10 skills to have before you leave university

10 skills to have before you leave university

Going out into the world of employment after being at university can sometimes feel a bit daunting, especially if you feel like you haven’t got the strongest CV compared to all the other thousands of graduates. To save you the pain of all that, we have put together a list of the top 10 skills to develop before you go out into the big wide world after university.

Be aware

No we aren’t saying that to scare you, what we mean is, be aware of the industry you want to get into. Having some knowledge about the field will make you stand out amongst others that might not, whether that be on your CV or in an interview.

Confidence

Being confident will benefit you from the first step of applying for a job to starting the job itself. Confidence will show itself from the way that you portray yourself on your CV and application form, through to your interview and the way you are in your job role. By researching the role and feeling like you know everything there is to know about the role and the company you will be working for means that you won’t go into the role feeling overwhelmed.

Teamwork

By having some proof that you know how to work in a team is always a great thing to show off. You can refer back to either your previous work experience, your time on a sports team or a society you were a part of, or even your experiences on a group project at uni.

Leadership

Linking on to teamwork, having the ability to lead is a great skill to own when looking to go into the workplace. Again this can be shown by referencing back to your previous experience whether through part time work or stuff you got up to at university.

Organisation

Being organised is just a great skill to have in all aspects of life. Being organised in the workplace means you will be able to keep on top of your work and always know what is going on, and you won’t fall behind.

Communication Skills

Knowing how to communicate will come across in all aspects of your job; from the way you communicate on your CV, to how you perform in the interview, to how well you get on in the workplace. It is a great skill to refine before you go into the workplace, and this can be developed throughout your time at university.

Be digitally aware

This doesn’t mean knowing how to conduct a Google search, but this means being aware of what you put online. Everyone has some form of digital footprint and everything lives forever on the internet. By making all of your social media profiles as private as possible before applying for your dream job might just do you a favour as potential employers don’t want to stumble across your drunk photos from freshers week.

Make sure it’s what you want

This may sound a bit strange, but knowing that your job or the field you are looking at is something you think you will be happy in is very important. Figuring out what you want to do is sometimes difficult, but hopefully your time at uni has prepped you and you have a rough idea, but if not, taking some time to figure it out isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Be proactive

The ability to be proactive will benefit you in the long run as you will come across things in the workplace that aren’t perfect or could be done better. By being proactive and being able to implement change will not only make you look like a valid team member, but it will also make your life easier.

Build a network and use it

Building a network before you enter the world of employment could really help you out when you eventually do go out to work. Having some contacts in the field that you want to go into could give you a boost over other candidates if they can offer some guidance on applying and what employers are looking for.

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