What Employers Want
Working Hard/ Hardly Working
As previously discussed, the best kind of jobs are the kinds of jobs that are careers. This is why it is so important to work hard at any job you have, no matter how small you think it is. While you are in college, you may want or need to take a part time job to support paying for your tuition or to have extra spending money on the weekends.
You may be fortunate enough to get a work- study job. This is a position that is part of your financial aid package, where you work on campus to help offset the cost of your tuition. The job might be in the student library, cafeteria or one of the school offices. As these employers will be understanding that you are student with exams and papers and other responsibilities, they are often sensitive to that. If you have the change to have a work- study job- take it!
If you don’t receive a work- study position, try and take on a paid internship. This will give you the opportunity to get real work work and experience and spending money. If you want to explore careers or you are interested in working for a certain company, this can be a great way to experience what it’s like to work in that field.
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
In order to thrive in the workspace, you will need two kids of skills. The first will be hard skills. This will come from a trade program, think radiologist, pastry chef, mechanic, or it will come from you college degree. Any college degree will have merit and make you employable.
Then there will be soft skills- and these count in an arguably more important way. These are the skills that define how you are to work with as an employee and what you need to be successful in the workplace.
Examples of soft skills include:
- Effective communication– Are you able to express yourself in a professional manner?
- Ability to be a team player– If you don’t get along with someone, are you able to put it to the side and get the job done? Are you able to do work that you might not want to do for the good of the company?
- Strong problem solver– If there’s an issue, do you freeze or can you come up with a solution fast?
- Flexibility– Things can change on the fly! Can you roll with the punches?
- Interpersonal/ person facing skills– Customer service skills- can you keep your cool when someone is being difficult with you?
- Creativity– Are you innovative? Can you bring new ideas to the table?
- Personability– Do you make a good first impression? Will you be able to charm new customers?
- Trust worthy– Are you responsible? Can your boss trust you to run the cash register?
- Time Management- Will you be able to meet deadlines?
- Enthusiasm- Can you get excited about the work you’re doing?
Soft Skills Are Hard!
Remember that skills like coding or accounting can be taught- soft skills are far harder to master. Soft skills can be difficult and are even more difficult to learn. Think about each of the skills listed above, and how you picture being good at those skills. Is that something you can do? Is that something you would want to change?
Employers Care More About Soft Skills that Hard Skills!
Again, hard skills can be learned. Soft skills define who you are as a person and an employee. An employer won’t want to hire someone who can’t control their temper or isn’t a “people person”. These are skills that you will be expected to enter the workplace already having.
Picture it this way: would you want to hire someone you wouldn’t want to spend time with? If you’re working together 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, you don’t need to be friends, but it certainly needs to be a person that is a team player and trust worthy. It is up to you to develop these skills to bring into the workplace.
