Surveying Preparedness in Operations management and information systems students and evaluating the importance of soft skills in the Job Market

honors thesisDavid Eccles School of BusinessOperations ManagementBonita AustinOrganizations around the world are becoming progressively more multinational, and complex as they seek competitive advantages in markets that experience changing consumer tastes, shifting technologies, and economic challenges. As a result, hiring managers do not seek merely to fill positions, but instead look for candidates that have the correct combination of technical and soft skills to create value for the firm. Nevertheless, managers believe that today's applicant lack the necessary soft skills to succeed and become effective managers. Moreover, reports have shown that the need for soft skills affects college graduates of all majors including those in technical areas such as operations and information systems. While the need for soft skills has been well documented, few research exists that investigates the role of soft skills in technical business fields such as operations management and information systems. To gain a better understanding, interviews were conducted with operations and information systems professionals to better understand the skills that they are looking for in student job candidates. Additionally, a survey of operations management and information systems students at David Eccles School of Business is conducted to assess soft and technical skill preparedness. Findings reveal that students perceive high soft skills preparedness, while feeling less prepared regarding their technical skills. This is in direct contrast to how managers and employers perceive students' skill preparedness. Although further research is required to gain a complete understanding of students' soft and technical skill preparedness, universities need to create programs that encompass lessons derived from experience and incorporates the skills that employers are looking fo