What are your plans after you graduate? If you plan to start paving your career in a company, you need to ask yourself how prepared you are and whether you have the required skills or not. Thinking about your future may be frustrating at times but it is better to know what you have to do in order. Once you know your plan, start making steps to develop the required skills.
We think that students or future graduates have different perspective with companies. You have to be aware that they have standards and needs to be fulfilled. In your point of view, you have to know how you perceive yourself. First, ask yourself how qualified you are to be recruited by the company. Second, you need to know whether your assessment is on point with your skill or you are just overconfident.
Let’s see the differences. If you’re a fresh graduate and applying for an entry-level job, you must keep in mind that the employer expects you to bring a mid-level professional’s work experience and technical skills. In an article we read in www.bbc.com, it showed a survey result that most employers believed that graduates are lacking problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and interpersonal skills. They also think that recent graduates are not well prepared in terms of oral communication, working with numbers and statistics, teamwork, applying knowledge and skills to the real world, and analyzing and solving complex problem.
Therefore it is very important that you read thoroughly and search the job descriptions of your desired position. From there, you can learn what skills that you must possess. You need to prepare yourself prior the interview to showcase your future employer that you understand what they are expecting from you when you work for them. Why are we suggesting this to you? The same article showed that most employers found that nearly half of the young applicants don’t understand the required job skills and can’t clearly articulate their abilities.
Deriving from the companies’ perspective, you must be wondering what are the skills they seek in fresh graduates. Now you are aware that most employers feel that the young candidates still lack of certain hard and soft skills. What do the employers seek in you?
You must have the ability to work in a team structure, to make decisions and solve problems, and to communicate verbally with people inside and outside the organization. An article in www.forbes.com stated the aforementioned are most wanted by employers when they are deciding which new college graduates to hire. No, it doesn’t stop here. The list continues. They want you to have the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work; to obtain and process information; and to analyze quantitative data.
You can’t be satisfied if you think you own those skills. Most employers also look for your technical knowledge related to the job. You are required to be proficient with computer software programs and possess the ability to create and/or edit written report along with the ability to sell and influence others.
Besides that, employers are also looking for applicants that have behavioral skills such as willingness to learn, initiative, honesty and integrity, self-motivated/self-starter, and self confidence. It would be an advantage if you are a punctual, dependable, good communicator, and relate well with others. It is important to possess those skills since a fresh graduate must understand that you will be entering a new environment with different culture. It will help you to survive.
Knowing the skills set that you must own must be frustrating, especially if you have realized what you don’t possess. If we are talking about technical knowledge, it relates with your study. Learn as much as you can, not only from your classes but also from books, seminars, training, and the experts if you have the opportunity.
What good is your knowledge if you can’t apply it? Do you agree? If you read carefully this article, you must remember that employers expect you to adapt quickly to your work and the environment. They will not see you as a fresh graduate but they want you to perform as an experienced person. How can you meet their expectation? Internships will certainly help you. Don’t just do one internship during your study. Being an intern will enhance your technical and interpersonal skill.
Beside internship, taking part in organizations will also help you develop the required skills. It will turn you to a more sociable and adaptable person. Your communication skill will enhance too. There are many benefits you can get from organizing. You will widen your network too. Based from our alumni experiences, they admitted that opportunities may come from their network.
As you are all aware of, your resume gives the first impression to the employer. You need to highlight your experiences related to the qualities. If you write down your internships, describe what you do and what you have achieved. It allows the future employer to assess the skills you posses. It would be your loss if you don’t elaborate your internship. If you have side jobs unrelated with your study, you can also put it on your resume. Any experience will say something about you.
To end this article, you need to keep in mind that your school grades doesn’t matter that much for employers these days. They want qualified graduates that fit their company. So, what do you have to do now? Learn about the position you want to apply, assess your skills, and write the cover letter and resume.
