MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Most employers still look at fresh graduates’ alma mater in choosing who to hire, with a majority of them favoring those from top schools. But they are not discounting graduates from other colleges and universities.
This is according to Jobstreet.com Philippines’ Fresh Graduates 2014 Job & Salary Report presented on Monday, April 7.
Over three-fourths, or 77%, of the 400 top employers in the country surveyed by the online recruitment company admitted that they still place high importance on which university the graduates come from, favoring those from the following schools:
- University of the Philippines (UP)
- University of Santo Tomas (UST)
- De La Salle University (DLSU)
- Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU)
However, 94% of the employers said they will still hire fresh graduates from other schools, citing government universities like the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), Philippine Normal University (PNU), and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).
“There are a few companies that would always go for the top 4 schools,” said Eileen Camarillo-Go, marketing communications manager of Jobstreet.com Philippines.
She said that some multinational companies get graduates who went through a management training or internship program, which these universities offer.
On the other hand, some industries don’t even look at the top 4 schools at all. A company in the retail industry, for example, hire graduates from second-tier universities who are willing to take on “Monday to Saturday” jobs, Camarillo-Go said.
Eight out of 10 companies surveyed, or 83%, hired fresh graduates in 2013. Among them, 80% hired up to 10 graduates. The remaining 20% hired more than 10. (READ: Highest-paying jobs for fresh grads)
Top skills, concerns
The survey also listed the top behavioral and functional skills that employers look for from fresh graduates.
The behavioral skills include:
- willingness to learn
- having initiative
- honesty and integrity
The functional skills are:
- good communication skills
- trainability
- technology know-how
The employers also noted their top concerns when hiring fresh graduates. These are:
- job hopping, or leaving the job after being trained
- lack of acceptable level of communication skills
- lack of professionalism
- high salary expectations
- not carefully reading job requirements posted on ads
The employers advised fresh graduates to highlight in their resumes and during job interviews their internship experiences, academic grades, and extra-curricular activities for higher chances of being hired. – Rappler.com