Learning agility is the top attribute companies look for in college graduates, however, it is also a top skills gap, according to a survey of business executives released today by Futurestep, a division of Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY).

The survey asked business executives what the top attribute they look for is. The largest percentage of respondents, 43%, listed learning agility, defined as “the ability to learn from experiences and apply those learnings to new roles.” Learning agility also virtually tied with business acumen as the largest skills gap among college recruits, at 30% and 31% respectively.

“The pace of today’s global, always connected business environment is frenetic,” said Vivienne Dykstra, Futurestep business development director EMEA and global SME for the graduate practice. “Organizations need employees who can keep up, change and innovate as circumstances evolve. The best hiring and development initiatives have a focus on learning agility.”

When asked what the most pressing diversity goal for college recruiting efforts is, the vast majority of respondents, 71%, said “diversity of thought.”

When considering other specific diversity priorities, respondents ranked, in order: gender, ethnicity, veteran status and sexual orientation.

The survey also found 26% of executives stated that a personal referral provides the most incentive to make initial contact with a candidate. That was exceeded only by “previous examples of leadership and problem solving,” which accounted for 34% of responses.

Finally, the survey found that after deciding that a college candidate is not the right fit for a prospective position, less than a third of respondents, 29%, said their company has a “keep warm” strategy for future opportunities, and 22% add recruits to their long-term applicant tracking system.

“Not keeping track of applicants is a huge missed opportunity,” Dykstra said. “A college grad may not yet be ready for a particular role, but keeping an ongoing dialogue open for when the ideal position is available will ensure that a candidate will choose your organization over a competitor.”

The global survey included 1,753 responses and took place from March 7 through March 29, 2016.