The numbers tell the grim tale of a college grading system that is broken. In 1950, the average GPA at Harvard was an estimated 2.6 out of 4. By 2003, it had risen to 3.4. Today, it stands at 3.8. The more elite the college, the more lenient the standards, but the problem is also prevalent at less selective colleges. Across all four-year colleges in the United States, the most commonly grade awarded is now an A.

This grade inflation has made the A lose its significance as the highest achievement. The roots of the problem are manifold. High tuition has led universities to treat their charges as customers instead of students, and students (and their parents) like seeing As. To add to the situation, some academics loathe assessment and grading, preferring instead to focus on teaching. They say they do not want to participate in a broken system that uses grades as a measure helping nonacademics eliminate graduates from fellowships, graduate programs, and high-paying jobs.

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Do you hear moans and groans when you announce a major group project comprising a significant portion of students’ grades? Students have legitimate reasons to dread group work, but we know that that teaching them collaboration is a crucial aspect of the business communication curriculum.

Here are three strategies for improving the group experience:

1. Allow students to choose their own teams.

This approach has many benefits. Students take ownership of the project early on and may work with their friends or meet new peers who become friends. Perhaps most important, they cannot blame you for their group makeup.

Provide a background of the assignment before allowing students to pick their own teammates. If you have prior student examples of the project you can show, do so. Discuss the skills necessary to complete the assignment (writing and researching, creating visuals, giving an oral presentation, etc.) and whether the task will require groups to meet outside of class. Offer advice about the kinds of questions students should ask one another, such as their availability for meetings; their strengths and weaknesses; preference to lead or follow; and how much time they will be able to give the project. Provide class time for students to meet, greet, pick the teams, and obtain one another’s contact information. Ask for a copy of the roster.

2. Require teams to create bylaws/rules for team behavior.

Students are well aware of the downfalls of teamwork: slackers, long hours, personality conflicts, communication problems, and more. However, if teams make their own rules about attendance at meetings, deadlines, and quality of work, better buy-in to the project can result. Each group member signs the contract and gives the instructor (their “boss”) a copy.

In addition, consider giving teams a way to fire a group member for non-compliance to the contract. Allow team members to confidentially notify you of the situation so you can help them decide if the offending group member should be let go. If this occurs, offer the fired student an alternative project to pass the class, such as a ten-page paper with an X number of original citations discussing the importance of teamwork in business.

3. Assign weekly check-in reports to keep teams on task and identify problems.

At the end of each week, ask teams to send you a progress report and include a summary of their weekly meeting (when and where it took place, what was achieved, issues that arose, and resolutions to issues). Every team member should sign the report.

Group work is difficult for busy college students with varied agendas for taking our business communication courses. But empowered students with agency (and the promise of a helping hand) are more likely to take away at least some of the many valuable lessons teamwork has to offer.

With about 70 percent of large companies and 20 percent of small and medium-sized firms using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), it pays for job seekers to know how these AI-powered tools work.

An ATS is software than scans for specific words on job applicants’ résumés to weed out unqualified candidates. They filter applicants by scanning uploaded résumés and other materials for keywords much faster than a hiring manager could, which speeds up the hiring process. These systems can also keep candidates’ submissions for future openings and help companies compose job specs that can better attract job seekers who specifically fit the qualities a hiring manager seeks. Let’s look at how the specifics listed below would be beneficial during a job search from a company’s perspective. By scanning for some or all of these qualifications, filling a job becomes a more efficient proposition for companies.

• Business/Communication/English degree
• Bachelor’s degree required
• 0-2 years of work experience preferred
• 2-4 years of work experience preferred
• Strong interpersonal communication and/or public speaking experience
• Digital fluency with social media
• Ability to produce written online content
• Good time management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel

With artificial intelligence searching through hundreds or thousands of job applications, it is no mystery why companies prefer using AT systems. However, for job hunters, it’s a different story. The software may be too selective and pass over highly qualified individuals who may not have provided the specific wording the software looks for. In fact, a Harvard study found that 88 percent of recruiters believe that qualified candidates are indeed overlooked by ATS because their submitted materials did not exactly match the ATS job description.

This is why awareness as to how these tools work can help job candidates integrate the best strategies to “talk” back to these scanning systems. To optimize their applications, job seekers should follow this advice:

1. Include specific wording and match keywords from the job description for every submission made.
2. Understand going into the job search that each application will need to be tailored to maximize its suitability for every targeted job.
3. Spell out and use acronyms (i.e. Bachelor of Arts in Business as well as BA in Business).
4. Organize the résumé into the chronological rather than the functional résumé format.
5. Use easily recognizable fonts like Helvetica, Garamond, or Georgia.
6. Avoid using headers and footers since that information could confuse ATS.
7. Opt for standard résumé headings instead of cutesy ones (i.e. Work Experience instead of Where I’ve Been.)

Many résumé scanner tools exist that offer templates and advice about ways to make an application ATS-friendly.

Discussion

1. What are some ways to get noticed besides submitting application materials that will be scanned by ATS?
2. Why do experts advise first-time applicants to join professional organizations?
3. Although ATS are time savers for employers, what are some of the negatives about relying on these systems rather than on humans?

Sources:

Henderson, R. (2024, March 27). What is an ATS? 8 Things you need to know about applicant tracking systems. Jobscan. https://www.jobscan.co

Applicant tracking systems: Key features and when you need them. (n.d.). Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com