A survey from Intelligent.com found that 6 of 10 companies surveyed fired a recent college graduate they hired this year. Why? The top reasons given for recent college graduates’ lack of success are (in order) a lack of motivation or initiative, lack of professionalism, poor organizational skills, poor communication skills, challenges with feedback, lack of relevant work experience, poor problem-solving skills, insufficient technical skills, bad culture fit, and difficulty working in a team. Other surveys have similar findings. A General Assembly survey found that executives view entry-level employees as not meeting expectations in terms of communicating, collaborating, and adapting. Most of the skills and qualities mentioned above can be described as human skills (or durable skills) and habits or qualities related to professionalism, but it is important to recognize that technical skills are also important.
