MANILA, Philippines – Despite an oversupply of graduates in the country, many applicants fail to get a job in companies and positions they apply for. This is not because they lack technical skills but they lack key behavioral competencies necessary to perform in typical office situations.

This was revealed by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), a 50-year old national association of top HR practitioners in the country, at a press conference Wednesday in a hotel in Makati.

According to PMAP Academe-Industry Committee chairman Vicente Kilayko, employers and company’s recruitment officers in country always ask why despite having an oversupply of graduates, it is still so difficult to hire well-qualified candidates for entry-level positions.

“This question also led us to tackle the same challenge in the hope of finding the answers and help our graduates land on a job,” he said.

Kilayko revealed that 2006 survey conducted of PMAP member companies showed that almost 50 percent of applicants were found to fail in their job interviews.

“Most of these applicants were fresh graduates and they failed not because of lack of technical skills but rather, they lack key behavioral competencies necessary to perform in typical office situations which include initiative, communication skills, and critical thinking,” he said

The PMAP has also collaborated with the Coordinating Council of Private Education Associations (CoCoPEA) in 2009 to make more people aware of the results of the survey through an audio visual presentation (AVP) entitled, “Book Smart Is Not Enough.”

This year, PMAP through its Academe-Industry Committee, has launched a video-making contest called “The High Flyers.”