10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College: The Know-How You Need to Succeed (Paperback)

by William D. Coplin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A college diploma can open many doors, but it’s just an expensive piece of paper if you don’t have what employers seek. Long-time professor and student adviser Bill Coplin surveyed the nation’s top companies and identified the essential skills recent grads need to survive and succeed in the job market. In 10 THINGS EMPLOYERS WANT YOU TO LEARN IN COLLEGE, Coplin teaches you to solve complex problems, influence people, and detect BS—real-world know-how your textbooks don’t teach you. Coplin’s practical approach will help you develop a personal plan for boosting those marketable skills during your college years so you can impress potential employers, land a higher-paying job, and start on the road to career security and satisfaction as soon as you graduate.

About the Author
BILL COPLIN is the director and professor of public affairs at Syracuse University and author of more than 70 books and articles. He has advised thousands of college and high school students in getting the most out of college, and has been an advocate and practitioner of skill-based liberal arts curricula for more than 30 years. He lives in upstate New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580085245
• ISBN-13: 978-1580085243
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,364 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good and bad, June 6, 2004

By	T. Stittleburg (Kennesaw, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The description of this title does not exactly make clear what the book is about.

Part I - Know How Groups
Details specific skills in 10 groups by saying 1) why they're important 2) how college-level coursework can help you develop them, and 3) how activities, jobs, and internships can help you develop them.

Part II - What you should be doing in college to help yourself get a job/internship
Explains the idea of an apprenticeship, how to make college choices, volunteering, thinking BEYOND college, and more

Part III - Planning your success
More on careers, improving your "know how" skills, and how to use show off your know how skills in your resume and cover letter

Part I I found useful for some skills and a lot of fluff for others.
The explanation of the skill itself is mostly useless and consists principally of 1) a discussion of a rather irrelevant quote put at the top of each section, 2) how you might use it in a business/management type position. Of course that helps you out if you enjoy irrelevant quotations and are heading for a career in management, but be warned - this book was written for liberal arts majors. That is the type of student this author has had the most experience with and portrays most skills that are necessary for a position in sales, management, or some other business-oriented capacity. It's not for engineering majors.

Parts II and III I found very useful and eye-opening was the discussion of internships, jobs, and other activities outside of campus that comes after Coplin's foray into "know how groups." It details how you can use your connections and campus/online resources to find a career-starting experience at a relevant company. It also sheds some light on the internship experience and why it's important to "pay your dues."

If 1) you're majoring in some liberal arts field, or 2) want to learn more about what you SHOULD be doing with your time in college, this book is for you. But don't pick it up if you want to go to med, law, or some other graduate school. There are simply better titles for guiding you to those areas.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HEADS- UP; GETTING THE JOB!!!!!!, January 18, 2007

By	Dorothy Weiss (ORLANDO, FLORIDA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Want your children to succeed in the job market? Want to upgrade your own skills? This book offers much needed data about the value of work ethics, communication both verbal and written, working with others, influencing others, internships, building relationships. It is a job research primer. It also tackles the negatives of "helicopter parents" whose well-meaning attempts are often counterproductive to the individual learning process of the young adult trying to grow up and develop skills needed in the work force. Author Bill Coplin also explores time and money management, the interview process, identifying problems and developing solutions.

A timely and well-written perspective.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Developing the Complete Package, January 17, 2007

By	Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

The book points out that college students need to develop real-world know-how in ten crucial skill groups:
Work Ethic
Physical Performance
Speaking
Writing
Teamwork
Influencing People
Research
Number Crunching
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
A degree might get your foot in the door, but having these skills will make you a valuable employee. I agree with the author that if a work ethic is missing, then all the other knowledge and skills are wasted.