Knowledge Bank

Job candidates spend time considering what qualities they should market to potential employers. There is a fair amount of research surrounding Key Skills and Attributes (KSA) businesses look for when hiring MBA graduates, however, this research is lacking at the undergraduate level. This project will expand upon the existing research by focusing specifically on jobs being filled by undergraduates. To this end, this project explores KSAs employers look for in recent undergraduate business potential hires, and how those hiring goals differ between employers by industry. This was accomplished by compiling job descriptions posted in FisherConnect, the Fisher College of Business' recruiting platform, and applying text analysis, utilizing current tools like Voyant and Textio to identify the frequency of each KSA. Preliminary results indicate that Computer and Analytical skills are the most commonly asked for hard skills, while Leadership and Initiative are the most commonly asked for essential, or soft, skills. These results are in line with what researchers have found at the graduate MBA level. These insights are invaluable to undergraduate business students who are attempting to market themselves with resumes and employer interviews. In addition, business colleges can use the desired KSAs to modify or reinforce curricula. Finally, employers can see if their job postings are reflecting company needs and desires for specific KSAs.