Podcast: Career Planning - Top 5 Skills
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Podcast Audio: Career Planning - Top 5 Skills
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Career Planning and Development
How do you get an A on an exam? Well, first, you have to know what to study.
The same is true when preparing for your future career. What are employers in your field looking for when they do they're hiring? I've got great news. The Chico State Career Center already knows the answer to this question. They've got you friends, and so do your international student advisors.
Today are International Study Buddy topic is career planning and development. Career planning for short. To begin, let's consider these important questions:
- Why did you choose to go to college?
- Why did you choose your program of study or your major?
The answer to both questions is the same. Career planning. You're already doing career planning and you probably didn't know it. Look at you!
Top 5 Skills U.S. Employers Are Looking For
In the U.S., employers are looking for a variety of professional skills and abilities. Let's look at the top five.
- Number one is excellent written and verbal communication skills. We already know you have good communication skills. You had to in order to be admitted to Chico State. But U.S. employers aren't just looking for good. They're looking for great communication skills. What's the best way to develop and improve these skills? It's not only using English every opportunity you get, but going a step beyond that and seeking out opportunities to use it.We'll talk more about this in a future International Study Buddy podcast episode, I promise.
- The second skill U.S. employers are looking for when they hire is a person's ability to work in a team structure. Working on an effective team can be one of the most powerful experiences of your college or your professional career. When it's good, it's great. But when it's bad, it's horrible. Understanding team dynamics, things like communication styles, personality types, work ethic, and what motivates people is extremely complex. Remember our old friend communication skills that we just talked about. These play a huge role in being a good team member.
- The third most important skill is being able to make decisions and solve problems. Being able to make decisions and solve problems takes good critical thinking skills. That's been able to analyze information and form a judgment. You'll develop your critical thinking skills as you move through your academic program. Also, just being an adult and having to make decisions for yourself on a daily basis helps develop these skills.
- Fourth on the list is the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work. This is something that we'll definitely be developed in your academic program.
- Finally, the ability to obtain and process information. This is different than just memorizing and reciting facts. An example of obtaining and processing information might be research a work issue, then giving your boss suggestions for possible solutions based on your findings.
We can't get an A on or exam unless we know what's on the test right? Now we know at least to some degree what's needed to get that A.
Get Help From the Career Center
There's a lot to think about and more to do. You may be asking yourself, "How will I ever develop these skills?" Trust me. The Chico State Career Center and your international student advisors are going to guide you every step of the way. You are in the driver's seat, but we're here to help. Until next time. Keep practicing your English. And hey, how about making an appointment to see a Chico State career advisor?
Go to www.csuchico.edu/careers/. Drop-in and scheduled appointment links are right on their homepage. Have a great day!