11 skills that predict grad success at work
In a digital-first world, grads infuse organizations with new ideas, skills and diverse viewpoints to move businesses forward.
With the rapid pace of change fueled by new technologies and AI, the nature of work and type of roles continue to evolve. In fact, the International Monetary Fund estimates that about 60% of jobs in advanced economies may be impacted by AI.
What’s more, many jobs today may not be around in another 5-10 years, and there are so many new jobs that don’t yet exist. So whilst we may not know the technical skills needed for the jobs of the future, there are a set of key human skills that are integral to navigating employment in the next decade.
However, one thing that won’t change is the value new college graduates bring to organizations. In a digital-first world, grads infuse organizations with new ideas, skills and diverse viewpoints to move businesses forward.
It’s no wonder that in this rapidly changing environment, many organizations struggle to plan for, find and develop grad talent for emerging roles. These shifts represent both a challenge and an opportunity for HR professionals and require new strategies and tools to attract and retain top talent.
Understanding graduates’ strengths and development needs is necessary to make informed hiring decisions, deliver the right learning opportunities for grads to develop those skills needed for the future, and best position your business for today and tomorrow.
Yet, while there’s been a lot of talk about the importance of skill-based hiring, until now there has been limited analysis on the skills that predict success at work.
Research from SHL identifies 11 key skills that predict job performance in all graduate roles, globally. New analysis of 8,000 grads from 2022/3 and 2023/4 cohorts, against this profile reveals how U.S grads stack up compared to counterparts in other countries.
| 11 skills that predict success in graduate roles | Where U.S. grads outperform global peers |
| ● Adapts to change ● Analyzes information ● Copes with setbacks and criticism ● Fosters team cohesion ● Generates new ideas ● Learns quickly ● Maintains good working relationships ● Strives to achieve ● Takes responsibility ● Uses time efficiently ● Works to high quality standards | ● Copes with setbacks and criticism ● Strives to achieve ● Takes responsibility ● Works to high quality standards |
| Where global peers outperform U.S. grads | |
| ● Analyzes information ● Generates new ideas ● Uses time efficiently |
The findings of this research are based on analyzing a diverse dataset from 200,000 grads in different industries and geographic regions using objective assessment data on 96 skills. Using this approach, we were able to explore the relationship between specific skills and overall job performance, ultimately identifying the key skills that predict a graduate’s ability to succeed in different roles.
Typically, organizations base their recruitment strategies on hiring for jobs that have been done before. The rise of AI and other tech advancements are changing organizations so fast that the roles and technical skills that businesses are hiring for now will be very different just a few months from now.
Related: 8 in 10 hiring managers say recent grads will get laid off due to AI
Because of this, recruiting for experience is not as relevant, particularly for grads. That makes it critical to look beyond just whether a person can do the job today and truly understand their underlying skills and potential to learn, develop and grow into different jobs in the organization and pivot as roles change.
Better understanding the grad skills and taking a skills-based approach to hiring are especially valuable given the slowing U.S. job market and talent shortages, which has left many organizations struggling to find people with the skills they need.
Our analysis shows that U.S. graduates are particularly strong in 4 of the 11 key skills compared to peers elsewhere in the world. The skills that really stand out are ability to cope with setbacks and criticism, taking responsibility, working to high quality standards, and striving to achieve.
Every business is different with nuances in the strategy, challenges and culture, so each company will prioritize individual skills differently. For example, major employer General Mills has noted that it needs “individuals that have that adaptability and resilience,” whereas a company in the tech industry might place greater importance on learning quickly or maintains good working relationships.
The three areas that U.S. grads didn’t score as highly as their global counterparts are analyzing information, generating new ideas, and using time efficiently, all of which are developable at work.
When organizations are armed with objective insights from assessment that indicate an individual’s areas of strengths and development, they are better positioned to interview grads for open positions, make the right hiring decisions, design onboarding programs and build develop plans. These insights will help managers understand more about the individuals, setting them up for success when they first join.
It’s important to say that skills-based hiring is not a new concept or approach. In fact, skills data is everywhere. You can read a person’s LinkedIn profile, resume or interview them, and skills will be well represented. But this information is self-reported – it’s not necessarily validated.
Assessments continue to be the most accurate and reliable ways to measure people’s skills. The data from those assessments can be used to make fair and legally defensible decisions about who to hire, how to develop, and when to mobilize grads to help them grow in the organization.
At an organizational level, these valuable talent insights can be aggregated and viewed over time to give an objective, real-time view of the workforce to support strategic decision-making. HR can see skills and potential by function, team or population like grads, and at an individual level, they can also compare their people to those in other countries or industries.
The world of work and what it takes to be successful has changed. The focus is now on skills and the individual, not roles and traditional career paths. This seismic shift has massive implications for HR and talent professionals, challenging the status quo in existing talent processes and ways of working.
Organizations that understand what fairly and objectively predicts successful performance at work and embed that into hiring and development practices, will be best positioned to keep talent longer and create more diverse, sustainable businesses.
Matt Kirk is solution owner of talent acquisition at SHL, the global leader in talent insight, which transforms businesses by leveraging the power of people, science, and technology. SHL’s unrivaled, scientifically-backed workforce data and highly validated talent solutions provide organizations with the insights they need to optimally leverage their people’s potential and maximize business outcomes. SHL equips recruiters and leaders with people insights at an organization, team, and individual level, accelerating growth, decision-making, and talent mobility and inspiring an inclusive culture that supports game-changing agility.