very informative and helpful.

“As a graduating senior, I am preparing for potential employers and the graduate life,” Williams said. “I felt attending the 10 skills workshop would allow me to gain insight on what employers will expect of me. To be honest, I was nervous that I had not learned these ‘skills’ as of yet and was behind on the preparation train to success. However, after attentively listening to what Ms. Newhouse had to offer, I was relieved to know that all of the skills mentioned at the workshop I’ve previously obtained and feel proficient in them as well.”

Williams also commented on the student perception of having high academics.

“One thing that Ms. Newhouse mentioned that I do not think the majority of my peers are aware of is that employers not only seek high academics but an individual whom can maintain a scholarly GPA as well as interact with groups in the form of a club and/or organization,” Williams said.

The Office of Career Development will have its next workshop, “Discussing Salaries with Potential Employers,” on Wednesday Oct. 13 at 3:45 p.m. in the Lee Nursing Building Auditorium. The workshop will address how and when to ask an employer how much a job pays.

The Office of Career Development provides resume critiques, mock interviews and career counseling for students. They also organize a career fair each semester and maintain an online job and resume service for students at www.collegecentral.com/fmarion.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Office of Career Development can visit their office in Smith University Center, suite 210.