How changes in technology and the emergence of a global economy might affect college graduates seeking jobs , and what new skill

Changes in technology: The effects on college graduates seeking jobs Changes in technology: The effects on college graduates seeking jobs With the advent of modern electronic technology that sped up everything from communication and transportation, the economy is no more a regional entity; instead, it has become a global one. Consequently, the employees too are in need of acquiring a lot of new skills to be able to manage businesses in the global economy. Some essential skills and knowledge needed by a business student in the modern business world are communication skills across cultures, computer skills, team work, and volunteering or leadership. First of all, communication across cultures is the most important skill one should possess in the global economy. It is essential in the present business world to communicate with people from various cultural backgrounds. Undoubtedly, today’s workplace is rapidly becoming vast as business spreads to new geographic locations. So, knowing how to communicate with various cultures will make business transactions and management easy. Thus, recognizing cultural differences can ensure that the business transactions are successful. In fact, people from dissimilar cultural backgrounds have different ways of communication. This may result in poor communication, and consequently in misunderstanding and frustration. In such a global business arena, it becomes necessary for management students to have good cross cultural communication skills. In fact, the consequences of poor cross-cultural communication are plenty. In the opinion of Don W. Prince et al, they are “ lost confidence, lost customers, lost business relationships, and lost opportunities” (Prince & Hoppe, 2007, p. 30). The second important skill is computer skills. One cannot think about a business in the modern day world that functions without the aid of a computer. Presently, computer is used by employees at all levels in a company. Everyone from salesman to CEO in a company uses computer to store information and to retrieve and interpret it. So, without ample knowledge on handling computer, it will be difficult for business graduates to survive in the modern business world. “ Most employers do not expect you to be an expert computer programmer, but they do expect that you should know how to use a computer to prepare written and statistical reports and to communicate with other managers and employees” (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor, 2009, p. 183). The next major skill that a business graduate has to muster is teamwork skill. Admittedly, the modern business is not a one-man show. It requires the combined efforts of a number of people, usually with various cultural backgrounds, personal traits and interests. So, someone without good teamwork skills will find it difficult to work in a team with coordination and cooperation. Teamwork in an organization undoubtedly has many advantages. Some of them are united effort, division of work, reduction of risk, specialization in work, subordination of personal interest to organizational interest, timely completion of tasks, and high quality output. In addition, team work will ensure goodwill and reputation. As Adair points out, “ organizations are supposed to be human machines for making things happen (Adair, 2010, p. 72).” So, the effective functioning of these machines requires good teamwork skills. In the modern days, there is a rise in the importance of teamwork in businesses. This is because the modern businesses are spread across the globe and each and every decision and project requires the combined effort of a number of people at various employment levels and various geographic locations. So, only the best team workers can ensure that the business runs seamlessly. The last skill mentioned here is volunteering. Presently, companies are getting more and more particular about the personal traits of employees along with their qualifications. This is especially so because a considerable proportion of consumers have become ethical consumers. So, the companies that present an attractive corporate social responsibility are always admired by consumers. Probably as a result, the companies have started reflecting the same trend in their recruitments too. The candidates with an outgoing personality and are active in the social sphere are always considered one notch above others. So, another vital skill that graduates have to develop is volunteering. In the opinion of Barnes, volunteering provides a number of opportunities, and the most important one, undoubtedly, is experience. According to him, “ building experience will always prove more useful than preparing ass-kissing material.” (Barnes, 2009, p. 10). Thus, in total, in the modern global business world which is spread across cultures and languages, and which require the collaboration of various skills and abilities, it is highly necessary for the new job aspirant to be skillful in cross-cultural communication, computer technology, team work, and voluntary skills. References Adair, J. (2010). Strategic leadership: How to think and plan strategically and provide direction. US: Kogan Page Publishers. http://books. google. co. in/books? id= MYAmVOicVx8C&pg= PA72&dq= importance+of+teamwork+in+organization&hl= en&ei= 2C8cTtuXAc_prQeX-qneCw&sa= X&oi= book_result&ct= book-preview-link&resnum= 9&ved= 0CFgQuwUwCA#v= onepage&q= importance%20of%20teamwork%20in%20organization&f= false Barnes, E. B. (2009). Why volunteers get all the breaks. US: iUniverse. http://books. google. co. in/books? id= SjjepSoZh5sC&pg= PA8&dq= volunteering+and+job&hl= en&ei= fQcdTuu5HsLXrQfSs4iRDA&sa= X&oi= book_result&ct= book-preview-link&resnum= 1&sqi= 2&ved= 0CEYQuwUwAA#v= onepage&q= volunteering%20and%20job&f= false Prince, D & Hoppe, M. H. (2007). Communicating Across Cultures. California: Center for Creative Leadership. http://books. google. co. in/books? id= W8c9eKPC7gwC&pg= PA30&dq= importance+of+communication+across+cultures+in+business&hl= en&ei= pQIdTtW2Hc7orQeus52uDA&sa= X&oi= book_result&ct= book-preview-link&resnum= 7&ved= 0CFUQuwUwBg#v= onepage&q= importance%20of%20communication%20across%20cultures%20in%20business&f= false Pride, W. M. Hughes, R. J & Kapoor, J. R. (2009). Business. US: Cengage Learning. http://books. google. co. in/books? id= zb0cItqvLJUC&pg= PT211&dq= computer+skills+in+business&hl= en&ei= XAYdTt_iMZG3rAf5gZGbDA&sa= X&oi= book_result&ct= book-preview-link&resnum= 2&ved= 0CEkQuwUwAQ#v= onepage&q= computer%20skills%20in%20business&f= false