In today's rapidly evolving world, alignment between higher education and professional competencies is essential to prepare students for workplace environments. While universities aim to prepare graduates for professional success, traditional grading methods may inadvertently hinder this preparation, as they may emphasize student motivation to achieve a letter grade rather than the obtainment of transferable skills. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the perceived student impact of grading methods—non-traditional vs. traditional—on students' development of the skills and attributes desired by employers, as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2024 Report. The study was conducted at a large land-grant institution with three faculty members across various courses within a college of agriculture and life sciences (N=41). Courses were taught with varying methods of non-traditional grading (e.g., growth-based grading); however, all methods utilized thorough feedback and incomplete/complete grades throughout the course, removing letter grades in their online Canvas platform. Quantitative results from a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test revealed a significant difference between participant perceptions of non-traditional grading and traditional grading related with participants evaluating non-traditional grading more favorably in developing workplace skills than traditional grading (e.g., “problem-solving skills,” “being able to work on a team,” “written communication skills,” “work ethic,” “flexibility/adaptability,” “verbal communication skills,” “technical skills,” “ability to analytic/quantitative skills,” “initiative,” and “detail orientation”). In response to these findings, educators are encouraged to consider how grading methods may have a broader impact on student development of workplace skills. As a growing need to bridge the gap between academic assessment and workplace readiness exists, educators should not overlook grading practices as vital to their pedagogy and objective achievement.