“Why Graduates Can’t get a Job?” plus 1 more nursing article(s): NursingCrib.com Updates

Posted: 20 Mar 2010 10:45 PM PDT

Newly graduated Sandra Santos wanted to pursue a career in advertising but her parents forced her to take up Nursing instead. That was four years ago. Today, Sandra is jobless, along with thousands of other new nurses.

Mark Cariño graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Administration.

He was a consistent honor student and never failed an exam. But in his quest to always be on top of his class, he concentrated solely on his academics and didn't engage in extra-curricular activities. Now he is 's wondering why won't hire him.

Why can't these two competent people find a job?

WRONG PRACTICE

Every year 400,000 students graduate from college but 40 percent fail job interviews, according to a study made by the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).

Companies, meanwhile, complain because they cannot find the right people to fill in their job vacancies.

Vicente U. Kilayco, chairman of PMAP's academic-industry committee and managing director of career transitions firm, Drake Beam Morin (DBM) Philippines, Inc. says there is a job mismatch because these graduates are doing it all wrong.

"Graduates who cannot find a job, and companies who cannot hire, it's a national tragedy! So where lies the problem?

First, other people or their parents made the career choice for them. Second, they just joined bandwagons or followed trends when they entered college. Third, they do not have the behavioral competencies required in a job. These are the challenges facing graduates right now," points out Kilayco.

He says current market situations or trends tend to change by the time a batch of students graduate. Nursing, for instance, is no longer as in demand as it was four years ago because of the oversupply. Yet, Kilayco says many people enter the workforce knowing that it still is.

He adds that it would help if government agencies, such as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), could set the direction for students to take by identifying the industries expected to flourish in the future.

Another important factor, Kilayco stresses, is the behavioral competency most graduates lack, especially those who excelled in class.

"Based on the PMAP survey, 40 percent of applicants are not accepted by the company because they do not have initiative, critical thinking and communication skills. The technical competencies are learned inside the classroom but these things are not just learned in school but can be picked up in extra-curricular activities, in the community, in socio-civic involvements, at home and most specially, on the job for those working students," Kilayco explains.

These behavioral competencies, he notes, are the reasons why companies prefer to hire graduates who are not on top of their class, but are active in extra-curricular activities, or who have done volunteer work and have had work experience while in school.

SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

To address this alarming problem, PMAP launches an advocacy through a school video campaign to give students direction and guidance and prepare them for the job market.

Dubbed "Book Smart is Not Enough," the seven-minute video shows real-life situations and presents ways on how to develop initiative and critical thinking, and improve communication skills. The video is being shown to incoming college freshmen in both private and public institutions during orientations through the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA).

"Students should look ahead and think ahead while they are still in school. They should be more intelligent in their choice of career and be able to identify their skills, competencies and even values and work on them by engaging in extra-curricular activities. It is through these accomplishments that they can develop behavioral competencies required to handle the pressures of the workplace. Lastly, it will be easy finding a job if they know what they really want, including their ideal work preferences. And chances are, they will be successful in the career that they chose," ends Kilayco.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Watch Book Smart Not Enough Video by PMAP