5 Skills To Set Yourself Apart from the Rest
Posted on Monday, November 5th, 2018
You’ve gotten into a great college, are completing your education, and have made the excellent choice to take advantage of co-op- you’re on the road to success! We have one question for you, though: how are your soft skills coming along? You’re thinking to yourself, “Wait a minute. I thought you just said I was on the road to success. What else is there?!”
While technological sectors such as artificial intelligence, data science, and more are booking, soft skills are in demand. According to Burning Glass Technologies, here are the top five soft skills in demand for the future:
1. Communication skills: these skills such as writing, planning, and communicating with your coworkers and supervisors effectively. Communication skills are essential for getting your thoughts and ideas across, and being at ease when interacting with others.
2. Organizational skills: in the professional world, being on time in every sense is one of the most important skills you can possess. From getting projects and reports completed with quality by the set deadline to arriving to work on-time daily. The best way to showcase your organizational skills is to discover which tools work best for you, whether it be an agenda of to-do list.
3. Writing: knowing how to adapt your writing to the audience at hand is of most importance. Having clear and concise writing free of grammatical errors is of utmost importance in the workplace. Develop0ing these skills will be of great value to you and the workplace you do your co-op in (not to mention your future employers, too!)
4. Customer service: it takes a lot of skill to provide the customer service every unique individual expects from you. Having customer service skills like knowing how to direct a person, how to answer a question informatively, and turning an unhappy client into a happy one are indispensable.
5. Research: Being able to source current information and solidify ideas with new information is critical. Organizations recognize that an individual who is able to find quality, accurate research and other data will avoid a lot of waster time, money, and potential mistakes from occurring.
You can read more about these skills here
While it is important to focus on doing well in school and learning all that is available to you, make sure you also dedicate time to developing your soft skills. These skills are rare in today’s world and aren’t developed overnight. You and your future employer will thank you for bringing a well-rounded skillset to the table, and will make you more employable for future opportunities.
Want to learn more about how co-op can benefit you? Explore our website, send us an email at coop@algonquincollege.com, or follow us on Twitter for more!