Building Your Skills
Are You Career-Ready?
Every employer is looking for employees who display certain traits, skills, and competencies. In order to have a successful transition to the workplace, there are steps you can take while you're in college to ensure that you have what employers are looking for when hiring new employees.
Career-Readiness Competencies
Skill in these areas is an expectation that is fairly universal amongst industries and career fields. Employers look for entry-level employees who display competence in these areas.
Your goal should be to make sure that these competencies are evident in your resume and cover letter when applying for jobs. You can do that by participating in activities and describing your contributions in ways that demonstrate these skills.
Career & Self Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Equity & Inclusion
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Get Experience
A note for pre-health students...
Enroll in our Canvas page for Pre-Health Students at Illinois for access to a list of local community resources and opportunities to gain clinical experience, volunteer time, observation hours, RSO membership and leadership opportunities, and more.