You’re about to get a degree which will be helpful for getting a foot in the door when you look for work, but is it all you need? Something else you should be considering is the types of skills you need to succeed in the workplace. You can understand the subject matter that your degree covered, but do you know how to work in an office or deal with workplace politics? Can you demonstrate desirable skills outside of your degree? If you want to improve these skills, there are several ways you can do it.
Get Some Work Experience
Having real-life work experience can really put you in a good position when you’re looking for graduate work. Not only does it give you something to put on your CV but it also allows you to understand how a workplace might be run. This is something that employers value highly, as those with previous workplace experience are more likely to succeed than those without.
It also gives you the opportunity to identify skills that you might need to improve or that you might be interested in working on. It could be particularly helpful for soft skills, such as communication and teamwork.
Further Your Education
You don’t have to stay in academia to keep learning after you graduate. Taking a course and seeking a certification, diploma, or something similar to improve your new skills is a good idea. If you’re looking at moving into management or leadership roles, you might consider ICF Coaching to become certified as an executive coach. Some courses can help you convert or top up your degree into something that’s more desirable for employers. Look for ways to add to your skills and increase your employability.
Brush Up on Your IT Skills
One skill that will be important no matter what job you go for after you graduate is IT and office skills. This can range from something as simple as operating a till, creating and managing spreadsheets as well as coding. Most jobs will not require an especially advanced level of IT skill in order to perform, so don’t worry too much about it. You may already have the necessary level of IT skills just from learning at school and university.
You can improve your IT skills by completing online courses or even watching video tutorials on YouTube.
Practise the Skills You Want to Improve
Start by identifying what skills that are especially important for the job you want to do after graduating, and then focus on improving those specific skills. You can practice and improve these skills through your personal life as well as professionally. For example, if you want to improve your public speaking skills, consider joining a social group where you would have opportunities to speak in front of others.
Taking the time to improve essential workplace skills before or after you graduate will give you the edge when you’re applying for jobs, increasing your chances of getting employed.
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