Job Search 101: Skills You Didn’t Even Know you Had

Job Search 101: Skills You Didn’t Even Know you Had

With so many college students graduating right now, there are also a plethora of job applicants. Many new grads find that they are limiting themselves to a very miniscule pool of jobs when, in reality, their skills may span across several fields. For instance, many broad fields, such as English, communications, psychology, and business allow a person to demonstrate skills that can be used in multiple areas – if you’re considering graduate school, contact one of our Orange County grad school admissions consultants.

1. The written word

Anybody who has become familiar with how to appropriately use the written word (such as a communications or English major) may have skills to offer any number of companies. For example, there may be an engineering company that needs a full-time proofreader for all of their publicity and inter-office communications. Most English majors wouldn’t even consider applying to an engineering company, but their skills may be of high value if they think outside the box.

2. Working with people

It’s extremely crucial in an office or social work environment to be able to work well with all different types of people. This is something where a Psychology degree can come in handy. Many new grads in this field, or a similar field, are encouraged to look at any job ad where interpersonal skills are a high priority. Even if a few skills are missing, an applicant can ask to start as an intern so that they can get some on-the-job training or start in a more supportive capacity until they learn the few practical skills needed to fill out their resume. Many new grads forget how important it is to be able to work well with a diverse group of personality types amongst their coworkers and supervisors (READ: “Cover Letters Dos and Don’ts (List)”.

3. Know your Numbers

Somebody in a more specific field of study, such as engineering, may remember that they took a large number of advanced math classes that they had to ace before they could move onto their more specific engineering courses. There are a lot of companies out there that need somebody with superior math skills to go through their accounts, work in payroll, or handle the company’s budget. Math is one of the two core subjects, and any student who has excellent math skills will be able to apply them to an amalgam of jobs outside of their specific major.

4. The business of everything

Business majors can apply their skills to, well, any business. There is the business of education, the business of finance, the business of sales, the business of research and development (you get the idea). A business major can apply their skills to any number of fields if they are willing to think outside the box. Can they help local start-up companies make a five-year plan to increase sales by 20%? Can they help a financial institution find ways to save money so they can keep valuable employees? Can they assist local charitable organizations with advertising so that donations are increased? The answer to all of these is ‘absolutely’. Someone who has a good head for business can apply the skill to any number of specific fields and companies. Although a new grad may need an internship or two in order to understand the inner workings of different companies, their skills serve a broad client base (READ: “Tips From a San Diego College Consultant: Job Skills: Office Communication”).

In short

Although many new grads find that searching for a job in their specific field may be a little bit frustrating, they are encouraged to think outside the box. It’s important not to limit oneself to a job title that is listed on their college diploma, but rather think about how their general list of skills could serve any number of employers and companies. The more creative and flexible a new job seeker is, the more likely they are to land that first full-time entry-level position.

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