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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO BUSINESS EDITORS:
10 Skills Graduates Can Use to Land a Job in Today's Market
BOSTON , April 21, 2014/PRNewswire/ -- Today's college students and
graduates are competing in an ever-expanding workforce on a global
basis. Focusing on relevant skills that are not taught in many college
curriculums is critical to success. For the thousands of liberal arts
graduates, it can be a daunting and frustrating time.
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While knowledge is certainly an important component of landing a job,
graduates can increase their career success through the development of
a targeted set of skills that will enable them to drive desired
outcomes.
The best 10 skills to identify, learn and master when coming out of
college are:
1) Effective Resume Writing: Resumes are intended to get you an
interview, not a job. They need to be written with that in mind -
concise, direct and content rich.
2) Interviewing: Understand that interviews are a two-way
process. They are not limited to just answering questions. It is
essential to offer succinct and direct answers rather than ramble. It
is just as critical to ask questions of your own. Appearance matters.
Preparation is key.
3) Negotiating a Salary: Ideally, you want the hiring manager to
decide you are the best candidate for the job before discussing salary
or pay. Your chances for maximum pay will improve if you discuss
compensation after you are considered the best candidate. You have
skills to offer, value them.
4) Positive Attitude: Positive people are viewed more positively
in the workplace. It is easy to make excuses about why things won't
work but use your energy to decide why things will work. Present
yourself positively and improve the way you are viewed by potential
employers.
5) Active Listening: Real listening is different than waiting to
speak. Most people do not know how to focus on this skill, but there
are ways to dramatically improve this skill. Real listening builds
positive relationships with others.
6) Communication Skills: Effective communication skills follow a
process that can produce more efficient and effective results. By
learning to communicate efficiently, you will be able to handle more
work in less time.
7) Business Writing: Having an outline for how to write in
business is different than writing papers in school. You want to
present conclusions and be prepared to defend your positions rather
than reference all research in your memos. Respect the reader's time.
8) Develop a Personal Plan: Developing a set of personal goals
and milestones will help guide you through the inevitable ups and
downs of career progressions. With today's workers destined to have
multiple career changes during their life, a personal plan will keep
you focused on what will drive your success.
9) Managing Up to a Boss: Know how to read your new boss and how
to help them be successful. Successful bosses tend to keep their key
performers with them as they advance.
10) Rapid Learning: Information is readily available today and there
is less need to know every detail. It is no longer about what you
know; it is about how fast you can learn.
Expanding your competency in these skills will give you an edge in
today's job market. To learn more about each of these skills and over
30 more read BA To Boardroom With No BS, Skills for Life. The book
gives useful, usable advice that will improve your career success, as
a person entering the workforce, a manager and a leader.
For information, visit www.batoboardroom.com.
Contact: Christopher Wilson
617-610-8800
Read more news from BA to Boardroom.
SOURCE BA to Boardroom
-0- 04/21/2014
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