Your College Major Is a Minor Issue, Employers Say

College students, here’s a tip: Your major doesn’t matter as much as you think.

So says a new survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, in which 93% of respondent employers cite critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills as more important than a candidate’s undergraduate major.

The survey, which rounds up responses from 318 companies that hire new graduates–including Raytheon Principal Financial and Boston Scientific– found that firms want well-rounded candidates because they’re filling positions with broader responsibilities (93%) and more complex challenges (92%) than in the past.

As a result, problem-solving and communication skills, and not business majors, top hiring managers’ wish lists.

“There’s been a big disconnect between what employers say to educators and what the public and policy leaders believe matters in college,” says Carol Geary Schneider, president at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, an association that advocates for undergraduate liberal-arts education.

A major is only “part of the portrait” for a job applicant, she says.

To be sure, some majors offer more earning potential than others, as we’ve discussed here and here. But that has more to do with the industries in which graduates land jobs than with employers’ personal preferences regarding transcripts.

Meanwhile, 95% of respondents say they prioritize skills that can contribute to innovation. (What those skills might include can be a bit fuzzy, though, as  “innovation” can be an overused and ill-defined buzzword in corporate circles.)

The survey is part of a broader push by AAC&U to better match school instruction with actual employer needs. More than 200 college presidents and employers are pledging to support a liberal arts education, expand access to hands-on learning and better track schools’ success in achieving learning goals like complex problem-solving.

Schools have plenty of room for improvement: Just 56% of employers expressed satisfaction with the job colleges are doing to prepare graduates for workplace success. And while 67% believe college graduates have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in entry-level positions, just 44% think graduates have what is required for any real advancement in their organizations.

One interesting tidbit from the survey is surging demand for, or at least acceptance of, electronic portfolios, which look something like this.

This year, 83% of employers said the digital files would be useful, up from 56% in 2008. The tools, being adopted at schools including Clemson University and Salt Lake Community College, can add depth to a candidate’s resume. For example, an e-portfolio can include a video clip from a class presentation to showcase oral communication skills, or a group project can be tagged as meeting a school’s required teamwork competency.

Additional Reading:
Colleges Get Career-Minded

The Business of Boot Camps

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    • These suggestions really only apply to students who went to elite schools. If you didn’t go to one of the top schools, majors become increasingly important. A better alternative for the article should be “Your College Matters.”

    • You might want to change your company. They seem to have a lock on the “idiot” engineers.

      The engineers I know vary a great deal at five years out. Some are doing simple things. Others started companies, including one person I know that made over $400M.

    • From my own experience what employers want is a degree that says:

      A. You are smart.
      B. You are interested in the field to which you are applying.
      C. You have some basic knowledge that is essential for the everyday activities of the job.
      D. You have good problem solving/communication skills.

      Nothing says smart like Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry etc.. However, if you are a Chem major you still might have trouble landing an accounting job because you lack B &C. However, if you are a Chem major with a business/accounting minor, you probably would be hired in a heartbeat particularly at let’s say a finance position for in the Healthcare/Pharmaceutical industry.

      The biggest issue is that half the businesses in the United States are Engineering-centric. In those businesses you need a bunch of engineers, some business/finance/marketing/logistics people, and some support staff. If you want to work for any of those companies it helps to have an engineering or business major.

    • Business has done a great job of concentrating wealth. Among the tactics used is to eliminate any sort of “grooming” or call it training if you don’t like the former concept (I never did), hire from specific schools, refuse to give references, good old racism and gender preference (men have to succeed and advance, women do not), etc. etc. blah blah. It really sucks out there unless you are an entry level engineer or programmer in which case you’ll be coddled and fawned over until years later someone discovers that you may have a STEM degree but you are still an idiot.

    • Posting a photograph of yourself, or being required to do so, is downright creepy!

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