New college graduates may not meet employers’ expectations of professional behavior when entering the workforce, according to a study from York College of Pennsylvania.
The college conducted a survey of more than 500 human resources professionals and business leaders to report on their definition of “professionalism” and how well the recent college graduates they hired exhibit it.
More than 37 percent of the participants reported that “less than half of [the recent graduates they have hired] exhibit professionalism in their first year.” Most respondents characterized professional employees as being courteous, listening well and completing tasks.
UT has 15 career services offices, one for each college, as well as offices like the Texas Exes and Longhorn PRIDE offices. They serve as resources for students and recruiters in the employment process. In 2008, the Princeton Review ranked the McCombs Career Services Office first in the nation for “best career/job placement services.”
Students who use the University’s career services offices have the benefit of connecting with employers and recruiters and learning the expectations of companies.
Matthew Berndt, director of placement for the College of Communication career services office, said that students need to learn and follow cultural protocols of the industry they are trying to enter because what is appropriate and what is not appropriate varies.
“The world of work is not going to change to suit [students],” said Berndt. “Sometimes
students learn that quickly. Sometimes, they learn that the hard way.”
The help some students receive from career services may not be enough for students feeling intense pressure to find a job.
In August, Jeffrey Chiang, a UT business honors student, allegedly forged a job offer from Bank of America to make himself a more desirable candidate for a job with Morgan Stanley. According to Dealbreaker, an online business tabloid and Wall Street gossip site, Chiang has been blacklisted by almost 30 firms, including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan and Citibank.
“We did not extend an offer [to Chiang],” said Kelly Sapp, a Bank of America spokeswoman. “The e-mail was not authentic and Diana Parks, our associate, did not write the e-mail.”
Bank of America representatives made no comment about possible legal action.
On Oct. 23, Paula Murray, associate dean of the McCombs business school undergraduate program, released a statement detailing the school’s commitment to ethics and honor. The school’s purpose is “to prepare the next generation of individuals who will act responsibly; improve quality of life for themselves and others; and serve the communities in which they live and work,” according to the release.
The McCombs school administrators are aware of the information that has appeared online, wrote business school spokesman David Wenger in an e-mail to The Daily Texan.
Because of strict policies protecting student privacy, they are not able to publicly discuss matters related to any individual student.
“There is absolutely no reason to act unethically. It will come back to get you, I believe,” Berndt said. “Lying to an employer is grounds for immediate termination.”
