Purpose of this Toolkit - Griffith University

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
What employers, graduates and students
say about written communication skills
Employers’ comments
“Our biggest issue is writing skills. Graduates need to be able to write a report. All of our
outputs are written. [They] also need good oral communication skills and fundamental
confidence in their ability to be able to support what is being written. However, an academic
writing style is completely different from [what] we need in practice. It is the largest failing,
without question, from our point of view. What the university can do to improve that is to give
the opportunity for the practical application of ‘real world’ writing skills during course work.
Not necessarily in a work placement environment, but actually as part of the course work.
There is a big difference between the way you write a report compared with a discussion paper
on criminological theory.”
(Employer of Griffith Criminology and Criminal Justice Graduates, 2001)
“At the risk of making a generalisation, many science graduates are not as strong in the written
area as they could be. With competition for jobs so strong in the science industry, graduates
cannot afford to lose ground in any area and poor spelling and grammar [are areas] where it is
easy to lose ground. If you send in a poorly written/spelt resumé (to us or any potential
employer), you are going to be behind the eight-ball from the start.”
(Employer of Griffith Science Graduates, 2001)
“Students need to realise that there are different forms of communication suited to different
settings. I had a student who had done a Law degree and who came to work with me and was
giving me the sorts of notes you would put down in a brief, but not a piece that would
communicate with the audience. Different contexts require different types of written
communication.”
(Employer of Griffith Law Graduates, 2003)
“As an employer, I expect to see graduates who can write, spell and put a report together that
is literate, meaningful and properly researched. That is a fundamental skill but one that, we are
disappointed to say, we don’t always see.”
(Employer of Griffith Engineering Graduates, 2003)
“Written communication skills are extremely important. People are becoming too familiar
these days with email and text message communication. Graduates need to appreciate that
we’re still looking for well-developed, formal, written communication skills.”
(Employer of Griffith Accounting Graduates, 2004)
Student handout—Employers, graduates and students
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