ANALISIS TINGKAT KOMPETENSI MAHASISWA DALAM MENGHADAPI DUNIA KERJA (STUDI PADA MAHASISWA SEMESTER AKHIR DI UNIVERSITAS HKBP NOMENSEN MEDAN )

ABSTRACTThis study aims to analyze the competency level of final-yearstudents at Universitas HKBP Nommensen Medan in facing the worldof work, as competency is a crucial factor encompassing academicknowledge, technical and non-technical skills, and professionalwork attitudes. The research employs a descriptive qualitativeapproach, with subjects selected purposively, namely final-yearstudents. Data were collected through interviews, observations,and documentation studies, then analyzed through data reduction,data display, and conclusion drawing using source and techniquetriangulation to ensure data validity. The findings indicate thatstudents’ competency levels are in the fairly good category; interms of knowledge, students possess adequate theoreticalfoundations but still require improvement in practical application,in terms of skills, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, andpresentation abilities are fairly well developed, especially amongstudents active in student organizations, and in terms of workattitude, students generally demonstrate motivation andresponsibility, although some still lack confidence and workexperience. It can be concluded that students’ competenciessupport their work readiness, but further improvement is neededthrough practical experience, work-readiness training, andindustry-based learning to better align competencies withworkplace demands.Keywords: student competency, work readiness, knowledge, skills,work attitude.