Millennials suffer from a failure to communicate.

That’s according to a survey from the Hay Group, which found that 80 percent of employers are having trouble locating graduates with “soft skills” to balance their other assets: technical skills and a good education.

Soft skills, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. And most industries, from engineering and finance to health care, information technology and sales, actually have one soft skill at the top of their lists: communication. That’s an area in which millennials are limited.

In addition to communication, companies are looking for other soft skills: organization, writing, leadership, problem solving, and customer service are all highly desirable in almost every occupation.

But millennials’ strong suit isn’t in the soft-skills arena, nor do they even believe they really need to work on such attributes. The survey found that 69 percent of graduates claim soft skills “get in the way of getting the job done”; they’re confident in their ability to succeed without them.

Human resources directors, on the other hand, disagree; 83 percent said graduates who couldn’t come up to speed quickly on the job and develop emotional and social skills would not become “high performers.”

Toastmasters International highlighted the Hay Group survey in pointing out that nearly half of Fortune 500 companies host in-house Toastmasters clubs as staff development tools where members may work on developing communication and leadership skills.

“Prospective employees, including millennials, should focus on building the skills that will give them an advantage over other candidates,” Jim Kokocki, Toastmasters 2015-16 international president, said in a statement. “Employers want to hire people who can communicate effectively and work well with others.”

Instant Insights /

Poor communication skills hinder millennials in workplace

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