Employer perspectives on hiring entry-level geoscientists: Essential knowledge, skills, dispositions, and their assessment

The transition from an undergraduate degree program to the workforce can be challenging for recent geoscience graduates, as they must acquire the appropriate skills, effectively search for open positions, and communicate their qualifications to potential employers. We conducted interviews with 16 geoscience employers from three sectors (extractive industries, government, scientific and technical services) to determine which skills are most important to employers when hiring entry-level geoscientists, and how they find and assess those qualities in applicants. Participants assumed applicants with bachelor’s degrees would have broad geoscience background knowledge and be familiar with the language of the discipline. Participants emphasized the importance of communication and field skills, in alignment with the frequent appearance of these skills in job ads, and they expected to train new employees on job-specific skills. Equally important, are dispositions like collaboration, a desire to learn, and flexibility which are less frequently mentioned in ads. Most participants relied on online job ads and used word of mouth and personal connections to recruit applicants. Employers assess candidates throughout the application process, including informal interactions like emails, formal application materials including resumes and cover letters, interviews, and practical exercises in which candidates were expected to demonstrate desired skills. These results lead to recommendations for integrating workforce preparation across undergraduate geoscience programs to better support students’ successful transition into the workforce.