ANALYSIS OF SKILLS SOUGHT BY EMPLOYERS OF BACHELORS-LEVEL GEOSCIENTISTS

Preparing graduates to enter the workforce is a critical goal of undergraduate geoscience degree programs. Determining whether our graduates are qualified to enter the geoscience workforce requires knowledge of the skills sought by employers of bachelors-level geoscientists. To investigate skills desired by employers, we analyzed job advertisements retrieved from 4 search engines between May and August 2020. We used 15 search words derived from the 2018 Status of the Geoscience Workforce (AGI) to select job advertisements that required or preferred a geoscience-based bachelor's degree. Each job advertisement was coded to identify skills sought by employers. We derived an initial set of codes using skills identified by the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education project and additional emergent codes were identified during the coding process. A set of 33 codes, with definitions and examples, was generated and finalized through an iterative coding process, checking for inter-rater reliability. Advertisements were not coded for geoscience content knowledge. Preliminary analysis of a random sample drawn from >1000 advertisements shows a majority of employers seek individuals with the ability to conduct field work, work as part of a team, work with computers, collect, process and interpret data, and communicate effectively. Our results provide insight into the expectations of potential employers for recent graduates seeking a career in geoscience. Additionally, our results provide geoscience degree programs with critical information required to prepare undergraduates with the necessary skills to be successful in the current job market.