At Florida National University (FNU), we prepare students for success inside and outside of the classroom—even after they’ve graduated! Our university invests in students like they have invested in us to help them to become the best professionals they can be. While we certainly have the tools to prepare students for success, there will be some skill sets that you won’t be able to list on your resume in black and white without elaborating on them. Our administrative team wants to help you recognize these skills through what you’ve accomplished as an FNU student. Let’s take a look at the 6 skills that employers look for when hiring college graduates:
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Experience
Believe it or not, employers are looking for experience—even out of people who have just graduated from college. The idea that you weren’t able to get any experience because you were in school isn’t really acceptable these days. There are too many companies offering internship programs providing students with the opportunity to gain real-life experience in their field of interest. With so many online degree programs available, this gives students more flexibility to spend the time that they would normally spend in a classroom toward gaining real-life experience in a workplace.
Furthermore, many college students these days are non-traditional, meaning that they may already hold a part-time or full-time job while taking classes. Being able to manage a job while completing a college education is something that employers take note of.
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Good Communication Skills
Without good communication, a business will die. Businesses are essentially based on relationships. In order to have a good business relationship, both parties must have good communication skills. Without good communication, messages can be misinterpreted, and misinterpreted messages can lead to misunderstandings that can sometimes be offensive or just lead toward executing tasks incorrectly. Think of what kind of disastrous results NASA would have if its engineers had bad communication skills!
Your ability to speak and write well is imperative for landing any kind of job. Equally important is the ability to be proficient with computers as they have become our main source of communicating. All of the courses taught at FNU prepares students to improve their oral and written communication skills while training on using various types of computer software.
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Leadership Management Skills
Even if you’re applying for an entry-level job, employers are looking for candidates who have good leadership management skills. You don’t have to list the profession of a manager in order to prove that you have good leadership skills, although if you have the experience, then, by all means, please list that in your resume. For those who do not, we encourage you to look back on your college career and think about all of the projects that you have participated in. In any of these college projects, you will have had the opportunity to plan, organize, prioritize, delegate, and/or follow-up. Perhaps you may have done them all! In fact, we’re confident that you will be able to list some of these skills on your resume after you completed any of our accredited degree programs.
Another important skillset to have is the ability to solve problems. All businesses, large and small have them, and employers are willing to pay a generous salary to employees who have the talent to do this in a swift and efficient manner. If you’ve graduated with a college degree, then you have problem-solving skills. What were the most impressive instances where yours was demonstrated?
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Be a Fast Learner
In many business organizations, there is an on-boarding process that involves an orientation, but there are also some companies that just throw you right into the work, especially in a fast-paced working environment. The quicker you are to adapt to processes, the faster you’ll be to improve upon them, ultimately becoming an impressive problem solver!
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Have a Disciplined Work Ethic
What do we mean by having a disciplined work ethic?
How much work are you willing to put in while you’re at work? Do you plan to do the bare minimum, or will you do what needs to be done for the good of the company? Are you able to meet deadlines or does a supervisor need to follow up with you on a consistent basis? These are all answers that will show in your work performance. This is a clear example that your work will speak for itself. Also, employers are looking for applicants who can work with a team of peers, but also is strong enough to work independently.
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Friendly and Professional Personality
Last, but certainly not least, you must have a pleasant personality. Hirers can usually detect when someone is pretending to be someone else at an interview. The best thing you can do is to be yourself. Hiding who you are at the interview won’t help things at all if you actually get hired, because employers will then be expecting the personality you presented at the interview.
If you think that your personality might not be accepted, then perhaps you’re not a good fit for the company’s culture. It’s crucial that you work in an environment where you’re not only accepted and appreciated, but you also want to work in a place where you are happy. Being genuinely friendly while maintaining a professional personality can go a long way in a workplace. After all, you’ll be spending your time with your colleagues at least 40 hours a week!
Get Ready!
Gaining experience, having good communication and leadership skills, along with being a fast learner with a good work ethic and a winning personality are all things that can be mastered as an FNU student. All of our degree courses are designed to challenge students to succeed academically and as professionals.
If you are interested in enrolling in any of our online programs, we can arrange for that to happen as well. We also have a financial aid department to assist students who need help paying for their education. Contact an FNU advisor to start the enrollment process in any of our regionally accredited degree programs today!
