Aspects that Employers Value when Hiring a Graduate of Higher Education

Abstract

One of the purposes of universities, together with scientific, technical and cultural development, is to train the professionals that society requires. The aim of this study was to identify the aspects that employers value when hiring a graduate of Higher Education. For this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the heads of the human resources departments of three companies located in Baja California, Mexico. The interview asked questions about the characteristics or their workforce (recruitment and selection process, desirable traits in their future professional co-workers, reasons why they hire or reject a candidate, among others), and the employers’ opinion of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as trainers of human capital. The study found that in the employers’ opinion, the attitude shown by graduates of HEIs in the interview is as important as technical knowledge; they also point out that the proactive attitude was a weakness in the candidates, as well as oral and written communication skills, particularly in English. Furthermore, there was no strong opinion regarding the educational quality of HEIs, but they highlight the benefits of a closer relationship between companies and universities, with the aim of achieving a balance between labor supply and demand.KEYWORDS. Higher education; graduates; competencies; employability; labor market.Doi: 10.21703/rexe.20191837acosta5