Interview with the employers of recent graduates

This is one in a series of interviews with employers that have recently (in the last 5 years) hired staff who have completed a 3 or 4 year or Honours level undergraduate degree with a Physics major or a Physics-based multidisciplinary major. We’d like to gauge your opinions on the value of an undergraduate Physics major as demonstrated by your employee(s).

Could you please provide the following information?

We would like you to think about physics graduates who have worked for you in the last few years. Please try to separate physics graduates early in their employment from those who have worked with you for some time. We would also like to concentrate on graduates with a basic (not postgraduate) degree with a Physics major.

Are there special knowledge, skills and approaches that these Physics graduates have?

Individuals vary enormously. We are interested in people with inquiring minds, trained in analytic skill, highly self motivated. Generally, across the disciplines, graduates from computing/science are not sufficiently numerate or have adequate analytical skills.

Please comment on their ability to learn and adapt.

Physics and maths students have far superior numerate and analytical skills. It is easier to employ graduates with a maths/physics background and teach them programming/computer skills rather than vice versa.

How could Physics graduates be better? Do fresh graduates from other disciplines meet these expectations? Is it reasonable to expect university graduates to come with these attributes or are they better learnt/developed at work?

Project and self management skills are increasing important in combination with the skills mentioned above.

Would you employ a Physics graduate in preference to those from other disciplines? If so why?

Yes, as they have superior analytical and numeracy skills.

Graduate attributes table

Please fill in the first four columns of the following table by ticking the box that represents the level to which your employee(s) with a Physics education demonstrated a particular attribute, as gauged at the start of their employment with you, i.e. the attributes they have.

Please say if there was another valuable attribute or further comments.

There needs to be an improvement in the marketing and selling of Physics degrees. Students don’t enter physics degrees primarily from an employment perspective. Physics should be promoted at the high school level. The employment flexibility offered by undertaking Physics degrees (particularly higher degrees) is not generally acknowledged or promoted.

Could you now please fill in the last column, this time indicating whether a particular attribute should be present to a greater or lesser extent at the start of their employment, or whether it is about what you require (OK)?