U.S. universities are offering special handouts, workshops, and even how-to dinners to help prepare new graduates for the world of work, fearing that years of disrupted education—including a hasty shift to remote learning in the early months of the COVID pandemic—has left students short on office etiquette and soft skills.
Universities are not alone in this fear. Students are also worried about office life and the shift in expectations between academia and the workforce. Fresh graduates shared these concerns about how to work with colleagues, deliver in-person presentations, and build a personal network to the Wall Street Journal. One student even shared his surprise that deadlines in an office were harder to extend than those set for a college assignment.
