You attended Career Week, polished your resume and cover letters, connected with a few recruiters and are feeling good about your prospects for that next career move. And if that doesn鈥檛 really sound like you, that鈥檚 OK! Keep reading. This post is still for you two.
So what鈥檚 next?聽One great place to start is honing some of the most sought-after skills organizations want in an employee. What are those skills, you ask? Here are some that come up year after year:
Communication
Communication is key. Employers look for people who can communicate effectively with co-workers, managers and clients. While effective communication may look different for different roles, effective communication skills like active listening, negotiation and honesty can help any employee, no matter their job function, succeed. You can practice strengthening your communication skills in a number of ways including your academics. Try being a more active member in a group project or asking your professors how you could improve on your assignments. Building strong communication skills now can only lead to good things.
Adaptability
Change is a constant, and in today鈥檚 world, change happens quickly. It鈥檚 no different in the work place. New challenges and problems arise every day, but the best employees know how to use their strengths to adapt and roll with the punches. If being able to adapt doesn鈥檛 always come naturally for you, don鈥檛 worry! A simple way to strengthen this skill is to practice prioritizing your daily tasks and saying no when you鈥檙e overworked. Understanding what鈥檚 important, what can wait and what鈥檚 ok to let go will help adaptability come more naturally in the future.
Collaboration
The odds you鈥檒l be working in a group at some point in your career are very high. Whether it鈥檚 working within your team or collaboratively with other departments, knowing how to effectively work with others is crucial. And if there鈥檚 only one aspect of successfully working together you should know it鈥檚 how to give and receive constructive criticism. Gracefully giving and receiving positive as well as negative comments that offer valid and helpful points to consider will set you up for success in your professional relationships. To strengthen this skill, it鈥檚 helpful to remember the value of feedback. Your work will reach its best potential when different opinions and viewpoints are taken into consideration and implemented into the final piece.
Want to refine your professional skills further? Another great way to to build and strengthen these skills as a student is to seek student employment opportunities like internships and on-campus jobs! Consider student employment and internship opportunities through . Employment positions through 鈥機use Works will help you develop more than ten that will help you reach your career goals.