裸聊直播

• May 3, 2010

• By Erin Merdinger

As spring graduation approaches, many seniors are preparing for the transition from student to professional. One way recent graduates can get ahead is by knowing what their future employers look for in a potential employee.

A study conducted by three 裸聊直播 faculty members in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship investigated what type of information job recruiters find most important when reviewing applicants’ references.

“The thing that motivated the research was everyone wants a letter of reference” from former employers and professors, said Professor Steve Ugbah, who along with Associate Professor Stevina Evuleocha was principal investigator for the study. “(But) what should I be focusing on when I write the letter? What’s the most important thing to include in the reference letter?”

“When you look at the literature out there, there is no standard,” he said.

Results from the CSUEB researchers’ study, “Recruiter Perceptions of Information That Employment References Should Provide to Assist in Making Selection Decisions,” should provide valuable guidance, Ugbah said.

Data for the study was collected from 168 campus recruiters. Participants completed questionnaires that ranked types of information requested from references from most important to least important. The list of recruiters, obtained from the university’s Career Development Center, included private and public organizations throughout the Bay Area who hire students for entry-level positions.

“If students know what kind of information employers want from references, it also offers an insight of what employers are looking for when hiring,” said Associate Professor Sweety Law, who contributed to the study.

The top eight types of information that recruiters ranked as most important when selecting someone for a job were: ability to work with others, work ethic, response to pressure, decision making skills, relationship to reference, identification of strengths and weaknesses, “fit” with corporate culture and prospective co-workers and computer skills. This knowledge helps students and references provide the most useful information for employers, according to the study.

Research results appeared in the “Journal of Employment Counseling” in September.

When it comes to references, Law offered this advice to students: “Do not ever burn your bridges with any previous or current employer,” Law said. “For example, if you have a grudge with an employer or coworker, try to work it out and don’t bad mouth. Communication is about creating and maintaining those bridges or relationships so they’re accessible.”

Law also strongly suggests that students ask references to comment on their ability to work with others, since it is a top priority for most employers.

“Succeeding in a job or career is not about your talent or expertise,” Law said. “It’s about respecting other people and getting along with them. I tell my students,  `You might be a straight A student, but if you don’t get along with other people, you won’t last in the job or enjoy the career.’”