What
Employers Think of Liberal Arts Graduates
Click
here to return to Advantages of a Liberal Arts Education
There
has long been a recognition among employers of the
value of a broad-based education. A key advantage
liberal arts students bring to the workplace is
their capability of learning. Employers are seeking
workers who adapt well to change, communicate effectively,
use critical and analytical thinking techniques
to solve complex problems, and interact constructively
with others in the workplace. A liberal arts student
can take information that is given, break it down,
build on it, create from it, and produce a project
- an end result.
Paul
Dominski, Manager of College Relations and Store
Recruiter for The May Department Stores Company,
states:
"We
look for people who can think critically and analytically.
If you can do those things, we can teach you our
business." He emphasizes that the breadth
and depth of a liberal education allows new hires
to benefit the organization immediately.
Chanel Jackson, Division Recruiting Coordinator
with IDS Financial Services, adds that as a liberal
arts major, "you possess skills that are
transferable to a variety of fields" and
underscores that the key to success is having
"confidence in your degree" (LaMarco
and Taylor, 1994).
Even
in his autobiography, Lee Iacocca says,
"In addition to all the engineering and business
courses, I also studied four years of psychology.
...I'm not being facetious when I say that these
psychology courses were probably the most valuable
courses of my college career....I've applied more
of these courses when dealing with the 'nuts'
I've met in the corporate world than all the engineering
courses in dealing with the nuts (and bolts) of
automobiles" (Iacocca with Novak, 1985).
The skills most valued by employers are best summed
up in a 1996 survey funded by AT&T Foundation.
In the survey, business leaders, including CEOs
and human relations managers, overwhelmingly agreed
that they value the long-term outcomes of a college
education. Not only does it prepare you for a
first job, but also for a long and variable career.
These
employers believe that a broad-based education
produces students of strong character with generalized
intellectual and social skills and a capacity
for lifelong learning. Business leaders pointed
out that students with a broad liberal arts background
are often better able to see things in a new light
and make sense of ideas in different contexts.
Such students excel at problem solving, critical
thinking, and "learning to learn."
They
are also better able to communicate in a clear,
coherent manner and work cooperatively with diverse
individuals in a variety of settings (Hersh, 1997).
As you can see, a liberal arts education has widespread
respect from a variety of employers. But simply
having a liberal arts degree is not enough to
land you a job. You must convince employers that
you have the knowledge, skills, and experience
typical of liberal arts graduates that will benefit
their organizations.
Source:
Indiana University (www.indiana.edu/~career/students/apply/selling_liberal_arts.pdf)
Click
here to return to Advantages of a Liberal Arts
Education
Back
to top
|
