Your time at CU will help you develop all kinds of skills you’ll use throughout your career. Many of those skills will come from your academic experience, and others you can develop through experiences such as internships, study abroad and research projects—called transferable or soft skills.
Transferable skills are skills that will be developed and applicable in every profession. They are the foundation of professional success, and they happen to be the most desirable skills employers are searching for in potential candidates.
Whether you are completing an internship or working a part-time job this summer, use that time to develop these essential skills:
Communication
Communication includes listening, writing and speaking. Employers want to see you can articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively. Being a good listener means you strive to understand others’ emotions, build strong relationships and resolve conflict.
Problem solving
Challenges will arise in every job you have. You’ll want to have the ability to analyze issues, make sound decisions and overcome problems.
Teamwork
Many jobs require you to work effectively and respectfully with others, whether that be your coworkers or clients. Employers desire someone who brings out the best in others.
Initiative
You can show initiative by proactively handling situations and finding answers to questions without direction. This shows employers that you are taking personal responsibility and developing as a leader.
Analytical, quantitative
Use thoughtful analysis to identify problems and make informed decisions. Assess the situation, ask crucial questions, consider possible solutions and plan a course of action.
Professionalism, work ethic
Employers want to see you demonstrate personal accountability for your actions and work habits. Be sure to show up on time, work productively with others and understand the impact of your non-verbal communication. Take responsibility and learn from your mistakes to show integrity and ethical behavior.
Leadership
You can show leadership by using interpersonal skills to coach and develop others. Additionally, you can use empathic skills to motivate, organize, prioritize and delegate tasks.
Detail oriented
Work on completing tasks with thoroughness and accuracy. Double check your work to ensure there aren’t any errors. Employers like to see you have high standards in the quality of work you perform.
Digital technology
Employers typically provide training on job-specific software, but they expect you to be proficient with basic computer skills and learn new technical tools quickly.
Adaptability
Show that you can be flexible by adapting to situations when they arise. It’s important to employers that you are able to shift plans and adapt to new concepts in order to succeed.
Mastering these essential skills can lead to more job offers and, potentially, higher salaries. Many employers will even ask behavioral questions during an interview in order to gauge your ability to execute these skills.
Make the most of your summer job by seeking opportunities to further develop professionally and interpersonally. If you’re searching for opportunities to start developing these skills and getting hands-on experience in your desire career, stop by Career Services for a drop-in, or schedule an appointment.
1. Make it personal
Giving general thanks to your team or coworkers can be a normal practice. However, being specific about what you are thankful for helps expressions of gratitude feel authentic and highlights the strengths members of your team bring.
Instead, it’s important to keep in mind that people like to be recognized in different ways. For instance, an individual may prefer public praise while another may prefer to go on a one-on-one coffee break. It can be helpful to put out a survey or talk during one-on-one meetings with your employees to determine how they most prefer to be recognized for their efforts.
2. Take notice
Pay attention to what excites people in your office. It may be something that is happening in their personal lives, a particular project they’re currently working on or a working group they’ve joined. When someone brightens up when they talk about something, it usually means that it’s something that is important or special to them. Taking notice of these types of reactions is important. I can also help teams celebrate the excitement or passions of colleagues in a meaningful way.
Recognizing when employees feel worthwhile, accomplished or competent is an important step in making them feel valued, seen and appreciated.
3. Make it a habit
Team and departmental meetings can be a great space to come together to recognize people’s accomplishments or support. One way to do this is to reserve a five or ten minute block to the end of your meeting(s) to allow people to openly share their appreciation for one another. Remember that it’s important for both leaders and colleagues to take part in these types of exercises. While management has a significant impact in creating a culture of appreciation at work, helping colleagues feel valued is a group-wide effort.
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