Recently one of my professors handed out a 2007 article from FORTUNE magazine titled, “The Trouble with MBAs.” In a nutshell, the article talked about interpersonal and communication skills being more important than grades, education or major-related experience. The article even quoted a prominent businessman as saying, “Just concentrate on networking … everything else you can learn on the job.”
Since I will be entering the career world in the next year, this article caught my attention because it both put me at ease and irked me.
I feel more relaxed knowing that I do not necessarily have to be the smartest person applying for a job — I only have to sell myself as being so. But, after having done multiple non-paid internships, having worked hard for a good grade point average and having taken on a double major in the hopes of distinguishing myself from hundreds of other applicants, hearing that someone who did none of those things could (likely) get hired over me is unsettling.
All of this apprehension got me wondering about how truly important interpersonal skills are in the professional arena. I took to the Internet, and after reading multiple articles (thejobcenter.org, UC Davis Career Center), I feel safe in concluding that outstanding interpersonal and communication skills are more important to employers than any other trait.
This past week the Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department hosted ‘Print Week.’ One of the speakers at the event, Mark Priede of Xante Company, confirmed this idea once again. Priede talked about his past experience as an athletic director at the collegiate level. He then went on to say his job now has absolutely nothing to do with athletics, and when he obtained his current job he had no experience in the print industry or with any of the equipment he currently sells.
The long and short of Priede’s lecture was while he did not necessarily possess the skills and experience other candidates did, he did possess the ability to communicate and “sell” himself. In the end, he said, that’s really what companies want from you — you can learn everything else about the industry if you apply yourself.
As if I had not received enough affirmation that communication and interpersonal skills are essential in the career world, Susie Penner, director of corporate communications for Oracle, spoke to the Cal Poly public relations club (PRSSA) and said she too primarily looks for effective communication skills when hiring new team members.
What does this mean? Are those internships and good grades meaningless once we leave Cal Poly? Fortunately, I think the answer is no — they are awesome supplemental pieces to a portfolio. Ideally a job applicant would be versed in a bit of everything — intelligence, experience, common sense and communication skills. The moral of the story is not to scrap academics and focus on social skills; rather, the moral is to find a way to balance it all.