{"id":16760,"date":"2017-02-16T12:29:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T17:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=16760"},"modified":"2019-03-04T12:40:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T17:40:40","slug":"preparing-yourself-for-the-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/preparing-yourself-for-the-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing Yourself for the Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you feel prepared for the workforce after graduation? \u00a0If your response is \u201cYes!\u201d, you may be surprised to find out that the majority of employers have the opposite view. Just take a look at a <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.payscale.com\/data-packages\/job-skills\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2016 survey by PayScale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25% of recent grads consider themselves &#8220;extremely prepared&#8221; for a job, but only 8% of managers agree.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">62% of students believe they are &#8220;mostly prepared,&#8221; but only 42% of managers agree.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">87% of graduates say they are &#8220;well prepared,&#8221; but only 50% of employers seem to agree on that.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yikes!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does it mean your college is failing to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills? Not exactly. \u00a0To enter the workforce, a student needs both education and other skills that you may not be learning in college.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In plain English, your college teaches hard skills \u2013 techniques to use in programming, marketing, design, or whatever your profession requires. \u00a0However, you may need to hone your writing skill and soft skills, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aka<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> social intelligence and personal traits enabling you to co-exist with peers successfully..<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003366;\"><strong>Here are some essential skills you need to develop while in college.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16856\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/work-force.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"627\" \/><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>1) Writing<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from essays assigned in college, most students limit their writing to brief text messages and Snapchat conversations that do little to improve their writing proficiency. \u00a0If you are not a good writer, you may not even pass the recruiting stage, as HR managers will likely reject the resume or cover letter with tons of spelling and grammar mistakes. \u00a0If you pass the recruiting stage, your lack of writing skills will show in your business correspondence and likely impede your career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are not a good writer, don\u2019t lose heart. \u00a0You can hone your writing skills by taking various writing courses, such as creative writing, professional and technical writing, critical reading and writing, etc. \u00a0There are plenty of online courses and writing apps, so you can learn on your own time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>2) Critical Thinking<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 60% of employers claim that graduates don&#8217;t have problem-solving and critical thinking skills, it is imperative that you develop these skills. \u00a0Critical thinking is defined by The Critical Thinking Community as &#8220;the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and\/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.&#8221; \u00a0What does it all mean? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To put it simply, you should be able to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to understand things and make better decisions on that ground. \u00a0Ransom Patterson lists <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/collegeinfogeek.com\/improve-critical-thinking-skills\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7 ways to improve critical thinking skills<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking basic questions;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Question basic assumptions;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be aware of your mental processes;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try reversing things;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evaluate the evidence;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember to think for yourself; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understand that no one thinks critically 100% of the time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>3) Communication<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It sounds counterintuitive, but 46% of <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/artgrad.org\/top-50-career-professionals-to-follow.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">career professionals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> say that graduates lack basic communication skills, which are so crucial for success at work. \u00a0These skills are not taught in classrooms, but you can learn\/improve on your own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try these steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to others and don&#8217;t interrupt people when they talk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that body language is also communicating what you think.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop empathy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn to speak clear and concisely.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get rid of conversation fillers: your um\u2019s and ah\u2019s are nothing but communication killers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>4) Leadership<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While 63% of millennials want to be leaders at work, the PayScale study shows that 44% of managers report a lack of leadership qualities in recent graduates. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some ways to develop leadership skills:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find your passion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set clear goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know your strengths and learn from failures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a leader outside of college.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take online courses on building leadership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>5) Responsibility<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All managers need responsible employees, and if you don&#8217;t have it in you \u2013 things look blue. Responsible behavior develops character, builds meaningful relationships, and allows you to get ahead at work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does one learn to be responsible? \u00a0You learn to be responsible by taking on responsibilities, so: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop blaming others for your problems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t complain or play a victim.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admit your mistakes, and try to accept what you can&#8217;t control. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice self-discipline.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be consistent and reliable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn to manage time and money.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, behave as an adult and accept responsibility for your own actions\/inactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>6) Teamwork<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to PayScale, 36% of managers believe recent graduates lack teamwork skills. \u00a0If you want to collaborate successfully, you need to learn to work effectively with others. \u00a0You can do that by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting to know your peers better and demonstrating support for them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being open-minded, listening to others, and discussing ideas with your peers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on \u201cWhat can we learn?\u201d rather than \u201cWhom to blame?\u201d approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being positive and encouraging, and motivating others to act.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let &#8220;Listen, Respect and Participate&#8221; be your motto.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you know that so many of these skills are essential for the workforce, you should take the time and effort to develop these skills and work your way towards a successful career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[divider]<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>RELATED ARTICLES<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/interview-what-to-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Interview: What to Say and What to Leave Out<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"How to Land Your Dream Internship\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/land-your-dream-internship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Land Your Dream Internship<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"The Millennial Rolodex: Networking Through LinkedIn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/millennial-networking-linkedin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Millennial Rolodex: Networking Through LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"The Interview: What to Say &amp;amp; What to Leave Out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/interview-what-to-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Interview: What to Say &amp; What to Leave Out<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"3 Things To Seriously Consider Before Saying YES to a Job\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/consider-before-starting-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3 Things To Seriously Consider Before Saying YES to a Job<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"How to Make Job Offers Come Your Way\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/how-to-make-job-offers-come-your-way\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Make Job Offers Come Your Way<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"gmail-title gmail-single-title entry-title\"><a title=\"How to End Up With A Job You Love\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/how-to-end-up-with-a-job-you-love\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to End Up With A Job You Love<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you feel prepared for the workforce after graduation? \u00a0If your response is \u201cYes!\u201d, you may be surprised to find out that the majority of employers have the opposite view. Just take a look at a 2016 survey by PayScale: 25% of recent grads consider themselves &#8220;extremely prepared&#8221; for a job, but only 8% of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":16868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,601,228,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-advice","category-internship-advice-ace-your-career","category-student-guide","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce-224x144.png",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce-300x193.png",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Lesley Vos","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/lesley-vos\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Do you feel prepared for the workforce after graduation? \u00a0If your response is \u201cYes!\u201d, you may be surprised to find out that the majority of employers have the opposite view. Just take a look at a 2016 survey by PayScale: 25% of recent grads consider themselves &#8220;extremely prepared&#8221; for a job, but only 8% of&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Prepare-for-Workforce.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}