One problem that students face after graduation is this: “how do I get the kind of job I’ve been learning about and preparing for in school?” The specific solution will look different from one student to the next, but one common denominator is a strong communication skillset.

Many students don’t appreciate this perspective at first. They may see their required communication course as an “add-on” to their “real” education in their chosen program. Some students may even see the communication requirement as a problem! However, employers are vocal that communication skills are a significant difference-maker in the hiring process. They help graduating students set themselves apart to secure positions as employees. Communication skills truly are “get the job,” “do the job,” and “keep the job” skills.

On its Employability Skills page, the Conference Board of Canada lists “the skills you need to enter, stay in, and progress” in the 21st century workplace. The first category listed is communication skills. It states that employees must know how to:

• Read and understand information presented in a variety of forms (e.g., words, graphs, charts, diagrams)
• Write and speak so others pay attention and understand
• Listen and ask questions to understand and appreciate the points of view of others
• Share information using a range of information and communications technologies (e.g., voice, e-mail, computers)
• Use relevant scientific, technological, and mathematical knowledge and skills to explain or clarify ideas (Conference Board, n.d.a)

This is not only a Canadian preference. A non-profit group called the National Association of Colleges and Employers in the United States of America surveys hundreds of employers annually to ask about their most-desired qualities in employees. They report that in the last several years, the following four skills are ranked ahead of technical skills:

1. Critical thinking and problem solving
2. Professionalism and work ethic
3. Teamwork
4. Oral and written communication (NACE, 2016)

When employers demand these kinds of skills in their job postings, it’s because they know how crucial they are. Employers know that such abilities directly contribute to the success of any operation, whether in the public or private sector.

The first test of communication skills is in the documents that are submitted: the resume and cover letter. These documents give information about how detail-oriented an applicant is, their ability to organize information logically, and whether they can compose grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs. Only if they pass that test are they invited to the next “test,” where face-to-face interpersonal skills are assessed. Even as candidates answer specific questions that relate to the position, employers will be taking notes about how well the applicant can express themselves in conversation.

More and more, companies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries place immense value on these kinds of skills. In  fact, some companies prioritize these skills so highly that they invest many resources in assessing applicants for them in innovative ways. According to Business Insider, for example, Google’s recruiters take an analytics approach like that portrayed in the baseball film Moneyball (2011). They find that key predictors of success can be found in personal traits such as:

• Adaptability: the curiosity-driven agility to solve problems through independent, on-the-job learning
• Resilience: the “emotional courage” to persevere through challenges
• Diverse background: a receptive attitude that comes from exposure to multicultural influences and engagement in diverse extracurricular activities (ex. sports)
• Friendliness: being a “people person,” happy around others and eager to serve or help out
• Conscientiousness: an inner drive to strive for detail-oriented excellence in completing tasks to a high standard without supervision (Patel, 2017)
• Professional presence: evidence of engaging in professional activities online
• Social and emotional intelligence: according to the CEO of Knack, a Silicon Valley start-up that uses big data and gamification in the hiring process to identify the traits of successful employees, “everything we do, and try to achieve inside organizations, requires interactions with others”; no matter what your profession or “social abilities, being able to intelligently manage the social landscape, intelligently respond to other people, read the social situation and reason with social savviness—this turns out to differentiate between people who do better and people who don’t do as well” (Nisen, 2013).

In other words, the quality of your communication skills is most likely the best predictor of professional success.

1.5.2: Communication Represents You and Your Employer

Imagine a situation where you are looking for a contractor for a custom job you need done on your car and you email several companies for a quote breaking down how much the job will cost. You narrow it down to two companies who have about the same price, and one gets back to you within 24 hours with a clear price breakdown in a PDF attached in an email that is friendly in tone and perfectly written. But the other took four days to respond with an email that looked like it was written by a sixth-grader with multiple grammar errors in each sentence and an attached quote that was just a scan of some nearly illegible chicken-scratch writing. Comparing the communication styles of the two companies, choosing who you’re going to go with for your custom job is a no-brainer.

Of course, the connection between the quality of their communication and the quality of the job they’ll do for you isn’t water-tight, but it’s a fairly good conclusion to jump to, one that customers will always make. The company representative who took the time to ensure their writing was clear and professional, even proofreading it to confirm that it was error-free, will probably take the time to ensure the job they do for you will be the same high-calibre work that you’re paying for. By the same token, we can assume that the one who didn’t bother to proofread their email at all will likewise do a quick, sloppy, and disappointing job that will require you to hound them to come back and do it right—a hassle you have no time for. We are all picky, judgmental consumers for obvious reasons: we are careful with our money and expect only the best work value for our dollar.

Good managers know that about their customers, so they hire and retain employees with the same scruples, which means they appreciate more than anyone that your writing represents you and your company. As tech CEO Kyle Wiens (2012) says, “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet” where your writing is “a projection of you in your physical absence.” Just as people judge flaws in your personal appearance such as a stain on your shirt or broccoli between your teeth, suggesting a sloppy lack of self-awareness and personal care, so they will judge you as a person if it’s obvious from your writing that “you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re” (¶6).

As the marketing slogan goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. If potential employers or clients (who are, essentially, your employers) see that you care enough about details to write a flawless email, they will jump to the conclusion that you will be as conscientious in your job and are thus a safe bet for hire. Again, it’s no guarantee of future success, but it increases your chances immeasurably. As Wiens says of the job of coding in the business of software programming, “details are everything. I hire people who care about those details” (¶12-13), but you could substitute “programmer” with any job title and it would be just as true.