Thank you for being regular users of NGPF's Question of the Day. This will be the final QoD for the 2019-20 school year. Please drop me a line at tim@ngpf.org to let me know your favorite question of the year or tell me about the creative ways that you use them. I hope that these questions launched thousands of great discussions in classrooms across the country. Thank you and enjoy your summer! 

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Answer: Top 6 skills that employers identified as having largest gap in preparedness in college students: 

1. Understand role in the workplace and have realistic career expectations
2. Recognize and deal constructively with conflict
3. Accept and apply critique and direction in the workplace
4. Listen effectively
5. Communicate accurately and concisely
6. Realize the effect of decisions

Questions:

• What do you think are realistic career expectations for your first job? 
• Which of the skills above do you think you have the greatest opportunity for growth? are strengths for you? 
• How can you develop the skills in areas that you are weakest in?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (From Academic to the Workforce: Executive Summary)

Employers and students have different views on what is the largest skill gap. Employers largest skill gap is “Understanding role and expectation in the workplace,” whereas students rank “Build professional relationships” as their number one area for improvement. This difference could open the door to conflicts between the two groups but could also offer opportunities for both students and employers to put their best foot forward.

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Be sure to check out our updated QoD Library here. Thanks to Mason for reorganizing it with a format that will make it easier for you to use.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.