5 Skills From College That Will Help You In The Work Environment

Employers put a lot of focus on soft skills, and as a graduate looking for a job after studying at University, the following soft skills will really help you stand out from your competition, especially if you have limited experience in that specific job role. Soft skills are often transferable from job to job making them very valuable skills to have.

Teamwork

Wherever you end up working, there is a good chance that you will have to work as part of a team and form good relationships with a variety of people. When studying at University, teamwork is a huge part of your life. During your course, you may have to complete a group project or a work presentation as part of a team. Taking part in group activities such as sports teams and societies also demonstrates teamwork.

Presentation

You might have been nervous the first time that you had to stand up in front of your peers and present, but doing so will enable you to get more familiar with skills such as public speaking. When presenting, you will need to speak confidently and clearly, dress smartly and answer some very difficult yet important questions. Very similar to job interviews. The art of presenting will enable you to sell yourself and your skillset during interviews to ensure you show yourself in the best possible, therefore giving yourself the best chance of securing the job. This skill also applies to meetings because you will be able to comfortably talk to clients, suggest new ideas to grow the business and feel confident when talking to those in more senior positions than yourself.

Writing Personal Statements

 Through learning how to write a UCAS personal statement, you are identifying your skills and relating them to the course you are applying for. This is a very beneficial skill for the work environment too as you will be able to successfully write an effective cover letter that highlights your most profound skills.

Time Management

 In your job, you’ll be prioritising tasks on a daily basis, however, it is possible to develop this skill whilst studying at university. For example, you’ll have multiple deadlines to meet, exams to prepare and study for, as well as possibly juggling a part time job to fund your university lifestyle. Therefore, you’ll have to create a timetable/ to-do list which you will have to regularly update. Prioritising your studies over your social life and job as well as setting goals and time limits will ensure your time is used efficiently. Being able to organise your time could help you achieve excellent results at university as well as at work.

 Adaptability

 In any job role, it is very important to be flexible. To keep a business moving forward, there will be positive changes and possibly ones that you will introduce once you are managing a team, therefore, your ability to adapt to these changes will depend on how flexible you are and how you accept these changes to benefit you.

If you moved away from home to go to university, that’s already a good sign that you aren’t afraid of change. Those who spent a term abroad will also have had to adapt to the many changes and accept them very quickly. Think about occasions when you’ve taken on new challenges or maybe an extra module. This kind of thing has meant that you have has to adapt to the bigger work load and ensure you complete the tasks by the deadline.

Throughout your time at university, you will have developed many soft skills that you will later apply to the work environment.