Employer’s Perception of New Hires
What Determines Their Overall Satisfaction with Recent Graduates?
Keywords:
employer satisfaction, student learning outcomes, communications, interpersonal relationsAbstract
This study investigates how new hires are perceived by their employers in a two-part study. First, nineteen hiring managers and CEOs were interviewed to determine their conception of recent graduates. These insights were used to create an employer satisfaction survey that was completed by 107 executives and hiring managers. The model studied embodies a reflective-formative measurement representation. We are interested in the overall satisfaction that employers express when asked about new hires. Thus, this study positions the employer as the customer in the evaluation process of new hires. Satisfaction is built as a reflective construct and operationalized accordingly. A hierarchical regression method is used to understand the impact of the independent formative variables, represented by student learning outcomes, on satisfaction. The findings provide a guidepost for schools of business to follow as they consider ways to make their curriculum more meaningful to the external stakeholders they serve.
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