New workers lack qualities employers deem important
Are you looking to hire new veterinary team members? You may have trouble finding qualified applicants.
Hiring veterinary team members may be second nature to you by now. A position opens, so you place an ad, interview the most qualified candidates, and hire the best one. But what happens if you can’t find a qualified candidate? Or, worse, if you hire the wrong one?
Finding the right fit—specifically with younger candidates—might be tougher than ever, according to researchers at the Center for Professional Excellence (CPE) at York College of Pennsylvania. The researchers found that students aren’t making the grade as professionals in the workplace, according to the annual nationwide survey on the state of professionalism among young workers. Thirty-eight percent of respondents felt that less than half of all new graduates exhibited professionalism in the workplace.
The researchers surveyed more than 400 business leaders and human resources professionals, along with 400 college students and recent graduates from around the country. The results showed that students tend to feel they demonstrate more professionalism than employers actually experience.
The researchers found that many unseasoned workers also lacked Internet etiquette, the ability to accept personal responsibility, and the ability to accept constructive criticism. The survey also found that information technology etiquette problems are not getting any better—employees are text messaging, surfing the Internet, and responding to cell phone calls at inappropriate times. Those addicted to being in constant contact with friends and family no longer see it as rude to obsessively respond to calls or text messages, the researchers say.
In addition, many younger workers display a “sense of entitlement.” In fact, this was the most-cited reason (22 percent) for a decline in professionalism over the past five years. More than half of all respondents said that young workers feel more entitled than their peers five years ago.
Ninety-six percent of respondents say professionalism factors into the decision to hire or not hire an individual. The “ability to communicate” factored as the top method of evaluating professionalism. Respondents also said that one’s attitude or demeanor played a role in determining professionalism.
