One of the key goals of obtaining a college education is the acquisition of communication skills. In the workforce, the better an employee listens to feedback and instructions, and the better an employee can provide critical facts and opinions, the more likely an employee is likely to succeed in the workplace. Recent graduates who have a basic knowledge of business law are even more prepared to succeed in the modern workforce, and employers want them for several reasons.
According to Maggitti, business law focuses on critical thinking. Business law is a core discipline where critical thinking is especially critical. New employers want critical thinkers because, in the workplace, they turn out to be better problem solvers (Maggitti). Problem solvers can analyze a given problem from many points of view, thereby giving them one up on the competition (Maggitti). It only stands to reason that many of the problems at any corporation are related to either the interpretation or application of business law, and that these employees add more value to a company.
Furthermore, mid-level managers like new hires who have even a superficial knowledge of business law because it shows them that their new employees can analyze a lot of data, arriving at new ideas about how to use the data. Thus, data analysis is a new watchword for the 21st-centrury job market. Employers want employees who are skilled in making more than just a hypothesis (Maggitti). They want new hires to be able to make informed decisions based on raw data.
Lastly, experts in hiring new graduates want employees who are unafraid to challenge the status quo. Challenging the status quo requires both courage and creativity (Maggitti). If no one dared to challenge the status quo, there would be no Facebook, Microsoft, or Apple. At the same time, however, challenging the status quo still requires that one have a grasp of business law. For example, what if a newly-hired grad has an idea that has already been patented? Then, he may need to know something about patent law to challenge the status quo.
Works Cited
Maggitti, Patrick. “Be the Problem-Solver.” U.S. News & World Report, 02 Jun 2015, http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/2015/06/02/3-critical-thinking-skills-business-graduates-need-to-succeed. Accessed 22 Jan 2016.
