Perceived Employable Soft Skills Between Employers and MBA Students Paper Example

Introduction

Markedly, this part provides a brief overview of the perception of employers on the employability of MBA graduate students; particularly, based on the overriding concern with soft skills. The premise of the theoretical discussion is based on the need for having the work-related competencies. According to Ahuja and Purankar (2018), while it is important to acknowledge the contribution of higher education to the wellbeing and economy, it is equally imperative to promote the occupational qualities, skills, and dispositions. That is, the disciplinary understandings in the institutions must be translated in the workplace context. Notably, there are several skills such as teamwork, communication, commitment, and time management that are valued by potential employers (Wang, Liu, & Bian, 2013; Brill, Gilfoil, & Doll, 2014). With that, the paper explores the perceptions of the employers on students' employability pegged on having or lacking the required soft skills.

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Employability of Graduate Students

Overall, employability is considered the capacity of an individual to gain and maintain employment. Wickramasinghe and Perera (2010) conducted a survey to determine the factors that influence employability of graduate students. That study that used questionnaires as the main tools for data collection found out that the employability is pegged on the abilities, skills, and knowledge if not to mention the manner in which the potential employees present the qualifications to the employers. Ideally, different skills are needed when seeking work irrespective of the academic career that the students pursue. Wesley, Jackson, and Lee (2017) mentioned that the requisitions are classified as leadership, analytical, teamwork, communication, decision-making, computing, and most importantly, the soft skills. While the MBA students also understand the importance of the skills, their perception is based on learning and not necessarily working.

Undeniably, soft skills are increasingly becoming essential for lifelong learning. In fact, institutions are now focusing more attention on soft skill development. Vilapakkam Nagarajan and Edwards (2015) mentioned that skills are important in ensuring personal development, career progression, and participating in the general learning process. While assessment of the employee soft skills is practiced widely, there is limited evidence on the best methodology. Succi (2015) noted that there are various theories in place that assist in establishing the emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions that influence the learning behaviors of people. Singh, Thambusamy, and Ramly (2014) delineated that such theories include goal theory, control theory, and attribution theory. However, this study focuses on the attribution theory because as Vilapakkam Nagarajan and Edwards (2015) mentioned, it provides an integrated approach that entails both socially situated aspects and self-regulation. According to Selvadurai, Ah Choy, and Maros, M. (2012), soft skills are the personal characteristics that allow someone to interact harmoniously and effectively with other individuals. The author added that some of the skills include work ethics, time management, positive attitude, good communication skills, problem-solving, creativity, self-confidence, and team working skills among others.

Employers Perceptions

Undoubtedly, having competencies in soft skills is becoming increasingly relevant and important; especially, for those offering services. According to Ramlall and Ramlall (2016), employers and human resource practitioners are finding MBA graduates mismatching or sometimes lacking the required and relevant soft skill at the workplaces. A survey research conducted by Prince, Burns, and Manolis (2014) aimed to examine the employers' perceptions of soft skills training for graduates. A total of 80 employers filled questionnaires that had questions structured based on the 5-scale Likert scale. The outcomes showed that all the aspects of soft skills were essential in workplaces. In fact, Singh, Thambusamy, and Ramly (2014) supplemented that the lack of soft skills may be the reason for the unemployment problem that is affecting many graduate students. The argument is supported by Hurrell (2015) who noted that it is imperative for educational institutions and employers to initiate programs of training and promoting the soft skills among the students.

The Attribution Theory

The attribution theory shows the ability of individuals to interpret events and how the models relate to their behaviors and thoughts. Succi (2015) noted that employers often assess the soft skill competencies of potential employees based on their ability to interpret situations through creativity and well-thought decisions. The attribution theory was developed by Weiner in 1986, and it assumes that individuals often try to find out why others do what they do. The essence is that attribute is a prerequisite of behavior (Brill, Gilfoil, & Doll, 2014; Bustamam, Mutalib, & Yusof, 2015). That is, a person may attribute causes of behavior by interpreting events and others. According to Martinko (2004), the attribution happens in three stages. The phases must follow systematically.

First, a person must observe or perceive the behavior, then second; believe that it was intentional. Finally, the person must determine if the behavior was forced and in such cases, the cause is considered situational. According to Weiner, the attributions are influenced by effort, ability, luck, and task difficulty (Martinko, 2004). The author added that the attributions are categorized based on three causal dimensions known as stability, the locus of control, and controllability. The locus of control may either be internal or external while the stability aspect shows whether causes change over time or not. Lumby and Coleman (2007) added that controllability contrasts the causes that a person can control such as mood, actions of others, skill, and luck. In a nutshell, the attribution theory provides a conceptual framework for employees to assess the employability of the graduate students.

As aforementioned, the employers can use the attribution theory to assess and determine the perceived abilities and competencies of the potential employees. With that, they can evaluate the soft skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, attitudes, moods, problem-solving skills, teamwork abilities, and other required competencies. Notably, the personal attributes of employees should always be stable and controllable. Nonetheless, the skills can be influenced by internal or external loci of control.

Conclusion

The section provides a theoretical understanding of different concepts such as employability, soft skills, and employers' perceptions. It also discusses that attribution theory that the employers can use to assess the soft skill competencies of the MBA graduates. In summation, the skills are vital and relevant to gaining and maintaining employment opportunities.

References

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