29 Jun 2020

In the world of skills, you’ve got two main types.

There are hard skills, which sit in the realm of technical knowledge and training. This could include video production, carpentry or just knowing how to use Microsoft Excel (which I still can’t wrap my head around). These are probably specific to your career.

Then you have your soft skills. These are personal habits and traits that shape how you work on your own and with others. Soft skills are what you’ll need to have a successful and fulfilling career in any industry. They help you learn more and apply yourself, be liked by your co-workers and bosses, have an enjoyable time… the list goes on and on.

So, here are the soft skills you definitely need under your sleeve to smash your career:

Work ethic

If you show a work ethic from the get-go, you’ll gain 10 points to Gryffindor immediately. This includes rocking up to work on time (even earlier), not shying away from the hard work, always looking for something to do and ways to help out others, and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

Networking

You’ve probably heard “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. That’s where networking comes into play.

Networking is an important part of any job. By doing so, you’re able to share ideas, learn, gain advice and even tap into career opportunities. Networking entails being friendly and passionate, asking questions, listening and confidently talking about your pursuits!

Creative thinking

You don’t have to be the reincarnation of Vincent Van Gogh to be a creative thinker in the workplace. Creative thinking really just involves being open minded and being able to analyse, problem solve and produce ideas by thinking outside of the box. You accept challenges and face them in different ways.

Teamwork and collaboration

At one point or another, you’ll always have to collaborate with others. Demonstrating teamwork skills involves being able to listen as much as you can communicate, being able to manage conflict, respecting everyone and being reliable (we all know how much it’d suck when we were in a group project with slackers). Working with others can be a real hoot and a half as well!

Time management

Employers want to hire people that are on top of their time management. They want productive and efficient employees that can hit deadlines and focus on priorities. It’s time to practice by making daily TO DO lists, scheduling and prioritising what needs to be done first.

Critical thinking

Being a critical thinker entails carefully and logically analysing problems, and finding ways to solve them, coming up with several options and evaluating each one. Critical thinkers are trusted in the workplace as they can make decisions independently.

For example, if you and your mates can’t decide where to go for dinner, you’ll weigh up things like location, cost and cuisine. Maybe you’ll even do some research on a new restaurant that you haven’t tried…

Leadership

There will be times when you have to take charge. All good leaders listen to what people actually want and communicate. They’re driven and motivated even when the going gets tough, great at delegating and up for a debate here and there. They’re responsible and, consequently, can be trusted.

So, how do I get started?

So, it’s all well and good to talk about soft skills, but how the heck are you supposed to develop them? Charles Sturt University is #1 for graduate employment, so they kinda know what’s up when it comes to smashing your career and developing the soft skills that you’ll use for life.

With courses that are hands on and experience heavy, industry professionals enlightening you with how to skill up and an array of university programs that will impact your career later down the track, Charles Sturt should definitely be on your radar.

Charles Sturt has the option to ‘single subject study’, in which, if you don’t have the time to commit to a whole course, you can flexibly learn a short, single course online, allowing you to build soft skills quickly. (Oh and, your subject will count toward a related degree if you decide to pursue one later!). They also have leadership programs, like STRIVE, which support you to develop leadership knowledge whilst also connecting you with other student leaders, growing your networking and teamwork skills. It’d look bangin’ on your résumé.

Charles Sturt appreciates the importance of soft skills so much so that they have the ‘Charles Sturt Advantage early offer program’, in which, when applying for a degree with them, they’ll focus on the soft skills that you’ve picked up along the years, through high school, hobbies and working, rather than just academic skills.

If you want all the skills to succeed in the workforce, check out Charles Sturt University here to learn more and get started!