Skills for the Entry Level
Skills for the Entry Level Liberal Arts Graduate
by The Liberal Arts Dude
A common question fresh Liberal Arts graduates have are what types of skills should they develop while in school so that they will have a fighting chance to get a job come graduation time. Here is my own personal list which I envision every Liberal Arts grad should have given that:
· They will be seen primarily as generalists rather than specialists
· Their main value are being smart and trainable
· Their main assets as fresh graduates are assumed that they are good at: writing, speaking publicly/presentation, and learning new skills
I have taken the liberty of listing not just skills but also attributes that I personally find attractive in a job candidate beyond basic hard skills.
1. Writing skills – not just composition but a basic grasp of grammar, style, and different types of writing for different types of audiences. Someone who knows the different styles needed for a press release, versus a brochure, versus a business letter, etc. Big plus if they have some experience in editing, proofreading and copyediting.
2. Oral presentation skills. Comfortable speaking publicly in front of an audience or in a meeting.
3. Research skills (library, web, database). Can get information on almost anything quickly using different media.
4. Ability to learn computer software quickly and apply these skills on the job almost immediately with little guidance, supervision, or formal training.
5. Good attitude – humble, willing to learn and get their hands dirty without complaining
6. Desktop publishing programs like Quark, Pagemaker, Indesign. A plus if the software skills come with some experience in creating different types of material – brochures, newsletters, book-length manuscripts, print advertisements, etc.
7. Database programs like Access
8. Spreadsheet programs like Excel
9. Presentation programs like Powerpoint
10. Skills using the various wizards and templates in MS Word. For example, how to produce mailing labels using a database, how to create PDF documents, how to do basic layout in lieu of a desktop publishing program.
11. Some graphic design skills using programs like Photoshop. See #6 above.
12. Web development and maintenance skills using pure HTML code or using software like Dreamweaver. Big plus if some experience building and maintaining websites. I won’t care if it is “just for a student group” at school.
13. Scanning photographs and documents using a digital scanner and manipulating the images using programs like Photoshop. Big plus if you have a basic knowledge of file types, color, composition, etc.
14. Using a digital camera
15. Experience creating PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat and producing PDFs from various software like MS Word, Quark, Indesign, etc. Big plus if some background working with printers in producing print publications and materials from PDF files and camera ready copy.
16. Some work experience that shows these skills in action. I won’t care if it is through a student organization, volunteer work or an internship. As long as these skills are up to date and were honed in practice and not just “book knowledge”
17. Some computer troubleshooting skills. Knowing what to do when a problem arises in software or hardware and how to fix it.
18. Some sales experience. Knowing how to sell oneself and one’s ideas and knowing how to gear one’s pitch to different audiences and personalities.
19. Has initiative. Not just someone who will wait for direction or orders but who will take it upon themselves to do the job and go beyond the parameters of the task to produce something excellent and remarkable.
20. Has some life experience under their belt. Employment while still in high school or part-time jobs held during college are always a plus for me. There is no such thing as a menial job in my book. Working in the cafeteria, a restaurant, bookstore, or the local hardware store are perfectly honorable jobs that shows character in a young person.
21. A sense of humor. Someone who knows when to take things seriously but who also knows when to lighten up, especially in high pressure, deadline-driven situations.
The beauty of it is that I think every student has within his or her grasp the resources and time to develop these skills and apply them experientially while still in school. Universities often offer free or low-cost training to students in computer skills and software. Student groups and volunteer opportunities abound for these skills to be used and honed in practice. And don’t forget work-study positions within the university itself!
Copyright 2005
posted by Liberal Arts Dude at 1:20 PM
6 Comments:
Read the blog and agree generally. I realized in going through your list that there are quite a few things there that are easy enough to pick up without having previous experience, though.
For example, I've had minimal experience with desktop publishing, but still was able to put together my class' graduation pamphlet using MS Publisher or maybe PageMaker. Since it worked roughly the same as Word, there was no learning curve involved.
Same for PowerPoint. The first time I had to make my own PowerPoint, it took no time at all because the interface and functionality is almost identical to a typical text editor. For this reason, I don't think previous experience in these areas is as important as others (basic word processing, database experience).
Maybe your list is geared a little towards your profession? I guess mine would be, too :-)
Unfortunately, the most important things I see on the list are also the most difficult to quantify. I can tell when I interview someone if they have Word experience, but I can't tell if they have the "ability to learn computer software quickly and apply these skills on the job almost immediately with little guidance, supervision, or formal training" or have a "good attitude – humble, willing to learn and get their hands dirty without complaining." Or have "initiative."
And of course everyone thinks they are good writers and copyeditors :-(
Getting back to the focus of your blog, how do you think students should acquire the skills on your list while in college (and I mean this philosophically)? Should the schools teach these skills in specific classes? Should all classes include a tech aspect? I would say yes, generally, but is it fair to ask a 60 year old tenured prof to adopt new technologies? I would say yes to this, too, if it adds hireability to the liberal arts education.
What say the Liberal Arts Dude?
11:24 AM
Hi Mike
Hey many thanks for your comments! Glad to hear from you. In a philosophical sense of how can these skills training be incorporated into a liberal arts education, what I would say is that the notion of a liberal arts degree needs to be reevaluated. Just thinking out loud -- if I had power in my hands to change things I would encourage universities to make computer skills training mandatory the way they make science, math, reading, writing, etc. courses mandatory. I would encourage partnerships between liberal arts departments and local tech schools, tech departments and computer-based training schools. The end result is that along with learning their courses, part of the liberal arts major is also learning skills like web development, Powerpoint, Word, dekstop publishing, etc. It need not be the liberal arts profs who would teach these courses but the trainers and teachers who are in partnership with the liberal arts departments. I think that sooner or later most students will be faced with having to learn these skills on their own anyway. Why not make it (1) early and (2) covered by the tuition they already pay for a Liberal Arts education? :-) In a perfect world I'd like to see technical certificates as solid options open to any Liberal Arts major as part of the package they already pay for in enrolling in college.
Liberal Arts Dude
12:08 PM
Hi Mike
To follow up -- making a Liberal Arts degree marketable in the job market doesn't just lie in changing the way education is taught. I think a huge step would have to be taken by students, themselves, to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps" if they want to be competitive in the job market with a Liberal Arts degree. So along with the changes from the top down I mention above, I also advocate change from the bottom up -- students becoming more career-focused and smarter in making choices in how they manage their time while they are college students. Do they choose to party a lot or do they choose to join student chapters of professional associations? Do they choose to devote their time to perfecting their skills writing academic papers or do they devote some time learning skills like HTML, Photoshop, etc? Do they volunteer with an end goal in mind something that develops their professional skills? A lot of the success individual students are gonna have in developing these skills lie in them taking the initiative and making professional development a priority.
Liberal Arts Dude
3:10 PM
The LAD says, "I would encourage partnerships between liberal arts departments and local tech schools, tech departments and computer-based training schools."
This is probably the best idea I've ever heard for improving universities (outside of actually making them more rigorous and intellectually demanding :-) If it were hard to graduate, a degree alone might be worth something.)
Here are 2 developments since our days in school. I love both ideas:
1) At UNLV, students are required to take an 'Intro to Information Technology' class, covering much of what you suggest in your blog entry.
2) Classes are often taught entirely in, or include a portion using, WebCT--an online instruction product.
Despite the controversy surrounding #2, I imagine it's very rare for students to graduate anymore without much higher degree of technology literacy than what I had out of college.
LAD also says: "A lot of the success individual students are gonna have in developing these skills lie in them taking the initiative and making professional development a priority."
This is why I think your blog is important. I agree entirely, and wish I had done this as an undergrad. But like so many others (including you, I think), I thought that as long as I got good grades and a degree, I'd be set. I wonder if the new generation of college-goers believes that, too.
4:46 PM
Hi Mike
Hey many thanks again! Your comment on the current generation of Liberal Arts students and the curriculum they have versus the way it was in our time technology-wise is giving me ideas on a possible story. Basically I would like to interview a current Liberal Arts student and get an idea of how teaching, curriculum, and the focus of universities has changed from the early 90s to today -- and if these changes reflect things I talk about in my blog and if these changes have helped at all making Liberal Arts students more marketable
Liberal Arts Dude
10:59 AM
Hey Liberal Arts Dude,
I am a recent ivy league graduate, and was an activist while in college for labor issues as well as LGBT issues. Currently, I'm looking for a job in the nonprofit sector. I have not been having very much luck...I wonder if this is because of the rather left orientation of my politics even for progressive nonprofits. Also, I didn't do any internships in college, but did volunteer at a homeless shelter and as an ESL teacher during the summers. Anyway, I am feeling a bit anxious about this all, and am starting to think I should go back to my college town and get a job in a bookstore or restaurant while doing an internship or volunteer work. I've been doing the informational interviews, and have been sending out applications via idealist.org. Do you have any suggestions or words of advice?
6:40 PM
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