PROSPECTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES’ ORAL COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE DURING INTERVIEWS: FINDINGS FROM A WORKPLACE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/manu.v36i2.7087Keywords:
Communicative competence, graduate employability, English oral presentationAbstract
Abstract Most job seekers know the importance of oral communication skills, yet issues concerning unskilled English language performance for employability persist. The plausible cause of the problems is the scarce feedback from workplace assessors. This study aims to identify the relationship between oral communication skills performance and age, gender, and academic achievement traits based on the employers’ input. An assessment of 150 shortlisted prospective employees for a public institution administrative position was conducted during job interview oral presentations. A panel of senior administrative staff, served as the assessors, were instructed to rate participants based on a set of rubrics. The scores afford the study with quantitative data for descriptive, inferential and correlation analyses. The candidates generally possessed moderate English language proficiency, reflecting the typical setting of today’s employment. Gender showed an insignificant relationship with performance, whilst age and academic achievement indicated a weak correlation with the skills. The findings imply the need to delve deeper into prospective employees’ traits that employers can wield as applicants’ oral communication skills indicators. In this case, candidates’ age (plausibly as an indicator for experience) or academic achievement (educational outcome) do not affirm the applicants’ oral communication skills during workplace interviews. A more thorough assessment of applicants’ skills or probation period is needed for employers’ assurance. Additionally, constructive alignment between what is being taught in oral communication courses and what is required for the workplace may need revisiting from educators, employers, and collaborators alike.
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