A Managerial Perspective: Oral Communi cation Competency Is Most Important for Business Students in the Workplace Jeanne D. Maes

Abstract

Results of two studies show that oral communication is the most important competency for college graduates entering the workforce, and that the oral skills most important for entry level graduates are: following instructions, listening, conversing, and giving feedback. In the first study, 354 managers identified and ranked the competencies and characteristics they consider when hiring college graduates for entry-level positions. Findings reveal that the top three competen cies are oral communications, problem-solving, and self- motivation. No signifi cant differences were found among industries, number of employees, or management level of the responding manager.

Based on the first study, Study 2 identified the most important skills associ ated with oral communication competency. From a list of 13 oral communication skills, managers rated each skill according to importance to entry-level jobs occupied by college graduates, and how frequently entry-level graduates use each skill. No significant differences were found in the ratings on importance of oral communication skills. However, graduates in companies with less than 200 employees reportedly handle customer complaints more frequently than gradu ates in larger companies, and graduates in companies with more than 200 employees use meeting skills more frequently than graduates in smaller compa nies.