Employer's Survey*

*The numbering is off because of the conversion to HTML—this group had the survey correctly proofed and numbered.

1. How many employees does your business have at your site?

1. 1-10
2. 11-25
3. 26-50
4. 51-100
5. 101-500
6. 500+

1. Do you use writing in your day-to-day activities?

1. yes
2. no
3. if yes, what kinds of writing do you regularly use?

3. Do you hire students from North Dakota State University?

a. none of our employees are NDSU graduates

2. 1-5 of our employees are NDSU graduates
3. 6-10 of our employees are NDSU graduates
4. 11-15 of our employees are NDSU graduates
5. 16-20 of our employees are NDSU graduates
6. more than 20 of our employees are NDSU graduates

3. If you regularly hire NDSU graduates, what are the reasons? (Check all that apply.)

1. they are hard workers
2. they are well-trained
3. they are well-educated
4. they have strong problem solving ability
5. they are available in the community
6. they have good communication skills
7. they want to work in this region
8. they understand and can communicate with our clientele
9. other (please note)

3. If you do not hire NDSU grads, what are the reasons? (Check all that apply.)

1. they are not hard workers
2. they require too much on the job training
3. they are not well-educated
4. they have weak problem solving ability
5. they are do not apply for jobs in my company
6. they have poor communication skills
7. they want to leave this region
8. they do not understand or communicate with our clientele

6. Listed below are various goals of different college writing programs. Which of these goals seem most important to you as a potential employer of students? (check all that apply)

1. to help students develop the skills to read and write within their majors
2. to help students develop life-long literacy skills
3. to help students become better and more informed citizens
4. to encourage students to be politically active and involved
5. to provide students with an introduction to the humanities
6. to develop critical thinking skills
7. to encourage insightful analysis and independent research
8. to require students to develop reading and writing skills that will serve them in the work world
9. to help students develop reading, writing, and study skills that will enable them succeed in college
10. to help students develop networks of relations (other students, teachers, librarians) that will support them throughout their college career.

7. Listed below are skills often developed in first year writing classes. Of these, which do you value most? (Rate from 1-10 with 1 being do not value, and 10 being value highly.)

a. Ability to read, write and speak standard English

2. Ability to accurately summarize a written document
3. Ability to communicate well with others
4. Ability to work effectively in teams
5. Ability to analyze and solve problems
6. Ability to design well-organized documents
7. Ability to break down a large task into components (project management)
8. Ability to think critically about complex issues

8. Listed below are several kinds of writing tasks students are often asked to do in a first year writing course. Of these, which are most likely to relate to tasks an employee at your business might have to do? (Rate from 1-10 with 1 being unlikely, and 10 being very likely.)

1. use e-mail
2. analyze poetry
3. write a research paper on a current event
4. make a clear, well-defended argument
5. write a letter
6. analyze a literary essay
7. write a personal, literary essay
8. design a web site
9. write a proposal
10. design forms and documents
11. collect and analyze data
12. write a report

9. Do you think today’s NDSU graduates possess the writing skills to be successful in your company?

10. Is success in college writing classes used as a factor for hiring employees?

11. Please feel free to add your comments about the sorts of writing that would most benefit NDSU students as your potential employees:

Thank you for participating in this survey. We will use this information at North Dakota State University to help plan programs and work with our partners in other agencies to better meet the needs of our citizens. If you would like the results of this survey, please enter your e-mail address below. This will not compromise your anonymity.