Some College Grads Can Think

College recruiters say graduates fall short in critical thinking, problem solving and the ability to think independently – key ingredients necessary for job candidates of any age to succeed in business and industry.

A combination of those skills seems to be clearly missing, according to The Wall Street Journal’s poll of 479 college recruiters, but it doesn’t mean students are incapable of contributing in a workplace setting.

On the contrary: Sara Holoubek, chief executive of Luminary Labs, a boutique consulting firm in New York, says that the new grads she hires are more observant than their bosses. But they have trouble turning their observations into a strategy, she adds.

So schools are changing curricula to focus on critical and analytical thinking skills, writes Rachel Kaufman, blogging for mediabistro.com. George Washington University's school of arts and sciences is changing its science requirement:

"Freshmen will no longer simply complete a science class and get credit for a required course,’’ the WSJ reports. “They'll have to prove proficiency in scientific reasoning to pass. To measure that, professors are designing evaluation standards and assignments to test students on their reasoning skills."

As a daily newspaper journalist at three publications, I worked with male and female “interns” who showed varying degrees of reasoning ability. Generally, the editors tried to be very diverse in their hiring of college interns.

It was a competitive situation: not only did academics and accomplishments count but the ability to present yourself professionally, in appearance and demeanor. Degrees in English, communications or journalism did not guarantee you an internship, usually for six months.

As an intern you could expect to find yourself thrust into just about any situation – fires, accidents, crime – even the much-dreaded government (politicians) or school board (parents) meeting. You were expected to treat all stories as worthy of your time and perfect vehicles to showcase your talents and abilities.

Much would be riding on how well you handled these assignments under deadline conditions. Key ingredients to your success were critical thinking, problem solving and the ability to think independently. If you didn’t have a winning combo of these, your newspaper internship was going to be a painful, short-lived affair for all concerned.


I can say the majority of interns I met, in particular those at my last daily, The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., were of the highest quality. The paper took great care in screening applicants for its intern program. Many were simply amazing in their ability to gather facts and analyze news value – wise beyond their chronological years.

There always were a few who did not belong in newsrooms – perhaps they were more infatuated with the idea of author writing than actual byline reporting, or the reality of journalism (some of it mundane, such as budget and tax stories) did not match their expectation.

While some of the veteran editors bristled at the idea of working with college interns, I found it, on the whole, to be a rewarding experience because of the enthusiasm with which they approached their work. Yes, many of these folks could chew gum and write at the same time. They wrote enticing news leads that made me want to read more!

Some of the job skill sets I saw with S-L interns were admirable; these were folks you would want to recruit for your news staff, your team. They showed poise, a sense of fairness and purpose, and a desire to learn (for reader benefit) how all the pieces fit for the “what-next” of their news story.

In some cases, they ran circles around veteran reporters who grew complacent with their daily routine and were apt to say “because we’ve always done it this way.” These interns were storytellers (weaving facts), not stenographers (reporting facts). What they lacked in experience, they compensated with a desire to learn and move forward.

The WSJ says it's not certain that today's grads are lacking anything. It simply may be that the modern workplace demands more from everyone.

I think that’s true, regardless of age, experience and profession. Multi-tasking is just not a description but a way of life. It’s about having a strategy to thrive, not just survive in your chosen profession.

Reporters today must be ready to write for print (set deadlines) and online anytime (shoot video). Their reasoning tells them to stay ahead of the curve, and that means everything from learning new technology to looking beyond the obvious.

As for me, I practice what I preach at writenowworks.com. If you like this post, please share with family, friends and colleagues.