Which Communication Skills Do I Need? A Multimethod Study of Communication Needs in Construction Engineering

Abstract

This study investigates the communication skills expected of recent construction engineering graduates as portrayed in job ads and conveyed by employers. A content analysis of 100 job ads showed that teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal communication skills were the specific categories of communication skills listed most frequently. Subsequent interviews with 11 employers showed that although they considered the written communication skills of recent college graduates as sufficient, they found that many recent graduates had insufficient skills in assertiveness, email communication, relationship building, and audience adaptation, indicating that additional coursework or assignments in oral communication skills would benefit construction engineering majors.