On the Job: Employers struggle with unprepared college grads

salt lake tribune ^ | 09/04/2009 | Anita Bruzzese

[george76]

Within the past year Sarah Schupp has hired five new employees with freshly minted college degrees. She fired one on his first day for inappropriate sexual comments to a co-worker. Another lasted a week before getting a pink slip.

..." you can't call in sick at 7:45 a.m. just because you don't want to come to work at 8 a.m."

Jeanne Achille also was disappointed with the hiring of a recent college hire, promoted by a university professor as a "superstar" and fired after three weeks when it was discovered she spent hours online at work visiting a dating site. She also tweeted about a night of partying -- then e-mailed in sick the next day.

"Just who is supposed to be preparing these kids for the workplace?"

"Employers have always complained about a lack of hard and soft skills. The problem is that now employers don't have the luxury of letting employees learn on the job."

With only 15 employees, Achille says that "we don't go into a hiring decision lightly in this economy," and says no company can afford to put money into training new workers -- those dollars are reserved for "top talent," she says.

"We've decided to just not offer this position to an entry-level person anymore," Achille says. "We've had some good college students come and work here in the past, but we just can't afford to lose the productivity. It costs us money."

[stephenjohnbanker]

The Obama “It’s all about me” voters.

[Red in Blue PA]

The Obama/MTV Generation.

Would the last honest, hard-working American please turn out the light?

[wally_bert]

Sounds like where I work but they keep most of them for some reason. When a special needs type is on the path for termination, it usually takes a few months unless it something really big.

[SECURE AMERICA]

Garbage In - Garbage Out
Tomany American College Campuses are infested with liberal buffoon professors.
You teach garbage, you graduate garbage..

[RockinRight]

So then they want experienced people, but still only offer them 22k a year...and wonder why they can’t find a decent employee.

[AnAmericanMother]

I told my daughter when she went for a summer intern position this past summer to remember two things: (1) work hard at whatever they give you to do; (2) be cheerful and never complain.

They loved her! Apparently this kind of work ethic is not as common as it used to be.

[TheZMan]

Haha, you must work for my company =P

[brytlea]

I taught high school until about 5 years ago. I used to think how frightening it was that these were the folks who were going to be running things in a few years. Of course, I had some wonderful students, but most were lazy, couldn’t follow directions and thought life was going to be handed to them on a silver platter.

On the other hand, I remember thinking, after I got out of college, that it hadn’t really prepared me for a job.

[brytlea]

Sound advice. She will likely always have a job. Good job Mom!

[John123]

Remember you're still dealing with people whose frontal lobes are not fully developed yet. They don't know what they don't know

That's a good one...

[Jeff Chandler]

thought life was going to be handed to them on a silver platter.

Well it will be if they keep voting Democrat.

[george76]

Excellent advice.

[randog]

Jeanne Achille also was disappointed with the hiring of a recent college hire, promoted by a university professor as a "superstar" and fired after three weeks when it was discovered she spent hours online at work visiting a dating site. She also tweeted about a night of partying -- then e-mailed in sick the next day.

Welcome to the "employer's market" sweetie. Yes, it did happen overnight--enjoy!

[Cheetahcat]

They have the standards so low with this appeasement they are producing nothing usable.

[T Lady]

BTTT

[thecodont]

I told my daughter when she went for a summer intern position this past summer to remember two things: (1) work hard at whatever they give you to do; (2) be cheerful and never complain.

They loved her! Apparently this kind of work ethic is not as common as it used to be.

She is very lucky to have a Mom like you.

Children learn their work ethic from their parents.

[taillightchaser]

We can start by doing what the greatest president of our time wanted to do. Abolish the Dept of Education. This dept. is totally worthless and a mega cash drain.
And in case you don’t know which president I was referring to—Can you spell Reagan?

[goodnesswins]

HA...when I graduated in 1983 with an MBA...all I could think is...NOW I know how much I DON’T KNOW! But, then, I had life and work experience

[True Republican Patriot]

Its the old saying we always used about inputting bad computer data, it works on the metronerds coming out of the lib mills today!:

GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT!

Its just as Elegant and Precis an Equatio as is that Most Beautiful of All:
2
E=MC

Now OBOZO wants every U.S. Inhabitant to be a College Graduate! He doesn’t believe in Our Craftsmen, and All Productive Citizens who dont need to waste four to five years of their life learning about the details of the Lint in their Navels!