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In view of the popularity of the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) qualification for graduate college students, PGDM grads may want to stand out in a crowd. It is here that knowing what skills corporates look for might turn out to be the key differentiator. The qualification costs close to a fortune per year at the top schools, but a large number of employers say that they have to struggle to find business school graduates with the right skills.

In the process of choosing the best business qualification available, you will find out that although different programmes cater to different needs, some management skills are taught universally. These certainly should be relevant to your specific goals and career aspirations. Nevertheless, it is also important to be aware of the current job market fluctuations and to keep in mind that employers will value certain skills over others.

The most important skills corporates look for are as follows:

Ø  The ability to work with a wide variety of people

Ø  Time management and ability to prioritize

Ø  Understanding the digital impact on businesses

Ø  Ability to build, sustain and expand a network of people

Ø  Ability to solve complex problems

These five most important skills were not core PGDM subjects, such as finance and marketing, but more loosely defined qualities or so-called soft skills. Of these, employers said the ability among PGDM graduates to manage their time effectively was the most difficult to find.

But PGDMs are also expected to be more than problem solvers with great interpersonal skills. Employers generally rate skills according to how difficult they are to find in PGDM grads when hiring, and the top five are:

Ø  The ability to use social media

Ø  The ability to train/coach others

Ø  Financial forecasting

Ø  Big data analysis

Ø  Brand storytelling skills.

In terms of the most important skills in the workforce, graduates mainly agree with employers – viz., soft skills matter the most. But when asked what skills PGDM students were most proficient in, the results are generally contradictory, suggesting the expectations of employers and candidates are mismatched. Two of the skills that graduates from elite PGDM programs found they were most proficient in — drive and resilience, and the ability to solve complex problems — were also among the skills recruiters said they found the most elusive in PGDM graduates.

The job seeking process is always a crucial one. The list above reveals the qualities that are vital in all management professionals. A confident and impressive PGDM student can surely bag a nice job if he is thoroughly prepared and knows what to expect during job interviews. You must therefore prepare yourself well according to the skills corporates look for … and the job search will then be a cakewalk for you!