AgCareers US

18 / 36

by Erika Osmundson, AgCareers.com Director of Marketing & Communications
18 Ag & F ood CAreer guide
COMMUNICATION SKILLS, coping skills,
time management skills...the list seems to
go on and on when employers talk about
young professionals entering the work
world. But, most of what is claimed to be
a problem with ‘this’ generation, are the
same shortcomings of those that came
before at this stage in their lives.
It is time to change the conversation
from what we don’t have to what we
do have! Let’s start with identifying the
skills that young professionals need to
develop and determine ways to enhance
opportunities to hone those skills. Then
let’s figure out how to demonstrate your
achievements in those key areas.
WHAT SKILLS EMPLOYERS WANT
recently conducted a
survey (2017 – 2018 Intern and New
Graduate Hiring & Compensation Report)
with employers regarding intern and new
graduates. One focus area of this study
was the importance of employability skill
sets in the workplace for interns and
new graduates. There are many studies
out there around this topic, if you are
interested in exploring. The results of the
AgCareers.com survey aligned with what
can be found in many of those reports.
This study looked at 10 key
employability skills and asked employers
to rank their importance as they
looked at candidates for hire. The next
section will dive into some of the top
employability skills listed and how to
develop and demonstrate these.
DEVELOPING & DEMONSTRATING
THESE SKILLS
Teamwork
Given youth involvement in activities,
sports, church, etc., it is hard to believe
that most interns and new graduates
wouldn’t have some experience with
teamwork. On campus there are plenty
of opportunities to be a part of a team –
projects, organizations, intramurals, you
name it! Get involved!
The challenge is that during an
interview, we get so focused on showing
the interviewer what we can do that we
rarely highlight our ability to be a
productive team member unless
specifically asked. Keep this in mind as
you practice your interview question
responses. Craft a few responses to not
only demonstrate your accolades but
successes of teams that you’ve been a
part of and your role within that team.
Find balance here, don’t go extreme with
the team talk, but demonstrate your
teamwork abilities.
Verbal Communication
We could probably argue that this one
has changed over time, with email and
text and all the other fun social media
platforms. There are so many other ways
to communicate that do sometimes
seem easier, but let’s face it, can be less
effective in many scenarios. The best way
to develop verbal skills is just to practice
and make sure you don’t fall back on
your electronic communication too much.
Get out there — network, talk to friends,
take a class that requires you to present,
take a leadership role within a club, pick
up the phone and call your grandma. Talk
properly. Not like you’d text or shoot the
breeze with a friend. Think professional!
The more you do it, the more you hone
those skills. And the nice thing is that,
WHAT YOU
DON’T
HAVE!