Help students recognize their career-ready skills
Students develop valuable skills throughout their college experience, but they may not always recognize how those skills connect to their future careers. Students who haven’t completed an internship or worked in their intended field may feel they have limited experience to offer employers.
As a Career Champion, you can help students recognize the skills they’re building through coursework, research, campus jobs, student organizations and other experiences. These conversations can help students feel more confident about their abilities and better prepared to explore career opportunities.
Start conversations that help students make connections
A few thoughtful questions can help students identify strengths they may have overlooked. Whether you’re meeting with a student during office hours, advising them on a project or supervising them at work, try asking:
What have your college experiences taught you about the type of work you enjoy and what matters most to you in a future career?
What class, project or experience are you most proud of? What helped you succeed?
Can you tell me about a time you worked with others to accomplish something? What was your role?
What's a challenge you've overcome recently, and what did you learn from the experience or feedback you received?
What responsibilities do you have outside the classroom?
What skills would you like to continue developing?
As students reflect on their experiences, listen for opportunities to highlight their strengths and connect what they've learned to skills they can use in future careers.
For example, a student who coordinated a group project may have developed skills in organizing tasks, managing deadlines and communicating with teammates. A student employee who helps train new coworkers may have experience in leadership, communication and mentoring.
Pointing out these connections can help students see the value of experiences they may have considered unrelated to their career goals.
Connect everyday experiences to foundational skills
Foundational skills are the abilities students develop through different experiences that they can apply across jobs and industries. Students build these skills in many ways, including:
Coursework: Group projects, presentations and assignments can strengthen communication, collaboration, critical thinking and time management.
Research: Research projects can develop analytical thinking, problem-solving, attention to detail and communication skills.
Campus jobs: Student employment can build teamwork, customer service, organization and leadership skills.
Student organizations and clubs: Campus involvement can provide experience in event planning, collaboration, communication and working toward shared goals.
Volunteering: Community service can strengthen teamwork, adaptability and the ability to work with people from different backgrounds.
Leadership roles: Leading projects, mentoring peers or serving as a student organization officer can develop decision-making, delegation and conflict resolution skills.
Help students communicate their skills with confidence
Once students recognize their foundational skills, encourage them to think about how they can describe those skills to employers.
Rather than simply listing a skill, students can share a specific example that demonstrates how they’ve used it.
For example, instead of saying, “I’m good at teamwork,” a student might say: “In a semester-long group project, I helped coordinate responsibilities, kept our team on schedule and worked with classmates to complete our final presentation.”
Faculty and staff can support this process by offering specific feedback about students’ strengths and accomplishments. If you notice a student demonstrating strong communication, problem-solving or leadership skills, share what you observed and explain why it matters.
Encourage students to keep building their skills
Career readiness develops over time, and students have opportunities to continue strengthening their skills throughout college.
Encourage students to explore experiences that align with their interests and goals, such as taking on new responsibilities at work, joining a student organization, volunteering or participating in research.
You can also refer students to Career Services for help identifying foundational skills, exploring career paths and highlighting their experiences on resumes and in interviews.