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Impact of Soft Skills on Hiring
Relative importance of soft skills as valued by modern employers.
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4 skills that every recent college graduate needs to land a job ...
Recent college grads face an uncertain job market. SDI Productions/Getty Images 2026-04-17T13:50:42.236Z I work with college students and recent college graduates to help them land their first jobs. Many are prioritizing the wrong skills and failing to focus on what employers are looking for. Instead, job seekers should focus on responsiveness and adaptability. We've all heard the horror stories of unemployed people sending out hundreds of job applications into a void with barely a response, much less an interview. Recent job indicators suggest this is shaping up to be one of the most challenging job markets for new college graduates in recent memory, with AI and shifting workforce priorities creating an uncertain landscape for young people entering the workforce.After 25 years of working with thousands of students and recent college graduates, and interviewing young adults for my book, "Getting In Is Not: Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades, Test Scores, and College Admission," I learned a hard truth: We've focused on the wrong metrics for "success" in school and in the workforce.There is a disconnect between the skills needed to help people thrive in a rapidly changing workforce and the ones that high schools and colleges measure. And, the skills employers need are not the ones most job seekers think to develop or highlight in their job search.Here are four undervalued skills that are often overlooked, yet remain critical for landing a job and for keeping one. A 'get it done' attitudeFormer President Obama said it plainly in a 2023 interview: Being a person known for getting things done is powerful.So many young adults today are worried about getting the wrong answer or doing something incorrectly that they fail to develop the "can-do" approach needed to take on a project and see it through completion, no matter the obstacle.Employers value those whom they can count on to be solutions-oriented, and they want to see this demonstrated in interviews and early job tasks.AdaptabilityI worked with a recent college grad who became genuinely distressed when her new employer wouldn't hand her a weekly task list every Monday morning. She wanted to schedule her week around preset assignments and would become frustrated if priorities later shifted or new information meant a project was headed in a new direction.In school, she had been rewarded for her rigidity, especially when it meant following directions and checking off predetermined boxes.But in the workpl...
College Graduates—5 Areas Of Value You Bring To Any Job
Skills-based hiring is changing how employers evaluate talent. Learn why college graduates already have valuable skills and how to communicate them effectively.
How to start your career as a new college graduate in 2026
The reality of the entry-level job market A few forces are colliding at the same time to create a complex hiring environment for new grads.
How to Succeed In Your First Job: 6 Tips for Recent Graduates
Entering the workforce feels like stepping into a whole new world. There are different rules, expectations, and responsibilities. For a recent graduate, this change can feel overwhelming. As you start out, it's common to face imposter syndrome, feeling out of place and overly inexperienced. If you're struggling to understand how to succeed in your first job, you're not alone.
