Professor shares job-hunting tips, interviewing tactics
As students acted out a job interview for a crowd in the Hall of Languages, one thing became painfully obvious – GPAs don’t matter.
Professor Bill Coplin’s presentation, ’10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College, took place Monday evening and was based on Coplin’s book of the same title. His objective was to challenge students to understand that if they planned to turn their education into a good career, they must organize themselves by using their skills, setting goals and meeting those goals.
These skills, Coplin said, fall into 10 major categories, each containing about three objectives. These categories did not include the types of skills stressed in a typical academic setting – for instance, he omitted note-taking and listening skills. Coplin focused on skills that are more applicable in the real world, such as one-on-one conversations, managerial skills and building good relationships.
He explained the difference in one’s GPA versus what he termed the KHS, or Know How Score. He stressed the importance of KHS over GPA in focusing on job skills rather than knowledge of the field.
‘In a list of the top 20 things employers look for in an employee, GPA is ranked 17th out of 20,’ Coplin said.
To demonstrate this point in a professional setting, Coplin brought in students to role play a job interview. These scenarios provided a clear-cut example of what employers look for in the job market today and what kind of questions and expectations an employer will have for a possible employee.
‘They helped me to see what the employer is looking for and to focus on how I should plan my college experience,’ said Sonaz Safari, a freshman in The College of Arts & Sciences.
Coplin also suggested the types of classes one should take in order to raise one’s Know How Score. These included writing-intensive classes, in which the student is expected to research a topic and provide evidence toward a thesis statement.
‘Doing this,’ Coplin said, ‘will heighten your level of resourcefulness and add to your experiences.’
He stressed the importance of experience in the job market and pointed out the significance of internships and studying abroad. These opportunities allow the student to gain valuable real-world skills and experience while acquiring new contacts within a specific field, he said.
The necessity of graduate school is often overemphasized, Coplin said. He argued that the reason most students choose to go to graduate school is because they do not know what they want to do with their lives. Instead of wasting time and money learning things they don’t want to learn, he said, students should go into the real world and get some experience.
Coplin concluded the presentation with the three tips he believes will help students plan for their future: envisioning the job and interview, laying out plans to reach your goals and providing evidence of your workplace experiences. Dedication and drive, he said, are necessary tools for success.
‘If you don’t make the commitment and don’t focus,’ he said. ‘You will not succeed.’
