Business Students’ Perceptions of Expected Skills and Traits for Their Professional Success

Growing literature in Business reveals the concerns on quality and level of preparation for business students who are ready to enter the business industry. This study specifically delved business students’ perception on self-perceived competencies, skills, and desired traits for being a successful employee. One hundred and seventeen student-participants from four business classes at a regional state university at Eastern Kentucky were randomly selected and recruited to complete a 60- item survey. In addition to the general demographic information, the survey solicited students’ rating on importance of traits, qualities and functional and academic knowledge/subjects. The results indicated that participants further categorized various traits and qualities suggested by experts and scholars into eight groups. Although students valued personal principals such as work ethic, dependability, and willingness to learn highly (as scholars had suggested), they also failed to recognize the importance of having internship experience and strong writing skills. The latter phenomenon was considered the biggest discrepancy between the view of students and scholars. As for the ratings regarding importance of the functional and academic content, students tended to highlight the importance of “business ethics” as well as “marketing & entrepreneurship.” This finding seemed to be synchronized with scholars’ recommendations. In conclusion, the author addressed the practical implication on how to utilize findings to adjust the educational curriculum and improve the skills and knowledge of students.