AI skills matter, but executives are hiring for something else

Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, said the finding that stuck with him hardest wasn’t the preference itself. It was the size of the mismatch between what employers say they want and what they think graduates actually arrive with.

“Our survey shows that 44% of C-suite executives and 46% of HR professionals believe recent college graduates are more strongly prepared with AI and technical skills, while only 17 to 18% think they’re prepared with life skills,” Qubein said. “That’s scary. That’s very scary.”

He argued the consequences of that mismatch show up quickly once someone is actually on the job. The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2026 survey found a similar pattern nationally, with more than half of employers saying new graduates’ skills are only partially aligned with what they actually need.

“If a college student goes to college for four years, five years, six years, whatever it is, and then graduates, and they have all the technology learning that they need, but they’re not really versed, they’re not really adept, they’re not really equipped to deal with people, to communicate effectively, to strategically connect and build bridges of understanding with others, to lead when the heat is on, then they’re not going to succeed as well as those who really have life skills,” Qubein said.

Roberto Rigobon, professor of applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management, traced the mismatch back to what schools are teaching in the first place.