Are new grads ‘unprofessional?’

By Mary Ann Milbourn | Orange County Register

July 16, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

Recent college graduates have an uphill fight in the job market these days and one of the reasons, say would-be employers, is that they are unprofessional. That’s according to a survey by York College of Pennsylvania Center for Professional Excellence.

“HR pros and business leaders identified five primary characteristics of the professional they are looking to hire,” says David Polk, president of the Polk-Lepson Research Group in York, Penn., which conducted the survey for York College. “The research also found that a lot of college graduates nationally are not measuring up well in these areas.”

The 520 human resource professionals and business leaders surveyed said these five traits of professionalism make up 60% of their hiring decisions:

Personal interaction skills, including courtesy and respect
The skills to communicate and listen
A great work ethic, being motivated and staying on task until the job is completed
Professional appearance
Self-confidence and awareness

On a five-point scale where one was “very rare” and five was “very common,” none of the top five traits reached a mean rating of four.

And what bugs those doing the hiring? Appearance, body piercings/tattoos, attitude, rudeness, and poor grammar, communication skills and a sense of entitlement. (Click on chart to enlarge.)

When asked if professionalism has increased, decreased or stayed the same among entry-level college graduates during the past five years, 53% believed levels of professionalism were the same while 33% percent believed it had decreased. Those who cited a decrease pointed to a young worker’s sense of entitlement for the job, changes in culture and values and lack of work ethic among new workers.

The Protocol School of Washington, which teaches business etiquette, offered these suggestions for graduates preparing for job interviews:

Clean up your virtual image. Delete inappropriate photos and text from social networking sites, including your friends’ sites. Replace with professional photos, a 1-2 page resume and references (from summer jobs or internships).
Dress like a professional. Wear neutral colored suits. Ties and polished shoes for men, closed-toe shoes, traditional jewelry and some make-up for women (employers view a little make-up as professional). Also, don’t show too much skin. It’s employers’ No. 1 complaint. (Last year, the Swiss Bank UBS proposed a whole head-to-toe dress code.)
Research the company. Know their history, vision and recent press.
Turn off your cell phone. Remember, ringing or vibrating phones are distracting.
Be on time. Arriving 10 minutes early shows anxiety. Arriving late could cost you the job.
Make direct eye contact. Hold eye contact 40%-60% of the time, shake hands making firm web-to-web contact (when meeting and leaving), maintain straight (not too stiff) posture.
Write a thank-you note. Spend five minutes writing a thank-you note on quality paper and boost your hiring chances by 20%. Send it within 24 hours of the interview.