Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Jun 2019

Do Interns Know What They Think They Know? Assessing Business Communication Skills in Interns and Recent Graduates

Stephanie G. Schartel Dunn ; Peggy L. Lane University of Louisiana at Monroe

Abstract

This article extends a dialogue regarding how (and what) communication skills are stressed within business schools, which should be regularly examined and updated. Specifically, this article addresses which skills interns and employers perceive as important. Results indicate that interns and their supervisors have similar perceptions of which communication skills are most important. Furthermore, emphasis placed on communication skills in the business curriculum did not necessarily translate to perceived importance by the interns. Skills employers perceived to be important were compared with adequacy of interns’ skills. Writing, proofreading, interpersonal skills with customers, and listening were among the skills interns lacked.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2019-06-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490619826258
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (11)

  1. Tammenluoto (2026)
    Bridging Positive Communication and Improvisation to Promote Positive Communica…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Parks (2026)
    Internship Practices in Technical and Professional Communication Programs
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Koponen et al. (2025)
    Managers’ Technology-Mediated Communication Competence: A Theoretical Framework
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Sharma et al. (2025)
    A Decade of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly : A PRISMA Guided…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Dolechek et al. (2023)
    Rebuilding From the Ground Up: Employer and Alumni Perspectives for Course Redesign
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 11 →
  1. Coffelt et al. (2022)
    Measuring Business and Professional Communication Skills
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Kleckner et al. (2022)
    Developing Entry-Level Communication Skills: A Comparison of Student and Employ…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. McDonough et al. (2021)
    Instructor Evaluation of Business Student Writing: Does Language Play a Role?
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Moreau (2020)
    Teams That Innovate: The Language of Difference-Driven Inquiry at the Workplace
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Coffelt et al. (2020)
    Exemplary and Unacceptable Workplace Communication Skills
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  6. Moshiri et al. (2020)
    An Updated and Expanded Nationwide Study of Business Communication Courses
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

References (26) · 4 in this index

  1. Alshare K. A., Lane P. L., Miller D. (2011). Business communication skills in information systems (IS) curric…
     ↗
  2. Bacon D. R., Anderson E. S. (2004). Assessing and enhancing the basic writing skills of marketing students. B…
     ↗
  3. Bovée C. L. (2017)
    Business communication today
  4. Brink K. E., Costigan R. D. (2015). Oral communication skills: Are the priorities of the workplace and AACSB-…
     ↗
  5. Conrad D., Newberry R. (2011). 24 business communication skills: Attitudes of human resource managers versus …
Show all 26 →
  1. Conrad D., Newberry R. (2012). Identification and instruction of important business communication skills for …
     ↗
  2. DeKay S. H. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored region. Business Commu…
     ↗
  3. Gray F. E. (2010). Specific oral communication skills desired in new accountancy graduates. Business Communic…
     ↗
  4. Guffey M. E. (2019)
    Essentials of business communication
  5. Hodges D., Burchell N. (2003). Business graduate competencies: Employers’ views on importance and performance…
  6. Kerby D., Romine J. (2009). Develop oral presentation skills through accounting curriculum design and course-…
     ↗
  7. Kleckner M. J., Marshall C. R. (2014). Critical communication skills: Developing course competencies to meet …
  8. Lucas et al. (2015)
    The Competency Pivot: Introducing a Revised Approach to the Business Communicat…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  9. MacDermott C. (2017)
    IUP Journal of Soft Skills
  10. Maes J. D., Weldy T. G., Icenogle M. L. (1997). A managerial perspective: Oral communications competency is m…
     ↗
  11. Moshiri et al. (2014)
    The State of Business Communication Classes: A National Survey
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  12. National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2014). Career readiness competencies: Employer survey result…
  13. Ortiz et al. (2016)
    Employer Perceptions of Oral Communication Competencies Most Valued in New Hire…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  14. Robles M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Co…
     ↗
  15. Russ T. L. (2009). The status of the business communication course at U.S. colleges and universities. Busines…
     ↗
  16. Ulinski M., O’Callaghan S. (2002). A comparison of MBA students’ and employers’ perceptions of the value of o…
     ↗
  17. Waner K. K. (1995). Business communication competencies needed by employees as perceived by business faculty …
     ↗
  18. Wardrope W. J., Bayless M. L. (1999). Content of the business communication course: An analysis of coverage. …
     ↗
  19. Wilhelm W. J. (2004)
    Delta Pi Epsilon Journal
  20. Wilson S. R. (2003)
    Handbook of communication and social interaction skills
  21. Yale (2014)
    The Impromptu Gauntlet: An Experiential Strategy for Developing Lasting Communi…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 20 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    “Article laundry” or “tutor in pocket?”: Multilingual writers’ generative AI-assisted writing in professional settings ↗
    Qianqian Zhang-Wu
    writing pedagogy teacher development professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric artificial intelligence multilingual writers
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly May 2026
    Communicating Diversity and Inclusion in LinkedIn Job Advertisements ↗
    Rashid Ashraf; Said Badreddine; Mohamed I. Albeshr; Hamsa Al Ammari; Malik Muhammad Sheheryar Khan; Pranav Naithani
    discourse analysis professional writing race and writing
  3. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly May 2026
    Andrew Carnegie and the Rhetorical History of Business and Professional Communication ↗
    Joe Edward Hatfield
    rhetorical criticism teacher development professional writing archival research
  4. Written Communication May 2026
    Categorizing Human Identity in Writing Research: A Case for Participant Self-Identification in the Disaggregation of Data ↗
    Jennifer Burke Reifman
    modern rhetorical theory professional writing empirical research
  5. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Apr 2026
    Bridging Curricula and Workplaces in China: A Needs-Based Model for Arabic Business Communication ↗
    Suo Yan Mei; Suo Yan Ju; Zarima Mohd Zakaria
    discourse analysis teacher development professional writing