Helping students use their developing arts and humanities skills to convince prospective employers
Those of us in the arts and humanities are well aware of disparaging messages in popular and academic media about the “uselessness” of our disciplines. As the number of traditional-age undergraduates is on the decline, as the cost of higher education and student-loan debts rise, and as suspicions swirl about whether a college education is actually worthwhile, faculty and academic administrators are expected to attend more closely than before to the recruitment, retention, timely degree-completion, and post-baccalaureate success of our students. Those of us in the arts and humanities have an additional burden of proof of our value, especially given statements from political leaders about the unviability of majoring in fields like anthropology (FL Gov. Rick Scott), gender studies (NC Gov. Pat McCrory), philosophy (Senator Marco Rubio), art history (President Barack Obama), and other areas of study perceived as impractical and even self-indulgent.
Calling certain degrees unmarketable might seem strange given our historically low unemployment at the moment. But the National Center for Education Statistics (2018) recently reported that nearly half of all recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed (i.e., piecing together part-time work and/or working in low-skilled jobs). One explanation is that employers are competing for skilled workers, but another more pervasive and troubling explanation is that so many employers believe millennials are ill-equipped for 21st-century jobs.
The problem: employers don’t believe students have the right skills.
Studies commissioned by the AAC&U (Hart Research Associates, 2015; 2018) and the Chronicle of Higher Education and Public Radio International’s Marketplace (Fisher, 2013) have reported that hiring managers and supervisors in a wide range of businesses and nonprofit organizations believe recent college graduates lack basic proficiencies critical to success in the workplace, such as communication skills, complex problem-solving, and working across difference. Employers gave very low grades to recent graduates on all 17 of the AAC&U’s essential learning outcomes of college, including those deemed most important for careers:
- Oral communication
- Working effectively on teams
- Written communication
- Ethical decision-making
- Critical thinking & analysis
- Applying knowledge to real-world problems
Nearly all of those surveyed said those six skills are more important than a job candidate’s alma mater or major. In order to consider applicants for further review, interviews, and hiring, employers are looking for evidence of those experiences and skills in job-seekers’ resumes and cover letters.
The solution: undergraduate research in the arts and humanities provides evidence of key skills.
Here’s where undergraduate research can help. Undergraduate researchers in the arts and humanities are in a particularly strong position for demonstrating with evidence that they have developed the skills and dispositions most highly valued by a broad range of potential employers. Their faculty mentors can help them see how to make the case. Here are some ways I have coached arts and humanities majors at Bridgewater State University to use their undergraduate-research experiences as indicators of the most highly valued workplace skills.
Arts and humanities scholars demonstrate communication.
Proficiency in oral and written communication (combined here for the sake of brevity) is shown by giving talks at campus symposia and even regional or national conferences, engaging interpersonally with peers and experts in those settings, and committing to revising written work (including in response to critical feedback) in order to convey ideas effectively.
Arts and humanities research can include collaboration.
Skills associated with working collaboratively on teams can be demonstrated by arts and humanities majors (even if they are less likely than students in the sciences to conduct collaborative research) when they draw upon situations in which they saw themselves as part of a group (e.g., a community of practice) with common goals. In an AAC&U survey, 96% of employers agreed that “all college students should have experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views are different from their own” (Hart Research Associates, 2015). Those mentored in working across difference, a value in many of our fields, can highlight that understanding in their job searches. The practice of accepting and learning from constructive criticism, explicit in the arts and valued in the humanities as well, are effectively discussed in cover letters and interviews.
Arts and humanities research fosters ethical thinking.
Ethical decision-making can be evidenced by students whose work aims for the common good and who are able to explain how they have grappled with complex issues in their research. Considering the consequences of their research decisions—and modifying their course of action when needed—demonstrate students’ thoughtful, and often principled, choices.
Arts and humanities scholars demonstrate critical thinking.
The development of skills of critical thinking and analysis is integral to undergraduate research; students tackling “actively contested” questions (Kuh, 2008) must take resourceful, creative approaches to those questions, problems, or goals. The scholarly practices in the arts and humanities of “unpacking” theories, texts, cultural norms, etc.; examining assumptions; and determining what needs to be known or done to accomplish the goals of the project, are of vital importance in a range of careers.
Arts and humanities research focuses on real-world problems.
One of the reasons students express satisfaction in undergraduate research is that they finally had the opportunity to apply knowledge to real-world problems—something that arts and humanities majors do not always experience in their coursework. Undergraduate research engages students in the authentic questions of the discipline or another community. It deepens student understanding through active learning, especially when they immerse themselves in long-term projects. The ability to describe such directly applicable work helps arts and humanities majors stand out in their job searches, especially because we humanists and artists commonly guide students in metacognitive practices that allow them to reflect on their learning and its applications beyond the classroom and academic program.
Conclusion
Despite the denigration of the arts and humanities in political messages and popular culture, there is little evidence that such majors are less viable when it comes to post-baccalaureate employment prospects. In fact, data from multiple sources speak to the immense value of certain skills and dispositions, developed particularly well through undergraduate research, including in the arts and humanities. The Chronicle of Higher Education headline may have said it best in touting the positive job outlook for students in our fields, “If They Have Some Specific Skills Too” (Blumenstyk, 2016). One of the important aspects of mentoring arts and humanities undergraduate-researchers can be to show them how to highlight the sought-after skills that they are developing in their projects.
References
Blumenstyk, Goldie. 2016. Liberal-arts majors have plenty of job prospects, if they have some specific skills, too. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Liberal-Arts-Majors-Have/236749
Fischer, Karin. 2013. A college degree sorts job applicants, but employers wish it meant more. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.nmc.org/clipping/a-college-degree-sorts-job-applicants-but-employers-wish-it-meant-more/
Hart Research Associates. 2015. Falling short? College learning and career success. Retrived from https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf
Hart Research Associates. 2018. Fulfilling the American dream: Liberal education and the future of work. Retrieved fromhttps://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2018EmployerResearchReport.pdf
Kuh, George D. 2008. High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
(Note: the above post is a summary of a presentation Jenny Olin Shanahan gave at the CUR Biennial in 2018).
