Useful Uni Lessons That Will Prepare You For Working Life - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Useful Uni Lessons That Will Prepare You For Working Life Regardless of the topic or subject, you choose to study at uni, the uni experience, in general, will help you massively later on in life. Of course, there are the benefits of living independently and all those lessons of being a grown-up, but the most beneficial parts of going to University are the transferable skills which you will develop and probably never forget which will be invaluable when it comes to starting your career and even interviewing for jobs. Time management When you enter the world of work, time management is essential; you have eight hours in the day to get your job done and just five days in the week, so you need to be able to prioritise and manage your workload. Going to University will teach you this without you even realising. Spending the first term all over the place and enjoying yourself a bit too much will show you very quickly that unless you learn to manage your time correctly, then you will miss deadlines or find yourself staying up all night to get work finished which is no fun for anyone and will not produce your best work. Organisation Similar time management, you will develop organisation skills which are essential when you enter the world of work. You will need to be able to handle the pressure of working on several tasks at the same time, which at uni, you will have to do as youll likely have several different modules. You might also have a part-time job youll need to go to too as well as hobbies and societies, and if you can juggle all these things effectively, youll get ahead in any career. Research As you enter the world of work, you will find that employers highly value people who can conduct proper research and find accurate and reliable information to use in projects and reports. At University youll be required to research a lot, so you will develop these skills quickly and in the future be a valuable member of the team. Networking This is an essential skill to have, and if you dont, then once you are working, youll soon notice that you feel a bit out of place. Its such a good skill to have to be able to chat with people you dont know, go to events and introduce yourself and find out about other people at the same time. At uni, youll have the opportunity to join groups and societies and doing this will massively help you in your future career. Building Relationships In A Team In your career therell always be people you dont necessarily get along with but you have to work with and through study group discussions, group projects and presentations, you will learn essential skills which will help in future to make a workplace meeting run more smoothly, build client relationships or improve colleague and office relations. Presenting Ideas In almost every job, you will probably have to do a presentation or write a report. At uni you will become a pro at disseminating ideas into an easily-digestible format, youll have experience making presentations to people, writing assignments and talking to a group of people. Reasoning Reasoning is another skill that you will develop without even knowing it because as you study, you have to evaluate a resource or researching a topic. Being able to weigh up the pros and cons of a project, client or product are invaluable in any workplace. Decision-Making Every assignment you do at uni is the result of hundreds of small decisions, including your choice of words, your argument and the resources you use. You wont even realise youre doing it, but youll be making important decisions constantly and learning from them too. This is an invaluable skill that in the workplace youll soon notice if people arent able to do it, as therell be a tonne of more significant workplace decisions to be made which you will be able to do with ease. Persuasion Persuasion skills are essential in many day-to-day workplace meetings and pitches for new business. You will naturally develop these skills as you build your case when writing essays and taking part in discussions. Overcoming Obstacles Youll inevitably encounter obstacles along the way as a student, perhaps a bad grade, a dull topic or confusion around a subject. It might seem hard at the time, but the skills you develop as you overcome each obstacle will be invaluable. Self-motivation At University you are required to do a lot of work in your own time, and off your own back, the ability to keep your passion and motivation going can be difficult, but a potential employer looking at your CV is sure to value this. Making The Most Of Opportunities Its vital that you can use your initiative in work and University, you will not have you hand-held and not always be told what to do. Its critical that youre on the ball and that youre making the most of everything thats offered to you. Whether its a SMARTY student SIM that youre entitled to for cheaper calls or its extracurricular activities that will help you in your course, showing that you make the most of opportunities that come your way to improve your work is a really great skill to have. Confidence As a student, you will grow in confidence, the more you conquer difficult topics and learn to express yourself in discussions and reports. This might not be something you can measure as a skill, but confidence will always be essential when youre going to interviews. Problem Solving From going to uni, youll be able to cite a number of problems you have had to overcome while you studied. Listening This is a skill often underappreciated, but as a student, you will develop your listening skills naturally as you listen to lectures or have one-on-one time with tutors and support. This is an excellent skill for managing others and working as part of a team.