What Are the Top 10 Skills Graduate Recruiters Look for?

Let's face it: the job market is crowded with applicants. The best way to stand out is to demonstrate you have the skills and experience employers want. Even if you have not yet graduated, you can start now to develop the skills and experience that can land you the job later on.

Although it is important to have specific competencies appropriate to your profession, there are general skills all employers want in graduate recruits. Here are some that many job candidates forget, but that employers value highly.

1. Communication skills: Look at almost any job listing and you will probably notice that good communication skills are required. It is important to be able to speak and write clearly. Just as important, you should know how to listen attentively. This last is a skill many people have not mastered, so evidence of that skill will impress many prospective employers. When writing and speaking, you should be able to get your point across clearly and concisely.

2. Interpersonal skills: Can you work as part of a team? Can you also manage a group of workers, delegating tasks and taking responsibility for the result? If so, these interpersonal skills will take you far. The idea is to build strong working relationships with those around you, from those you might supervise, to clients, to your supervisors.

3. Business sense: No matter what business you are in or what company you work for, you should know that industry and your company inside out. If you can demonstrate a strong understanding of your company's goals and how it operates, you will set yourself ahead of other candidates.

4. Influence and negotiation skills: Sometimes it is important to be able to get your way, and other times it is important to negotiate an outcome everyone is happy with. Combined with the leadership skills above, this is a powerful skill for job candidates to possess.

5. Problem-solving skills: Employers are looking for candidates who can analyze a problem, look at it from many perspectives, and find workable solutions, all with little outside supervision. Mastering this skill will make you very attractive to today's employers.

6. Leadership skills: If you can manage a team, motivate, delegate tasks, and take responsibility for the outcome, prospective employers will be impressed with your leadership skills, even if your entry-level position is not in management.

7. Organizational skills: It is important to be able to prioritize tasks, and manage your time effectively. Meeting deadlines and juggling multiple projects or tasks are also important.

8. Resilience and self-direction: A self-directed employee finds motivation within herself to do a good job. She is able to keep going even when the going gets rough. If you can do all this with a smile on your face as well, then you're on the right track!

9. Crisis and stress management: Most jobs will have crises and stressful situations. It will be necessary to handle these with grace and calm.

10. Self-confidence: Remember there is a difference between self-confident and overconfident or arrogant. That said, though, it is important to have confidence in your abilities and in those around you. After all, if you don't have confidence in yourself, no one else will either.

Get the Right Skills to Get New Job Vacancies After Graduation

People have a common misconception that once you graduate there will be a job waiting for you. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In order to land a job that interests you, you must first look at the vacancies to find out who is hiring and then ask yourself whether or not your possesses the skills to meet the job requirement. Here are some tips for landing a job after graduation.

1. Unless you are applying for a job at McDonald's, it will impress the interviewer if you know a little bit about the company for which you are applying. Training a new employee is difficult enough, training an employee who knows nothing about the job is even more so. If you have knowledge about the company and the job for which you are applying, you will stand out from other applicants. Be sure that you have some skill sets for the job to which you are applying, these are the ones you will most likely here back from first.

2. There are some common skill sets that are necessary in today's job market. Some of the most basic job requirements are knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel. The ability to research facts online is an asset to many companies. Customer service skills are also something a lot of hiring managers look for. If you know how to talk respectfully and cheerfully to a client over the phone, you will be an asset to any company. Some jobs require a particular skill set and knowledge of a particular program. For instance, graphic designers and web developers often have to use Dreamweaver to perform their trade. If you use and have knowledge of these various programs be sure to include them on your resume and mention them in the interview.

3. Although it seems like common sense, the ability to reason through a problem is a quality in high demand. Companies are looking for people who can take a real world situation and come up with a plausible solution by thinking logically and critically. Colleges even offer courses on critical thinking and logic. Although it is important to know how to follow directions and do as you are told, it is even more important to be able to think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas that can push the system forward.

4. Being an innovator and thinking creatively go hand in hand. Creativity surpasses the realm of art and can be an asset to any field. When we do things the same way, we often have the same result. But if someone is able to look at a situation differently and come up with a creative solution, a different result may come about. The ability to think differently is beneficial to any field.

5. Whether you are dealing with customers, fellow employees, or your boss, you must know how to get along with others. No man is a company by himself. In order to run an effective business you must depend on others. Since every business requires you to work with other you must know how to be respectful and patient. Compromise is the word of the day when working with others. If you are someone who feels uncomfortable when talking to others, practice at home in front of a mirror. Remember, first impressions mean everything when you are looking for a job. The way you communicate with others says a lot about you and your ability to work effectively at a common goal.

Thinking Outside of the Box - Interesting Degrees to Complete at College

When you first start thinking about college, you will more than likely have some idea of what you would like to study according to your interest. There are many popular options available including humanities, sciences, art, business, education, literature, music and so on. These are all very traditional disciplines to study and can be quite beneficial as a benchmark for your future. It can be frustrating if you are not interested in any of these subjects and you may wish to direct your passions in more unique areas of study. You will be surprised to learn that you can earn legitimate degrees in more unique subjects too! Here are just a handful of areas you can major in at college.

Toy Design

You may think that this is a pretty straightforward area of study, but it is actually very vast with a variety of facets which involve the design of children's toys. Psychology, 3-D imagery, mechanics, creativity and of course patience are just some of the requirements in this area of study.

Mortuary Science

The study of dead people appeals to many individuals who are fascinated by science and the human body. Once you have received your degree in this subject, you can later become a funeral director or even work in a crime lab.

Cereal Chemistry

Cereal Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure and properties of cereals. In order to study in this field you must have a background and special skills in sciences such as chemistry, mathematics, physics and food science. You have the option of completing a 2 years diploma or 4 year Bachelor's degree, enrolling in a technical University.

Comedy Writing

If you have a flair for writing, why not become a full fledged comedy writer? This is an exciting degree where you study the mechanics of all different types of writing such as situation comedy, performance and of course stand-up comedy writing. Comedy theory is also mastered as well as the history of live and recorded comedy for the specific comedy business. You can complete this degree in a two year program.

There are many other unusual and unique areas of study to learn. You may find some of these interesting!

• Aquaculture

• Railroad Operations

• Equestrian Studies

• Ranching

• Bakery Arts

• Floristry

Choosing a unique subject that interests you and even drives your passion can not only benefit your future goals but can also bring you happiness in knowing that you are studying a subject you love.