Organisation
Being able to prioritise your workload and divide your time effectively is important in any role. Managing your revision and splitting your time between your subjects during your exams are good examples of this.
Any part-time work you’ve done in the past will also have required you to organise your time in some way – particularly in sectors such as retail and hospitality – so be sure to mention this.
Confidence
Confidence is important to employers as in most jobs you’ll be required to deal with people – either face to face or over the phone. You’ll need to have confidence in yourself as well as in your colleagues and the company in order to be able to deal with tricky situations such as customer complaints or to convince potential clients that your company can fulfil their needs.
However, confidence shouldn’t be confused with arrogance, which recruiters find off-putting. If you’re naturally shy or get nervous easily, there are some tricks you can use to help you. Public speaking is a good way to build up your confidence, whether you’re shy or not.
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are all about your ability to get on with people. They are important across all areas of work as you’ll need to be able to work successfully with your boss and your colleagues, as well as any clients or customers.
The interview itself will be the first big test of this but you should have been building up these skills all your life so there’s no need to worry. Examples of times when you’ve had to meet new people (eg the start of uni) can be useful to demonstrate your ability.
Ability to meet deadlines
Getting the work done on time is paramount to employers, yet this skill is often overlooked by applicants. However, the business world couldn’t operate if everyone got stuff done late so arming yourself with some good examples can really help your application.
Exam and coursework deadlines might spring to mind but try to think a bit more broadly. While they may seem obvious, applicants often overlook these key skills and neglect to include them on CVs and application forms. Being fluent in Russian or having an encyclopaedic knowledge of the solar system is of no consequence to employers if they don’t think you’re capable of the basics.
Coming up with a few examples of times you’ve demonstrated these abilities will really help, whether they come from part-time jobs, your education or extra-curricular activities such as clubs, societies or teams. If you’re finding it tricky, speak to your friends or family – your mum’s bound to be able to come up with a few, even if you’d rather your prospective employer didn’t know about them.
Related links
The first five tips that’ll get you a job
yougo Jobs
TARGETjobs website
Part-time job finder
A–Z of university jobshops
Things you can do if you’re shy
Work experience advice
Think ahead for creative careers
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Job seeking tips
Decisions, decisions
What recruiters are loooking for
Interview tips
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