It depends on the definition of “career readiness,” and whom you ask.
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Students entering the job market and potential employers have very different perceptions about “career readiness,” according to research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Ready or Not
How ready are new college graduates to make a successful transition into the workplace?
Using eight competencies that NACE has identified as constituting “career readiness,” employers and graduating seniors were asked to indicate how proficient new graduates were in each. For the most part, employers are less likely to view new college graduates as proficient in these competencies than the students themselves. This can be problematic because it suggests that employers see skills gaps in key areas where college students don’t believe gaps exist.
In particular, employers and graduating seniors differ greatly when it came to new graduate proficiency in professionalism/work ethic, oral/written communications, and leadership. The biggest gap is in the professionalism competency: Nearly 90 percent of seniors believe they are proficient, but less than half of employers agree with that assessment.
The greatest agreement between the two groups is around new graduates’ ability to work in teams. More than three-quarters of employers say new graduates are proficient, compared to 85 percent of the students.
Only in terms of the technology-related competency are employers more likely than their student counterparts to view new graduates as proficient. Nearly 66 percent of employers rate new graduates as proficient in digital technology – the ability to leverage technologies to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals – compared to just under 60 percent of graduating seniors.
Different Perceptions
Employer vs. Student Perception of Proficiency in Career Readiness Competencies, by Percentage of Respondents
| Competency | % of Employers That Rated Recent Grads Proficient* | % of Students Who Considered Themselves Proficient** |
| Professionalism/Work Ethic | 42.5% | 89.4% |
| Oral/Written Communications | 41.6% | 79.4% |
| Critical Thinking/Problem Solving | 55.8% | 79.9% |
| Teamwork/Collaboration | 77.0% | 85.1% |
| Leadership | 33.0% | 70.5% |
| Digital Technology | 65.8% | 59.9% |
| Career Management | 17.3% | 40.9% |
| Global/Intercultural Fluency | 20.7% | 34.9% |
Source: Job Outlook 2018 (N=201 employing organizations) and The Class of 2017 Student Survey Report (N=4,213 graduating seniors), National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
*The percentages corresponding to “rated proficient” represent, among all responding employers, the percentage who, on a 5-point scale, rated recent graduates either “very” (4) or “extremely” (5) proficient in the respective competency.
**The percentages corresponding to “considered proficient” represent, among all responding graduating seniors from the Class of 2017, the percentage who, on a 5-point scale, considered himself/herself either “very” (4) or “extremely” (5) proficient in the respective competency.