July 15, 2025 • 33 mins
Want to know the skills that get you hired? The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified core competencies that employers across industries are expecting from job seekers.
The good news? These competencies can be developed at any career stage through intentional practice. Online courses, mentorship relationships, job shadowing, and cross-training opportunities all provide pathways to strengthen these essential skills. When preparing for interviews or updating your resume, consider how specific examples demonstrate these competencies.
You don't need perfect mastery of all eight areas—everyone has natural strengths and areas for growth. The key is identifying where you shine and where you can improve, then intentionally developing a well-rounded professional profile. By showcasing these competencies effectively, you'll position yourself as exactly what employers are seeking: a candidate with the fundamental skills to succeed in today's dynamic workplace.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The more flexible you are around these things and
learning these skills, the moreyou're going to be visible to
your employer as like okay, thisperson is really great to work
with and maybe I should bringthem on board to this new
project or so forth, and thatcould lead to new career
opportunities.
You never know where thingscould lead.
So just being open and flexible, so it's more of a mindset than
(00:21):
a skill set.
So it's more of a mindset thana skill set.
You are listening to Coffee andCareer Hour.
We are your hosts.
I'm Armina and I'm MJ, twocareer counselors and friends
chatting about all things lifeand career.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
So grab a cup of coffee and join us.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hello everyone and welcome back to Coffee and
Career Hour.
It's been a minute.
We have been a little MIA thepast couple weeks with summer
and a lot of personal thingsgoing on, but we are happy to be
back, so grab your favorite cupof coffee or tea no judgment
and settle in Today.
Today we're diving intosomething every job seeker and
professional should know about,and these are the nice career
(01:10):
competencies.
These are basically the skillsthat employers really want but
often don't really spell out injob postings and spoiler alert.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
It's not always about having ten different positions
or getting promoted every yearor switching your job or even
like mastering every software onearth that, even though that's
a lot of people's goals.
It's really about corecompetencies like communication,
critical thinking,professionalism and even
understanding equity andinclusion.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So think of these competencies as your secret
superpowers.
Today we'll break them down oneby one.
We'll share examples of how youcan develop them and talk about
ways to showcase themconfidently in your job search
Plus we're going to share sometips for identifying and
developing these competencies inyourself.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So, whether you're about to enter the job market,
if you're someone early in yourcareer like me, or even looking
to make a pivot, you can showemployers you're exactly what
they're looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Absolutely so.
Stay with us.
This is going to be a practical, eye-opening conversation about
the real currency of theworkplace.
So let's jump in these NACEcompetencies, mj.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
how often do we talk about these and work with them
on a daily basis we talk aboutthem so often in our everyday
language, truly, and it's reallynot the sexiest topic.
It is really, it's not.
It's not fun.
It's a fundamental of careerdevelopment and career and the
workforce and stuff, but it isnot a fun topic because it
(02:45):
revolves around transferableskills.
If we want to call it, manydifferent things, nice
competencies or skill sets.
Skill sets can be broken downto different things.
We use the language oftransferable skills in our
workplace, but we use them a lot, we talk about them a lot and
we express demonstrate, showcase.
You, look me, look at all thesedifferent words a lot and we
(03:05):
express demonstrate, showcase,see, look me, look at all these
different words, them in everyspace of our life, you know, not
only in our career but in ourpersonal life, as human beings.
Holistically, we show thesecompetencies, but today we're
going to shed light on how youuse them in your workplace.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, I mean, I agree it is not the sexiest topic.
I mean the title itself is likethe competencies that you need
right.
But it really, really is soimportant, which is why we use
them on a daily basis and almostevery single career
conversation we have withstudents, with clients, we're
talking about these skill setsthat are needed in the workforce
(03:39):
.
So let's tell our audience alittle bit about NACE, what it
is, what they stand for, NACE isa really cool national
association.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
It stands for so N-A-C-E is the acronym we're
going to be using and it standsfor the National Association of
Colleges and Employers.
Basically, it's a ton of peoplelike Armine and myself, people
in career services, highereducation in career services, of
course, and other parts ofcareer development as well, and
(04:09):
employers and employers can behiring managers, it can be
people who is in charge of HR,like all sorts of different
employers as well, that arereally focusing on either when
students are exitinguniversities right and going out
into the workforce, and thenthe employers, of course, are
focused on receiving them intotheir workplace organization
company and having them developfrom within as well.
(04:30):
But that transitional period isso crucial because there's a
lot from the person that theyneed to demonstrate to be able
to cross the bridgeappropriately.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, absolutely, and actually NACE surveys employers
to find out what it is thatthey actually want to see from
people entering the workforceright, and so they do.
This survey every couple ofyears to update their data about
two years ago, has indicatedabout eight different skills or
(05:04):
competencies that employers haveidentified that they're really
looking for, regardless ofindustry, regardless of type of
job or level of position They'veidentified.
These are the type of skillsthat they're really wanting to
see in every candidate.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, the really awesome part about this
information and you can reallyfind it through Googling.
Of course, if you're a member,you get more access to their
data and surveys and information.
One of the really cool pointpieces of the information is
when they're looking at theeight, the employers do dictate
which skills they're mostlooking for, which skills that
(05:42):
they're saying that this newwave of recruits are more
skilled in, and things that theyneed to work on.
So like skills gaps and whatnot.
So there's a lot of informationthat you can gather from this
website and it's really tellingtowards yourself, your own skill
sets, or maybe even someone youknow that's fresh entering the
field.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, absolutely so really great information to have
as you're entering the jobmarket.
If you're either going to beapplying you just graduated it's
the summer maybe you justgraduated and you're applying.
Or maybe you're pivoting inyour career, going into a
different industry or so forth,or even within the same industry
, if you're applying to like ahigher level position you're
(06:20):
trying to get promoted.
Level position you're trying toget promoted.
Really, these are the kinds ofthings you should be positioning
yourself with and making sureyou have talking points for your
interviews around thesecompetencies.
Making sure your resumes andyour cover letters represent
these skill sets in addition toother skills that the job may
need that are more technical tothat position 100%.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
So I think we should, you know, dive right in.
Let's talk about these eightcompetencies.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right.
Well, the first one is alwaysmy favorite, and that is career
and self-development.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Fun fact you are doing career and
self-development audiencelistener just by listening to
this podcast episode and thispodcast as a whole.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yes, absolutely so, you can check that one off your
list.
But career and self-developmentis really yes, absolutely so,
you can check that one off yourlist.
But career and self-developmentis really valuable to employers
.
They want people who areconstantly learning, constantly
growing.
They want eager professionals,right People who are aware of
their strengths, people who areaware of their maybe weaknesses,
areas that they want to developand, basically, are working to
(07:24):
develop those areas.
People like that are reallygreat to work with because
they're motivated, they'reambitious, and that's what
employers want to see.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Absolutely.
The second one is somethingthat should not come to a
surprise at all.
So remember, these are skillsthat employers and people who
are always looking forcandidates or new recruits are
looking for is communication.
There is an art, there's askill set to communication.
There's so much more we cantalk about and go into, but
(07:54):
communication really meansgetting your being able to
express yourself, getting yourideas across right to various
audiences, populations, andbeing able to really focus on
that aspect.
So communication can go from aone-on-one conversation and
informational interview how youinterview, how you present, how
you sell a product, how you sendan email, the language you use,
(08:15):
grammar, all sorts of things.
Communication is also nonverbal, right Body language, how you
show up in a space, eye contact,how you shake someone's hand,
how you do an elbow bump rightAfter COVID, and things like
that.
It's really important becausethis is what we do on a daily
basis.
You cannot go a day withoutcommunicating with a human being
(08:37):
or something, and communicationis number two on this list just
because it's in alphabeticalorder, but it's probably it's
always in the top three of whatemployers are looking for,
especially since, in the rise ofai, communication has become
huge on their list oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yes, people are gonna , I think, over time, even value
communication more and morelike your ability to talk to
people, get ideas across,because with the robots taking
over, you know it's going to bean interesting dynamic with
people having basically thosesocial skills, honestly, to be
able to deal with differentopinions, because you're going
(09:16):
to be in a workspace.
Different ideas come through,different opinions come through
their ability to navigate thoseconversations in a way that you
know is inclusive and everybodystill feels like they're able to
get their ideas across andbasically drive the mission
forward for the work that you'redoing Absolutely.
And then the third one is moreon the academic side of things
(09:38):
if we look at it the way it'sdescribed, but it's critical
thinking and basically they wantpeople who are able to make
sound decisions.
They want people who are ableto solve problems.
There's always going to beproblems to solve in any kind of
job, any kind of industryyou're working in.
So someone who is able to thinkcritically, like identify what
the issues are, where the gapsare, analyze the use, the
(10:01):
resources and information theyhave to solve those complex
problems.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah.
The next one I think iscritical in the workforce Equity
and inclusion is number four.
Equity and inclusion really isfocused here in this context
about understanding and valuingthe differences that everyone
brings to the table.
This is where, when we'rethinking everybody deserves a
(10:29):
seat at the table, everybodydeserves a voice at the table,
is very important, and for youto be able to socially take that
in, be aware of that andacknowledge the differences that
are in the room.
So, for example, in mine andArmaday's everyday work life,
right, we have to think aboutdifferent populations of
students and what that lookslike and the different aspects
(10:50):
and identities that they come inthe room with.
Right, and understand how thatis so valuable and how we
benefit from that as counselorswho are educating a larger
population as well.
Equity and inclusion looks likehaving a diverse team, right,
thinking about accessibility,for example, for your colleague
who maybe, you know, hurtthemselves at the moment and has
to use crutches.
Or maybe someone is hard ofhearing and needs, you know,
(11:13):
subtitles.
Or someone is, um, unable tosee certain colors, right, and I
can go on and on, but those aresome of the examples that are
kind of coming to mind.
But it really is understandingand valuing the diverse
perspectives and identities thatare in the room and in the
workforce.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Absolutely.
The next one is leadership.
This is one of my favorites,because leadership can be
developed in so many differentways and so many different types
of positions, and it really ismore so a characteristic than
anything else, because I thinkanybody can be a leader if you
(11:53):
want to be a leader, right.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Regardless of what position you may be at the
entry-level position, you may bean intern, you may be an unpaid
volunteer, for that matter butyou can still be a leader
through the characteristics andthe energy that you're bringing
to the space.
So somebody who's really ableto guide others, somebody who is
really able to influence theirteammates, motivate their
(12:17):
teammates in a way that is sonatural and um, without having
to be directly trying tomotivate people, but just by the
energy that they bring to thespace, by the great work that
they do, by the passion thatthey have to be able to
influence the work that is beingdone, that is a leadership
skill and that's something thatcan happen at all levels.
(12:39):
So this is one of my favoritesI love that and I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
The next one is also one of my favorites and it's the
very heavily debated topic ofprofessionalism.
I say debated becauseprofessionalism is subjective.
It is definitely something thatlooks different across
industries, across across humans, across roles.
Professionalism there aredifferent levels of it.
To its core, it is showing upwith integrity, it's being
(13:07):
honest to who you are with, witha side of understanding also
where you are, because you youhave to have both components you
need to know where you're going, what space you're in, what
environment and as well, and howto showcase that
professionalism across.
I think, fundamentally, I alwaysdescribe professionalism as
basic manners right, sayinghello, thank you, excuse me,
(13:31):
right, those are manners that welearned as children and it kind
of bleeds into the workplace.
And answering things on time,meeting a deadline Right, very
similar idea.
Dressing up for your role,understanding if you have
someone who's going to come meetyou, that you're maybe five
minutes early so you can bethere, right.
All these different ideas andperspectives.
(13:52):
But it is subjective, it'sgoing to look different across
industries and professionals,but it is a heavily debated
topic.
But I always say, showing upauthentically is exactly what
integrity is, with a side ofhonesty.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah yeah.
There's so much debate aroundthis topic.
We've heard it in manydifferent spaces and one of the
big things that is up fordiscussion around this topic is
that.
First of all, what does doesprofessionalism mean?
because in today's workforcethere is what three or four
generations I think it's fouryeah, so different generations,
(14:29):
different ideas of what it meansto work, even right, what work
should look like, what workshould feel like.
And then that leads into likewhat does it mean to be a
professional?
So that's why there's a lot ofdiscrepancy around what does it
actually look like?
But the way that you describedthat, mj, with showing up with
integrity, really essentiallylike can your employer trust you
(14:52):
to do this job and do itethically right and do it well?
So that's really whatprofessionalism boils down to is
way beyond like how do youdress?
Of course, those are important.
Factors like your ability toshow up, you know, dressed
appropriately and speakappropriately in those spaces is
important.
But it's not just those.
It's more of like how can youdo this work in a way that is
(15:14):
aligned and ethical?
So I love that.
And then, another factor whythis topic is so debated is
because employers are ratingpeople at a much lower rate of
professionalism than previousyears.
Yeah, so people who areentering the workforce are
rating themselves higher too,like they think they're
(15:35):
professional or they're showingup professionally, and employers
are seeing a big discrepancyLike that's not what they
expected in terms ofprofessionalism.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, A clear example is how you show up on a Zoom
meeting call, right.
Do you show up camera off,muted?
I mean, if you're busy, you'rebusy, right, you get it, you're
doing something.
But let's say you show up andyou're like in your pajamas in a
team meeting versus someone whoyou know just looks a little
bit differently, is prepared Ifyou're leading something you're
(16:04):
not scrambling, looking for.
You know it looks differentlyacross um various experiences
and perspectives and roles, butit really is.
Can you be someone who isaccountable and show up with
integrity?
Someone who is accountable andshow up with integrity?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, all right.
The next one is another reallycommon one that may not surprise
you all, and that is teamwork.
And for that one, any kind ofjob, any kind of role that
you're in, even if it's a jobthat you may think is like not
really collaborative, right,it's like an independent role.
Even in those types of roles,you're still going to be a part
(16:42):
of a team.
There's some kind of capacitywhere you have to collaborate
and utilize different ideas anddifferent resources across
departments at where you'reworking at right.
So, regardless of the role,teamwork is so critical because
employers want their staff toget along.
It makes the job a lot easier.
(17:03):
It makes their mission, theirability to get the job done,
more effective and easier.
So their ability to collaboratewith other people, incorporate
diverse perspectives even ifyou're not always going to agree
with the way that people do thejob right like even your
colleague, who maybe has morework experience than you, is
(17:23):
going to do the job differentthan you but your ability to
navigate those situations andstill get the job done without
causing so much issue is reallyimportant and valued yeah,
teamwork and collaboration isnot always a fun topic for
people because they don't liketo do either of the two, but
it's very important that youknow how it's hard I think it's
(17:45):
hard for people to do becausesometimes we get so like caught
up in our own way of thinking.
we think, okay, our way is theright way, this is how it should
be done.
Sometimes it's hard to see,like why the other person might
have done it differently, right,or they, maybe their pace is
different and you, you might begetting frustrated like why is
this taking so long?
I got to wait on this person,so then I can do my portion of
(18:05):
the project and it's like aeffect that impacts everybody's
role.
Right, so it could be pace, itcould be the way they do things,
it could be their perspectiveor, like you don't agree with,
like the ideas that they have,because you think maybe it's not
as effective or as efficient.
Right, so many different things.
So it's hard.
It's really hard to do that,especially if you're part of a
(18:26):
bigger team.
There's more personalities andmore ideas to deal with.
But it is a life skill.
I mean, think about it outsideof the context of work, in your
personal lives.
You're part of some kind ofcommunity, whether it's your
family, it's your friend group,it's Other communities you might
be a part of.
You are a part of a team andyou're dealing with different
(18:49):
personalities all day, so you'regoing to have to apply that in
your workplace too.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
That's so funny.
I'm currently working on apersonal event and I'm like dang
this is the biggest groupproject that I've ever done with
my family.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
That is so interesting to experience, I
love the way you describe thatas a group project.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
It is and I'm like, yeah, I could totally see the
kid who doesn't put their weight.
You know like differentperspectives and teamwork really
is.
It bleeds into all aspects oflife.
So these aren't just workrelated.
And the last one is technology.
Now, this is not how do youturn on and use a computer, or
using Google Docs, orunderstanding what Microsoft
(19:28):
Excel is.
It is really being able toadapt to the different changes
that are rapidly happening inour society and being able to
keep up to date.
Right, being able to beopen-minded, understand what's
happening, especially if you'rein a field that is constantly
changing and adapting because ofthe technological changes that
(19:49):
are existing.
So, for example, with ourselves, ai has become a huge part of
our clientele questions.
Right, how to use AI?
Is it okay?
Should I use?
How do I use it safely?
And Arminia and I teach ourclients how to use it for their
own growth, right, maybe evenwe'll teach them how to use it
to brainstorm, careerexploration, you name it.
(20:09):
But that's just kind of anexample of what that means.
It's not just how to use acomputer.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's more of a mindset than askill set and so, just being
open and being willing and Ithink a lot of companies now are
starting to incorporate AIspecifically different types of
AI into the work that they doSome companies may still be
hesitant, but it's becoming moreand more integrated into
different workspaces.
So, you know, being open tothat it may be scary, it's
(20:38):
different, it's new, but justthe more flexible you are around
these things and learning theseskills, the more you're going
to be visible to your employeras like okay, this person is
really great to work with andmaybe I should bring them on
board to this new project or soforth, and that could lead to
(20:58):
new career opportunities.
You never know where thingscould be, so just being open and
flexible.
So it's more of a mindset thana skill set.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, and you got to remember that these eight are
never going to be equallybalanced, right?
You are going to have naturaltalents and skill sets in some
areas.
For example, maybe you're astrong communicator, but maybe
you need to continue to work onteamwork or your leadership and
initiative in your space.
So don't beat yourself up ifyou don't have equally balanced
(21:27):
all eight of them.
It's going to come and go.
You're going to be in roles orpositions or work on projects
and tasks that are going to tapinto, some that are different
than others, and that is okay.
So knowing what is expected ofyou is important, because now
you get to understand how towork on them and now you know
what they are.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Absolutely so.
As you're thinking of theseeight, think about which ones,
maybe, make a list for yourself,brainstorm which ones are the
ones that you're naturally goodat, or ones that maybe you've
developed over the years, evenin your childhood.
Maybe you were involved indifferent things in your
childhood that, like naturally,allowed you to develop certain
skills over the others, andmaybe identify where your gaps
(22:07):
are or what you can do.
What we actually do a lot inour work I do this with my
clients all the time is havethem look at their resume and
identify in their resume whichof the eight are showing up most
and which ones aren't, and thenthat way they can determine
okay, these are the gaps that Ihave, or maybe I need to
position my resume differentlyso that I can showcase these
(22:28):
other skills as well, and beforeyou're applying to position, so
that way, your portfolio, whatyou're submitting, is already
showcasing these.
And then, as you're preparingfor interviews, to brainstorm
around these topics.
What are examples, what arestories of your past experiences
where you can showcase each ofthese?
Speaker 2 (22:45):
competencies, absolutely.
I do want to highlight that, ifI could, in like pink
highlighter, because, arminia,it's not just about throwing
these eight and sprinkling themall over your resume or your
cover letter, but it's activelyshowcasing how you're able to
utilize these skill sets and theroles and the responsibilities
of projects that you've had.
It's not just saying I'm agreat communicator, but it's
(23:07):
talking about how you've beenable to facilitate a room of 200
people and do an active projector something, an activity.
It really goes to how have youdemonstrated these skill sets?
So that's really important tonote too right, an employer's
not going to want to know whatskills you have, but how you
show them.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Oh yeah, absolutely, it's.
Um, if you even just listed ona resume, they will ask you.
They may ask you for examples,but uh, we always say, don't
just list these on a resume,right, you want to talk about it
in your bullet pointssituations where you actually
implemented these skills.
And then the stories is so, soimportant.
I recently worked with a clienton interview prep and this was
(23:48):
one of our sessions.
We did one of my interviewpackages where we had multiple
sessions and one of the sessionswe focused on the NACE
competencies, and then Iassigned them homework of
evaluating their resume andidentifying the skills that are
coming up on the resumeaccording to the NACE
competencies.
And then the next session, whenthey came in, so much more
(24:12):
confident in the interview andthe mock interview and so much
more grounded in their responsesbecause they had this framework
to go based off of.
So if I can leave you withanything today, it's that you
can use this as a framework whenyou're applying to jobs and
when you're preparing forinterviews.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
So, armanay, let's say I want to work on these.
How can I continue to grow?
How can?
What do I do?
Where do I go?
Who do I see?
How do I get your email?
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I have a magic wand in my office.
I can sprinkle all over you andyou will have the no, I'm
kidding, okay, can um developthese at any point in your life,
no matter how old you are, nomatter how much experience you
have, no matter where you're atin your career journey.
You can develop these skillsand, honestly, there's always
room for growth.
(25:01):
Like nobody is gonna expect youto be 100 at all of these, um,
you know, to be a qualifiedcandidate.
It's just more about yourawareness of where your skill
sets lie in these areas and howyou can continue to grow.
So one way if you're feelinglike, okay, there's a gap in
some of these, how can I learn?
Our favorite one way is onlinecourses and certifications.
(25:25):
With the amount of websites andamount of resources there are on
the web these days, it is soeasy to find an online course
that's self-paced you know it'snon-academic, so no grades are
attached to it or anything likethat Self-paced courses on all
sorts of topics and you, a lotof times, can get a certificate
out of them and you can actuallyadd that to your resume that
(25:47):
you got certified in X, y and Zcourse through X, y and Z
platform and that is going tolook great.
It's showing that you'reactually constantly working on
yourself.
You're doing additional thingsbeyond you know, just your
minimum job requirements or, ifyou're a student, beyond your
just regular academics.
You're going above and beyondto learn new skills and those
(26:08):
skills are directly tied to whatemployers are looking for.
So some places you can actuallytake courses and get
certifications is LinkedIn,learning or Coursera.
Those are like the two mainplatforms that are very popular,
and then, of course, there'smany other ones online as well.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, another way in which you can do this and this
is going straight to the sourcetalking to people asking for
feedback.
What does that look like?
Let's say you look up tosomeone who's a strong
communicator or a leader thatyou have in mind, right, asking
for their feedback, maybe askingon how they have strengthened
their skill sets, in a sense,and thinking about the times and
(26:42):
providing examples.
And if they've seen you perform, I'm going to say perform, and
I'm going to use that in the jobcontext right, how you did,
right, what could you activelydo better?
How could you grow from thisexperience?
What are things that you shouldtry, what are things that you
should look out for?
And this is really, I think, amore personal touch to it.
(27:02):
But if you have a mentor,mentors come in all shapes and
sizes and all pieces of slicesof your life.
Ask them to talk about thisbecause, again, these skill sets
aren't just professional, theyare personal.
Hand in hand, I would say, too,is going outside of your
current bubble.
Right, if there is againsomeone who you admire look up
(27:23):
to, maybe it's you taking half aday, a couple hours to shadow
them.
I did that to Arminia when Ifirst started my job.
I did not know her very, verywell, but I can still tell you
that I definitely looked up toall the counselors when I
started, which is why I shadowedevery single counselor multiple
times.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I love that.
You absolutely did do that andeven if you're not a new
employee, you can still do thatright.
I think when you're a newemployee, you can still do that
right.
I think when you're a newemployee, it's kind of a given
because you're training and youcan.
You know it's easy to ask forthose shattering opportunities.
But even if you're not a newemployee, this is actually I
know I said the online courseswas one of my favorites, but
this is more of my favorite is,in whatever role you're in now,
(28:05):
going to your leadership, yourboss, your supervisor, and
asking hey, listen, like I loveeverything I'm working on.
I feel like I've grown so much.
I've developed these skills.
I'm recently learning thatthere are these other skills
that I.
I feel like I have gaps inright and I realize how
important these skills are.
You don't have to tell them.
(28:25):
You know that you're maybegoing to be applying to new jobs
or whatever, but just likeletting them know.
I'm constantly working onmyself and I've discovered that
these skills are important inthe workforce and I would really
love to develop them.
Are there opportunities?
Is there an additional projectI can take on?
Is there a department that Ican like collaborate with or do
some kind of cross training withother areas of the company
(28:47):
where I can develop these skills.
Watch how you're going tobecome the gold star employee,
first of all, your boss'sfavorite because you're asking
for more work.
Yeah, basically more work, butit's not.
You know, you don't want tothink of it in that sense of
like, oh, I don't want to askfor more work, it's more of
you're developing your skills.
It's more personal work.
Yeah, it's going to benefit youin the long run and, you know,
(29:08):
take on things that are actuallythings that you're interested
in and meaningful for you.
Don't just do this to check offa box.
Make sure you are activelydeveloping the skills you're
trying to develop.
But you're going to it's awin-win because your boss is
going to see you as, like, areally responsible and engaged
employee which could lead topromotions or other
opportunities engaged employee,which could lead to promotions
(29:29):
or other opportunities.
You're going to be developingnew skills and you're going to
get out of your like daily,regular routine and bubble that
sometimes can be very mundaneand kind of get boring over time
.
So adding on new things is justgoing to make your work even
more interesting and then yougain more skills out of it, so I
don't see the negative to anyof that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
No.
To add a concrete example, Ihad that conversation in a
previous workspace and, oh mygosh, was I recommended?
For how many committees I wasasked to do so many different
things?
Take initiative here, presentthis project.
Yes, they're going to love youbecause you want more work.
But, trust me, I grew so muchfrom that experience and it only
(30:06):
just made me a better person,but it also just a better
professional human being insidemy workplace too.
So it's going to come benefit.
It's going to be exhausting,but you're doing it for you.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So that is another great way.
And then the other great way todevelop these skills is to
continue to update yourportfolio.
So look at your resume, look atyour LinkedIn, look at your
resume, look at your linkedin,look at your think of your
elevator pitch right, and makesure these competencies and
skills are embedded intoeverything that you're offering.
(30:38):
So what is your brand?
We talk about personal brand onthis podcast too.
So think of your personal brand, like how you show up in the
world, how you present yourselfin person or online, and are
these skills like coming throughin the way how you present
yourself in person or online,and are these skills like coming
through in the way that you'representing yourself right?
Are you coming through as aprofessional?
Are you coming through assomebody who's actively working
on themselves and developingtheir career?
(31:00):
Are you coming through as aprofessional or a leader or
somebody who solves problemsreally well and is analytical?
So think of, like, how you'representing yourself.
You can even ask your friends,your peers, your, your bosses,
your family, ask them like, hey,do you see any of these skills
in me?
Sometimes it might be hard tolike recognize what you present
(31:21):
because it's so internal, somaybe it'll be helpful if you
ask somebody outside of you totell you what they see in you
and then go off of that.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I love that.
I love that.
So what are some of the thingsthat we want you to take away
from this episode?
Because, no, this isn't just abunch of professional language
we're throwing at you and skillsets you should be shoving into
your LinkedIn profile, but theseare essential for you to
understand that they arecritical and core to your
(31:50):
professional growth as a person,but just holistically in your
life.
The second thing is you'realready doing these, so now just
be a little bit more thoughtfuland intentional with where you
can, with those balances ofthese different skill sets.
Add a little bit extra.
Maybe you can do a differentpresentation or mentor, um, be a
(32:12):
mentee right To someone and getthat information, or go shadow
someone, or do something else orbe in another committee or
whatever floats your boat.
And the last thing isprofessional development is not
just something you do over aweekend, or it ends at a paid
course course, or it's meshadowing Armanet for 12
appointments, but it's somethingthat you should be constantly
(32:33):
worrying about and thinkingabout because, if you remember
correctly, it is the firstcompetency they look for.
So be ready, go out there andgo get some skills.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
And if you stay ready , you don't got to get ready.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you enjoy our show, we askthat you write a review on Apple
Podcasts to help us reach morepeople looking to level up their
career, want to connect with us.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Be sure to follow our Instagrams and websites.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Follow Career Rise on Instagram for career advice and
motivation to help you stay upto date on all things career.
Be sure to also visit mywebsite, careerriseorg, to book
a career counseling package andaccess free career resources.
My goal is to help you clarifyyour goals, make a plan and feel
confident in your careerjourney.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
You can follow me on Instagram at Career Confident
Latina for your daily dose ofcareer advice and my journey as
a first generation Latinacounselor.
You can access free resourcesor even work with me by visiting
my website,careerconfidenceonline.
I want to help you grow yourconfidence and help you reach
your career dreams.
(33:42):
Adios.
The more flexible you are around these things and
learning these skills, the moreyou're going to be visible to
your employer as like okay, thisperson is really great to work
with and maybe I should bringthem on board to this new
project or so forth, and thatcould lead to new career
opportunities.
You never know where thingscould lead.
So just being open and flexible, so it's more of a mindset than
(00:21):
a skill set.
So it's more of a mindset thana skill set.
You are listening to Coffee andCareer Hour.
We are your hosts.
I'm Armina and I'm MJ, twocareer counselors and friends
chatting about all things lifeand career.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
So grab a cup of coffee and join us.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hello everyone and welcome back to Coffee and
Career Hour.
It's been a minute.
We have been a little MIA thepast couple weeks with summer
and a lot of personal thingsgoing on, but we are happy to be
back, so grab your favorite cupof coffee or tea no judgment
and settle in Today.
Today we're diving intosomething every job seeker and
professional should know about,and these are the nice career
(01:10):
competencies.
These are basically the skillsthat employers really want but
often don't really spell out injob postings and spoiler alert.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
It's not always about having ten different positions
or getting promoted every yearor switching your job or even
like mastering every software onearth that, even though that's
a lot of people's goals.
It's really about corecompetencies like communication,
critical thinking,professionalism and even
understanding equity andinclusion.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So think of these competencies as your secret
superpowers.
Today we'll break them down oneby one.
We'll share examples of how youcan develop them and talk about
ways to showcase themconfidently in your job search
Plus we're going to share sometips for identifying and
developing these competencies inyourself.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So, whether you're about to enter the job market,
if you're someone early in yourcareer like me, or even looking
to make a pivot, you can showemployers you're exactly what
they're looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Absolutely so.
Stay with us.
This is going to be a practical, eye-opening conversation about
the real currency of theworkplace.
So let's jump in these NACEcompetencies, mj.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
how often do we talk about these and work with them
on a daily basis we talk aboutthem so often in our everyday
language, truly, and it's reallynot the sexiest topic.
It is really, it's not.
It's not fun.
It's a fundamental of careerdevelopment and career and the
workforce and stuff, but it isnot a fun topic because it
(02:45):
revolves around transferableskills.
If we want to call it, manydifferent things, nice
competencies or skill sets.
Skill sets can be broken downto different things.
We use the language oftransferable skills in our
workplace, but we use them a lot, we talk about them a lot and
we express demonstrate, showcase.
You, look me, look at all thesedifferent words a lot and we
(03:05):
express demonstrate, showcase,see, look me, look at all these
different words, them in everyspace of our life, you know, not
only in our career but in ourpersonal life, as human beings.
Holistically, we show thesecompetencies, but today we're
going to shed light on how youuse them in your workplace.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, I mean, I agree it is not the sexiest topic.
I mean the title itself is likethe competencies that you need
right.
But it really, really is soimportant, which is why we use
them on a daily basis and almostevery single career
conversation we have withstudents, with clients, we're
talking about these skill setsthat are needed in the workforce
(03:39):
.
So let's tell our audience alittle bit about NACE, what it
is, what they stand for, NACE isa really cool national
association.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
It stands for so N-A-C-E is the acronym we're
going to be using and it standsfor the National Association of
Colleges and Employers.
Basically, it's a ton of peoplelike Armine and myself, people
in career services, highereducation in career services, of
course, and other parts ofcareer development as well, and
(04:09):
employers and employers can behiring managers, it can be
people who is in charge of HR,like all sorts of different
employers as well, that arereally focusing on either when
students are exitinguniversities right and going out
into the workforce, and thenthe employers, of course, are
focused on receiving them intotheir workplace organization
company and having them developfrom within as well.
(04:30):
But that transitional period isso crucial because there's a
lot from the person that theyneed to demonstrate to be able
to cross the bridgeappropriately.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, absolutely, and actually NACE surveys employers
to find out what it is thatthey actually want to see from
people entering the workforceright, and so they do.
This survey every couple ofyears to update their data about
two years ago, has indicatedabout eight different skills or
(05:04):
competencies that employers haveidentified that they're really
looking for, regardless ofindustry, regardless of type of
job or level of position They'veidentified.
These are the type of skillsthat they're really wanting to
see in every candidate.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, the really awesome part about this
information and you can reallyfind it through Googling.
Of course, if you're a member,you get more access to their
data and surveys and information.
One of the really cool pointpieces of the information is
when they're looking at theeight, the employers do dictate
which skills they're mostlooking for, which skills that
(05:42):
they're saying that this newwave of recruits are more
skilled in, and things that theyneed to work on.
So like skills gaps and whatnot.
So there's a lot of informationthat you can gather from this
website and it's really tellingtowards yourself, your own skill
sets, or maybe even someone youknow that's fresh entering the
field.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, absolutely so really great information to have
as you're entering the jobmarket.
If you're either going to beapplying you just graduated it's
the summer maybe you justgraduated and you're applying.
Or maybe you're pivoting inyour career, going into a
different industry or so forth,or even within the same industry
, if you're applying to like ahigher level position you're
(06:20):
trying to get promoted.
Level position you're trying toget promoted.
Really, these are the kinds ofthings you should be positioning
yourself with and making sureyou have talking points for your
interviews around thesecompetencies.
Making sure your resumes andyour cover letters represent
these skill sets in addition toother skills that the job may
need that are more technical tothat position 100%.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
So I think we should, you know, dive right in.
Let's talk about these eightcompetencies.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right.
Well, the first one is alwaysmy favorite, and that is career
and self-development.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Fun fact you are doing career and
self-development audiencelistener just by listening to
this podcast episode and thispodcast as a whole.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yes, absolutely so, you can check that one off your
list.
But career and self-developmentis really yes, absolutely so,
you can check that one off yourlist.
But career and self-developmentis really valuable to employers
.
They want people who areconstantly learning, constantly
growing.
They want eager professionals,right People who are aware of
their strengths, people who areaware of their maybe weaknesses,
areas that they want to developand, basically, are working to
(07:24):
develop those areas.
People like that are reallygreat to work with because
they're motivated, they'reambitious, and that's what
employers want to see.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Absolutely.
The second one is somethingthat should not come to a
surprise at all.
So remember, these are skillsthat employers and people who
are always looking forcandidates or new recruits are
looking for is communication.
There is an art, there's askill set to communication.
There's so much more we cantalk about and go into, but
(07:54):
communication really meansgetting your being able to
express yourself, getting yourideas across right to various
audiences, populations, andbeing able to really focus on
that aspect.
So communication can go from aone-on-one conversation and
informational interview how youinterview, how you present, how
you sell a product, how you sendan email, the language you use,
(08:15):
grammar, all sorts of things.
Communication is also nonverbal, right Body language, how you
show up in a space, eye contact,how you shake someone's hand,
how you do an elbow bump rightAfter COVID, and things like
that.
It's really important becausethis is what we do on a daily
basis.
You cannot go a day withoutcommunicating with a human being
(08:37):
or something, and communicationis number two on this list just
because it's in alphabeticalorder, but it's probably it's
always in the top three of whatemployers are looking for,
especially since, in the rise ofai, communication has become
huge on their list oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yes, people are gonna , I think, over time, even value
communication more and morelike your ability to talk to
people, get ideas across,because with the robots taking
over, you know it's going to bean interesting dynamic with
people having basically thosesocial skills, honestly, to be
able to deal with differentopinions, because you're going
(09:16):
to be in a workspace.
Different ideas come through,different opinions come through
their ability to navigate thoseconversations in a way that you
know is inclusive and everybodystill feels like they're able to
get their ideas across andbasically drive the mission
forward for the work that you'redoing Absolutely.
And then the third one is moreon the academic side of things
(09:38):
if we look at it the way it'sdescribed, but it's critical
thinking and basically they wantpeople who are able to make
sound decisions.
They want people who are ableto solve problems.
There's always going to beproblems to solve in any kind of
job, any kind of industryyou're working in.
So someone who is able to thinkcritically, like identify what
the issues are, where the gapsare, analyze the use, the
(10:01):
resources and information theyhave to solve those complex
problems.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah.
The next one I think iscritical in the workforce Equity
and inclusion is number four.
Equity and inclusion really isfocused here in this context
about understanding and valuingthe differences that everyone
brings to the table.
This is where, when we'rethinking everybody deserves a
(10:29):
seat at the table, everybodydeserves a voice at the table,
is very important, and for youto be able to socially take that
in, be aware of that andacknowledge the differences that
are in the room.
So, for example, in mine andArmaday's everyday work life,
right, we have to think aboutdifferent populations of
students and what that lookslike and the different aspects
(10:50):
and identities that they come inthe room with.
Right, and understand how thatis so valuable and how we
benefit from that as counselorswho are educating a larger
population as well.
Equity and inclusion looks likehaving a diverse team, right,
thinking about accessibility,for example, for your colleague
who maybe, you know, hurtthemselves at the moment and has
to use crutches.
Or maybe someone is hard ofhearing and needs, you know,
(11:13):
subtitles.
Or someone is, um, unable tosee certain colors, right, and I
can go on and on, but those aresome of the examples that are
kind of coming to mind.
But it really is understandingand valuing the diverse
perspectives and identities thatare in the room and in the
workforce.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Absolutely.
The next one is leadership.
This is one of my favorites,because leadership can be
developed in so many differentways and so many different types
of positions, and it really ismore so a characteristic than
anything else, because I thinkanybody can be a leader if you
(11:53):
want to be a leader, right.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Regardless of what position you may be at the
entry-level position, you may bean intern, you may be an unpaid
volunteer, for that matter butyou can still be a leader
through the characteristics andthe energy that you're bringing
to the space.
So somebody who's really ableto guide others, somebody who is
really able to influence theirteammates, motivate their
(12:17):
teammates in a way that is sonatural and um, without having
to be directly trying tomotivate people, but just by the
energy that they bring to thespace, by the great work that
they do, by the passion thatthey have to be able to
influence the work that is beingdone, that is a leadership
skill and that's something thatcan happen at all levels.
(12:39):
So this is one of my favoritesI love that and I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
The next one is also one of my favorites and it's the
very heavily debated topic ofprofessionalism.
I say debated becauseprofessionalism is subjective.
It is definitely something thatlooks different across
industries, across across humans, across roles.
Professionalism there aredifferent levels of it.
To its core, it is showing upwith integrity, it's being
(13:07):
honest to who you are with, witha side of understanding also
where you are, because you youhave to have both components you
need to know where you're going, what space you're in, what
environment and as well, and howto showcase that
professionalism across.
I think, fundamentally, I alwaysdescribe professionalism as
basic manners right, sayinghello, thank you, excuse me,
(13:31):
right, those are manners that welearned as children and it kind
of bleeds into the workplace.
And answering things on time,meeting a deadline Right, very
similar idea.
Dressing up for your role,understanding if you have
someone who's going to come meetyou, that you're maybe five
minutes early so you can bethere, right.
All these different ideas andperspectives.
(13:52):
But it is subjective, it'sgoing to look different across
industries and professionals,but it is a heavily debated
topic.
But I always say, showing upauthentically is exactly what
integrity is, with a side ofhonesty.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah yeah.
There's so much debate aroundthis topic.
We've heard it in manydifferent spaces and one of the
big things that is up fordiscussion around this topic is
that.
First of all, what does doesprofessionalism mean?
because in today's workforcethere is what three or four
generations I think it's fouryeah, so different generations,
(14:29):
different ideas of what it meansto work, even right, what work
should look like, what workshould feel like.
And then that leads into likewhat does it mean to be a
professional?
So that's why there's a lot ofdiscrepancy around what does it
actually look like?
But the way that you describedthat, mj, with showing up with
integrity, really essentiallylike can your employer trust you
(14:52):
to do this job and do itethically right and do it well?
So that's really whatprofessionalism boils down to is
way beyond like how do youdress?
Of course, those are important.
Factors like your ability toshow up, you know, dressed
appropriately and speakappropriately in those spaces is
important.
But it's not just those.
It's more of like how can youdo this work in a way that is
(15:14):
aligned and ethical?
So I love that.
And then, another factor whythis topic is so debated is
because employers are ratingpeople at a much lower rate of
professionalism than previousyears.
Yeah, so people who areentering the workforce are
rating themselves higher too,like they think they're
(15:35):
professional or they're showingup professionally, and employers
are seeing a big discrepancyLike that's not what they
expected in terms ofprofessionalism.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, A clear example is how you show up on a Zoom
meeting call, right.
Do you show up camera off,muted?
I mean, if you're busy, you'rebusy, right, you get it, you're
doing something.
But let's say you show up andyou're like in your pajamas in a
team meeting versus someone whoyou know just looks a little
bit differently, is prepared Ifyou're leading something you're
(16:04):
not scrambling, looking for.
You know it looks differentlyacross um various experiences
and perspectives and roles, butit really is.
Can you be someone who isaccountable and show up with
integrity?
Someone who is accountable andshow up with integrity?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, all right.
The next one is another reallycommon one that may not surprise
you all, and that is teamwork.
And for that one, any kind ofjob, any kind of role that
you're in, even if it's a jobthat you may think is like not
really collaborative, right,it's like an independent role.
Even in those types of roles,you're still going to be a part
(16:42):
of a team.
There's some kind of capacitywhere you have to collaborate
and utilize different ideas anddifferent resources across
departments at where you'reworking at right.
So, regardless of the role,teamwork is so critical because
employers want their staff toget along.
It makes the job a lot easier.
(17:03):
It makes their mission, theirability to get the job done,
more effective and easier.
So their ability to collaboratewith other people, incorporate
diverse perspectives even ifyou're not always going to agree
with the way that people do thejob right like even your
colleague, who maybe has morework experience than you, is
(17:23):
going to do the job differentthan you but your ability to
navigate those situations andstill get the job done without
causing so much issue is reallyimportant and valued yeah,
teamwork and collaboration isnot always a fun topic for
people because they don't liketo do either of the two, but
it's very important that youknow how it's hard I think it's
(17:45):
hard for people to do becausesometimes we get so like caught
up in our own way of thinking.
we think, okay, our way is theright way, this is how it should
be done.
Sometimes it's hard to see,like why the other person might
have done it differently, right,or they, maybe their pace is
different and you, you might begetting frustrated like why is
this taking so long?
I got to wait on this person,so then I can do my portion of
(18:05):
the project and it's like aeffect that impacts everybody's
role.
Right, so it could be pace, itcould be the way they do things,
it could be their perspectiveor, like you don't agree with,
like the ideas that they have,because you think maybe it's not
as effective or as efficient.
Right, so many different things.
So it's hard.
It's really hard to do that,especially if you're part of a
(18:26):
bigger team.
There's more personalities andmore ideas to deal with.
But it is a life skill.
I mean, think about it outsideof the context of work, in your
personal lives.
You're part of some kind ofcommunity, whether it's your
family, it's your friend group,it's Other communities you might
be a part of.
You are a part of a team andyou're dealing with different
(18:49):
personalities all day, so you'regoing to have to apply that in
your workplace too.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
That's so funny.
I'm currently working on apersonal event and I'm like dang
this is the biggest groupproject that I've ever done with
my family.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
That is so interesting to experience, I
love the way you describe thatas a group project.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
It is and I'm like, yeah, I could totally see the
kid who doesn't put their weight.
You know like differentperspectives and teamwork really
is.
It bleeds into all aspects oflife.
So these aren't just workrelated.
And the last one is technology.
Now, this is not how do youturn on and use a computer, or
using Google Docs, orunderstanding what Microsoft
(19:28):
Excel is.
It is really being able toadapt to the different changes
that are rapidly happening inour society and being able to
keep up to date.
Right, being able to beopen-minded, understand what's
happening, especially if you'rein a field that is constantly
changing and adapting because ofthe technological changes that
(19:49):
are existing.
So, for example, with ourselves, ai has become a huge part of
our clientele questions.
Right, how to use AI?
Is it okay?
Should I use?
How do I use it safely?
And Arminia and I teach ourclients how to use it for their
own growth, right, maybe evenwe'll teach them how to use it
to brainstorm, careerexploration, you name it.
(20:09):
But that's just kind of anexample of what that means.
It's not just how to use acomputer.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's more of a mindset than askill set and so, just being
open and being willing and Ithink a lot of companies now are
starting to incorporate AIspecifically different types of
AI into the work that they doSome companies may still be
hesitant, but it's becoming moreand more integrated into
different workspaces.
So, you know, being open tothat it may be scary, it's
(20:38):
different, it's new, but justthe more flexible you are around
these things and learning theseskills, the more you're going
to be visible to your employeras like okay, this person is
really great to work with andmaybe I should bring them on
board to this new project or soforth, and that could lead to
(20:58):
new career opportunities.
You never know where thingscould be, so just being open and
flexible.
So it's more of a mindset thana skill set.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, and you got to remember that these eight are
never going to be equallybalanced, right?
You are going to have naturaltalents and skill sets in some
areas.
For example, maybe you're astrong communicator, but maybe
you need to continue to work onteamwork or your leadership and
initiative in your space.
So don't beat yourself up ifyou don't have equally balanced
(21:27):
all eight of them.
It's going to come and go.
You're going to be in roles orpositions or work on projects
and tasks that are going to tapinto, some that are different
than others, and that is okay.
So knowing what is expected ofyou is important, because now
you get to understand how towork on them and now you know
what they are.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Absolutely so.
As you're thinking of theseeight, think about which ones,
maybe, make a list for yourself,brainstorm which ones are the
ones that you're naturally goodat, or ones that maybe you've
developed over the years, evenin your childhood.
Maybe you were involved indifferent things in your
childhood that, like naturally,allowed you to develop certain
skills over the others, andmaybe identify where your gaps
(22:07):
are or what you can do.
What we actually do a lot inour work I do this with my
clients all the time is havethem look at their resume and
identify in their resume whichof the eight are showing up most
and which ones aren't, and thenthat way they can determine
okay, these are the gaps that Ihave, or maybe I need to
position my resume differentlyso that I can showcase these
(22:28):
other skills as well, and beforeyou're applying to position, so
that way, your portfolio, whatyou're submitting, is already
showcasing these.
And then, as you're preparingfor interviews, to brainstorm
around these topics.
What are examples, what arestories of your past experiences
where you can showcase each ofthese?
Speaker 2 (22:45):
competencies, absolutely.
I do want to highlight that, ifI could, in like pink
highlighter, because, arminia,it's not just about throwing
these eight and sprinkling themall over your resume or your
cover letter, but it's activelyshowcasing how you're able to
utilize these skill sets and theroles and the responsibilities
of projects that you've had.
It's not just saying I'm agreat communicator, but it's
(23:07):
talking about how you've beenable to facilitate a room of 200
people and do an active projector something, an activity.
It really goes to how have youdemonstrated these skill sets?
So that's really important tonote too right, an employer's
not going to want to know whatskills you have, but how you
show them.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Oh yeah, absolutely, it's.
Um, if you even just listed ona resume, they will ask you.
They may ask you for examples,but uh, we always say, don't
just list these on a resume,right, you want to talk about it
in your bullet pointssituations where you actually
implemented these skills.
And then the stories is so, soimportant.
I recently worked with a clienton interview prep and this was
(23:48):
one of our sessions.
We did one of my interviewpackages where we had multiple
sessions and one of the sessionswe focused on the NACE
competencies, and then Iassigned them homework of
evaluating their resume andidentifying the skills that are
coming up on the resumeaccording to the NACE
competencies.
And then the next session, whenthey came in, so much more
(24:12):
confident in the interview andthe mock interview and so much
more grounded in their responsesbecause they had this framework
to go based off of.
So if I can leave you withanything today, it's that you
can use this as a framework whenyou're applying to jobs and
when you're preparing forinterviews.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
So, armanay, let's say I want to work on these.
How can I continue to grow?
How can?
What do I do?
Where do I go?
Who do I see?
How do I get your email?
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I have a magic wand in my office.
I can sprinkle all over you andyou will have the no, I'm
kidding, okay, can um developthese at any point in your life,
no matter how old you are, nomatter how much experience you
have, no matter where you're atin your career journey.
You can develop these skillsand, honestly, there's always
room for growth.
(25:01):
Like nobody is gonna expect youto be 100 at all of these, um,
you know, to be a qualifiedcandidate.
It's just more about yourawareness of where your skill
sets lie in these areas and howyou can continue to grow.
So one way if you're feelinglike, okay, there's a gap in
some of these, how can I learn?
Our favorite one way is onlinecourses and certifications.
(25:25):
With the amount of websites andamount of resources there are on
the web these days, it is soeasy to find an online course
that's self-paced you know it'snon-academic, so no grades are
attached to it or anything likethat Self-paced courses on all
sorts of topics and you, a lotof times, can get a certificate
out of them and you can actuallyadd that to your resume that
(25:47):
you got certified in X, y and Zcourse through X, y and Z
platform and that is going tolook great.
It's showing that you'reactually constantly working on
yourself.
You're doing additional thingsbeyond you know, just your
minimum job requirements or, ifyou're a student, beyond your
just regular academics.
You're going above and beyondto learn new skills and those
(26:08):
skills are directly tied to whatemployers are looking for.
So some places you can actuallytake courses and get
certifications is LinkedIn,learning or Coursera.
Those are like the two mainplatforms that are very popular,
and then, of course, there'smany other ones online as well.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, another way in which you can do this and this
is going straight to the sourcetalking to people asking for
feedback.
What does that look like?
Let's say you look up tosomeone who's a strong
communicator or a leader thatyou have in mind, right, asking
for their feedback, maybe askingon how they have strengthened
their skill sets, in a sense,and thinking about the times and
(26:42):
providing examples.
And if they've seen you perform, I'm going to say perform, and
I'm going to use that in the jobcontext right, how you did,
right, what could you activelydo better?
How could you grow from thisexperience?
What are things that you shouldtry, what are things that you
should look out for?
And this is really, I think, amore personal touch to it.
(27:02):
But if you have a mentor,mentors come in all shapes and
sizes and all pieces of slicesof your life.
Ask them to talk about thisbecause, again, these skill sets
aren't just professional, theyare personal.
Hand in hand, I would say, too,is going outside of your
current bubble.
Right, if there is againsomeone who you admire look up
(27:23):
to, maybe it's you taking half aday, a couple hours to shadow
them.
I did that to Arminia when Ifirst started my job.
I did not know her very, verywell, but I can still tell you
that I definitely looked up toall the counselors when I
started, which is why I shadowedevery single counselor multiple
times.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I love that.
You absolutely did do that andeven if you're not a new
employee, you can still do thatright.
I think when you're a newemployee, you can still do that
right.
I think when you're a newemployee, it's kind of a given
because you're training and youcan.
You know it's easy to ask forthose shattering opportunities.
But even if you're not a newemployee, this is actually I
know I said the online courseswas one of my favorites, but
this is more of my favorite is,in whatever role you're in now,
(28:05):
going to your leadership, yourboss, your supervisor, and
asking hey, listen, like I loveeverything I'm working on.
I feel like I've grown so much.
I've developed these skills.
I'm recently learning thatthere are these other skills
that I.
I feel like I have gaps inright and I realize how
important these skills are.
You don't have to tell them.
(28:25):
You know that you're maybegoing to be applying to new jobs
or whatever, but just likeletting them know.
I'm constantly working onmyself and I've discovered that
these skills are important inthe workforce and I would really
love to develop them.
Are there opportunities?
Is there an additional projectI can take on?
Is there a department that Ican like collaborate with or do
some kind of cross training withother areas of the company
(28:47):
where I can develop these skills.
Watch how you're going tobecome the gold star employee,
first of all, your boss'sfavorite because you're asking
for more work.
Yeah, basically more work, butit's not.
You know, you don't want tothink of it in that sense of
like, oh, I don't want to askfor more work, it's more of
you're developing your skills.
It's more personal work.
Yeah, it's going to benefit youin the long run and, you know,
(29:08):
take on things that are actuallythings that you're interested
in and meaningful for you.
Don't just do this to check offa box.
Make sure you are activelydeveloping the skills you're
trying to develop.
But you're going to it's awin-win because your boss is
going to see you as, like, areally responsible and engaged
employee which could lead topromotions or other
opportunities engaged employee,which could lead to promotions
(29:29):
or other opportunities.
You're going to be developingnew skills and you're going to
get out of your like daily,regular routine and bubble that
sometimes can be very mundaneand kind of get boring over time
.
So adding on new things is justgoing to make your work even
more interesting and then yougain more skills out of it, so I
don't see the negative to anyof that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
No.
To add a concrete example, Ihad that conversation in a
previous workspace and, oh mygosh, was I recommended?
For how many committees I wasasked to do so many different
things?
Take initiative here, presentthis project.
Yes, they're going to love youbecause you want more work.
But, trust me, I grew so muchfrom that experience and it only
(30:06):
just made me a better person,but it also just a better
professional human being insidemy workplace too.
So it's going to come benefit.
It's going to be exhausting,but you're doing it for you.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So that is another great way.
And then the other great way todevelop these skills is to
continue to update yourportfolio.
So look at your resume, look atyour LinkedIn, look at your
resume, look at your linkedin,look at your think of your
elevator pitch right, and makesure these competencies and
skills are embedded intoeverything that you're offering.
(30:38):
So what is your brand?
We talk about personal brand onthis podcast too.
So think of your personal brand, like how you show up in the
world, how you present yourselfin person or online, and are
these skills like coming throughin the way how you present
yourself in person or online,and are these skills like coming
through in the way that you'representing yourself right?
Are you coming through as aprofessional?
Are you coming through assomebody who's actively working
on themselves and developingtheir career?
(31:00):
Are you coming through as aprofessional or a leader or
somebody who solves problemsreally well and is analytical?
So think of, like, how you'representing yourself.
You can even ask your friends,your peers, your, your bosses,
your family, ask them like, hey,do you see any of these skills
in me?
Sometimes it might be hard tolike recognize what you present
(31:21):
because it's so internal, somaybe it'll be helpful if you
ask somebody outside of you totell you what they see in you
and then go off of that.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I love that.
I love that.
So what are some of the thingsthat we want you to take away
from this episode?
Because, no, this isn't just abunch of professional language
we're throwing at you and skillsets you should be shoving into
your LinkedIn profile, but theseare essential for you to
understand that they arecritical and core to your
(31:50):
professional growth as a person,but just holistically in your
life.
The second thing is you'realready doing these, so now just
be a little bit more thoughtfuland intentional with where you
can, with those balances ofthese different skill sets.
Add a little bit extra.
Maybe you can do a differentpresentation or mentor, um, be a
(32:12):
mentee right To someone and getthat information, or go shadow
someone, or do something else orbe in another committee or
whatever floats your boat.
And the last thing isprofessional development is not
just something you do over aweekend, or it ends at a paid
course course, or it's meshadowing Armanet for 12
appointments, but it's somethingthat you should be constantly
(32:33):
worrying about and thinkingabout because, if you remember
correctly, it is the firstcompetency they look for.
So be ready, go out there andgo get some skills.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
And if you stay ready , you don't got to get ready.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you enjoy our show, we askthat you write a review on Apple
Podcasts to help us reach morepeople looking to level up their
career, want to connect with us.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Be sure to follow our Instagrams and websites.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Follow Career Rise on Instagram for career advice and
motivation to help you stay upto date on all things career.
Be sure to also visit mywebsite, careerriseorg, to book
a career counseling package andaccess free career resources.
My goal is to help you clarifyyour goals, make a plan and feel
confident in your careerjourney.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
You can follow me on Instagram at Career Confident
Latina for your daily dose ofcareer advice and my journey as
a first generation Latinacounselor.
You can access free resourcesor even work with me by visiting
my website,careerconfidenceonline.
I want to help you grow yourconfidence and help you reach
your career dreams.
(33:42):
Adios.
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