Career skills are those skills that people need in order to find and secure a job. Some of these are obvious. Writing a resume and cover letter is an essential part of getting a job. Knowing how to find and complete a job application is clearly important for people who want to have jobs. However, other career skills are not as clear cut. Networking and social skills are essential but maybe not as obvious. The same applies to team work skills, flexibility, adaptability, and more. Having strong career skills is important for everyone.
Career skills are "soft-skills" which we'll be discussing all throughout advisory. These are different from "hard skills" (sometimes called "technical skills"). "Hard skills" are the ones that relate to doing a specific job. Mechanics need to know how to repair cars, teachers need to know how to write lesson plans, chefs need to know how to cook, etc... Hard skills are the specific skills needed to do a certain job while soft skills are those skills like professionalism and communication which are needed to keep a job.
The importance of making professional connections with others not just in school, but also in the workplace.
Job applications have some specific formatting rules and best practices that everyone needs to know so that they can get a job.
Both of these are essential, professional documents that everyone needs to have. We will be showing off good resumes, talking about design principles, and guiding students through the process of creating their own.
No matter if it's for a job or some other application, knowing how to prepare before the interview, what to say and do doing it, and how to follow-up an interview is an indispensable skill set.
All of these are basic career skills that students need to have in order to be successful. It's our job to prepare students not just for post-secondary education, but also for career readiness. These basic career skills will go a long way toward ensuring your success in the "real world."