It might be challenging to transition from college to your first “real world” job. After spending so many years in college, you may feel you don’t have any useful, practical talents that employers will value.
Seeing People in the office working as though they know everything from the beginning must feel like you don’t know anything in this new job.
Don’t fret! Here is the list of the 6 most valuable skills you learnt in college that you don’t even know are highly valued by recruiters:
1. Time Resourcefulness
One of the most valued skills is the knack of time management, and that can be ingrained into our habits during college only.
Hustling through your items in your to-do lists, from doing enough laundry to last a week to meeting deadlines on college papers, built your habit of utilising time as a resource.
There are tests, midterms, and deadlines to contend with. And, inevitably, students add extracurricular activities or a work-study job to an already tight schedule.
So, certainly, as someone who successfully handled all of the college’s scheduling obstacles and graduated, you’ve undoubtedly gained some time management skills.
Setting personal deadlines for short- and long-term objectives and projects, planning, prioritising activities, efficiently using a calendar, and avoiding procrastination are all part of time management.
Strong time management abilities demonstrate to hiring managers that you know how to get more done resourcefully and efficiently.
2. Digital Know-How
College students are well prepared for the digital world by participating in online classes and using various software, getting exposed to various technologies, and using various course materials (video, E-books, virtual laboratories, and presentation apps etc).
Employers seek people who understand how to access and use technology and how to apply it appropriately in the context of the scenario.
Every college student learns, employs, and applies technology, just as every industry necessitates the capacity to use a wide range of electronic tools.
Therefore, digital know-how pays well in the work environment.
3. Team Work
Working on a project or collaborating on a college drama and executing it with the best results highlights the essence of teamwork you experience during college.
Teamwork is defined as working together with a group of people to complete a task more efficiently and quickly. It necessitates good communication skills as well as the ability to accept critiques.
You must be able to resolve issues pleasantly while remaining focused on the job at hand. I bet that the last time you worked on a group project with someone who didn’t deliver right on time, you learnt a thing or two about resolving disagreements and being goal-oriented, whether you addressed the issue directly or tolerated it in order to complete the assignment.
And these abilities will be useful in the workplace as the “ability to work in a team” is one of the most valued skills required in job descriptions.
4. A Strong Work Ethic
A good work ethic demonstrates drive, hard work, and dedication. So it’s no surprise that employers actively look for a strong work ethic as a key skill while hiring. And you, as a college graduate, have to have a strong work ethic.
You spent years writing papers, reading textbooks, studying for examinations, puzzling over problem sets, participating in classroom debates, and simply showing up every day to get to that finish line of graduation. The demonstration of this powerful work ethic makes you stand out.
Like other soft abilities, work ethic is frequently best left suggested than explicitly stated on your CV or cover letter.
A high GPA and leadership positions and work-study employment can suggest a strong work ethic. However, the topic may come up in an interview, so keep instances of your work ethic in mind.
5. Public Speaking Skill
Active participation in debates and extracurricular activities in college allows you to gain confidence and a healthy sense of self-expression and growth.
Rigorous sessions with the classroom presenting on topics will enable you to gain verbal skills and great technical skills that are highly sought after by companies.
Employers are continuously looking for someone with strong verbal communication abilities. Certain positions even demand an interview presentation as part of the employment process. This would be no issue for a graduate-level student since she efficiently acquired this skill during college.
6. Critical Thinking
Students are constantly busy with project work and conversations throughout their college careers, are asked to write papers, and participate in real classroom settings where they must evaluate, utilise logic and critical thinking abilities to find a solution.
Employers seek individuals who can apply reason, analytical skills, and critical thinking to solve challenges.
Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities enable you to collect data, evaluate information sources, examine facts, and make an opinion. Employees with solid research and necessary thinking abilities can be relied on to produce evidence- and data-driven decisions.
Hiring managers understand that candidates with these talents will likely require less oversight, in the long run, making them desirable recruits.
Conclusion
The fact that you finished college with appropriate results signifies you have certain skills and talents that will have a good market value. These skills look ordinary in college but shape your future work experience.
By highlighting and improving these hard and soft skills, you can demonstrate to employers that you have everything they’re looking for in entry-level employment.
Mentor Monkey aims to provide the best social learning ecosystem for career aspirants and professionals to help millions of young minds ace in their career and professional journey and discover their true valour.