Using Communication to Become Career Ready

Harvard Business School recently executed a study to determine the critical leadership competencies required for those entering the workforce. Many employers find that recent graduates who are interviewing with, or entering their organizations, are not “career ready”. They lack the vital skills that will immediately help them to be successful and beneficial to the company. As the critical link between your ideas and the rest of the world, communication arguably influences every step you take toward success.  It is so important that it directly drives five out of the top seven valued skills revealed in the study.  Clearly, “what you know” is not nearly as important to potential employers as how you communicate your knowledge and ideas with others.

KEY COMMUNICATION BASED COMPETENCIES:

INSPIRES AND MOTIVATES OTHERS: Honesty, vision, clarity… all essential for leadership.   Without the ability to share your vision, build trust and motivate others toward shared goals, not much happens.

DISPLAYS HIGH INTEGRITY AND HONESTY: Each of us displays who we really are when our actions match our words.  Congruency, through communication, is essential to leadership at any level.

DRIVES FOR RESULTS: None of us achieves anything alone in the workplace.  Every success or advancement depends on our ability to build a commitment to results - not just for ourselves, but for others. That only happens when you stop talking about what we need to do individually and start focusing on what the team needs in order to succeed.

COMMUNICATES POWERFULLY AND PROLIFICALLY: Enough said.

BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS: Try building or maintaining a relationship without a focus on communication.  It is key in every relationship you’ll ever have and your career is no exception.

There are a number of competencies vital to your career.  Each requires time, effort and the willingness to develop and communication skills are no exception.  As a young professional, seek opportunities to present, participate in meetings, and to publically share ideas. Remember to speak clearly, concisely, using authority and the proper energy.

You can learn more about tapping into your communication power by exploring SelfLink.com. This eLearning platform features nine, 2-3 minute modules on communication, including authority, energy, body, voice, connection, visuals, messaging, conference calls and visual image. The videos are designed to provide awareness of the key communication fundamentals that will be helpful as you interact with customers and internal associates, conduct meetings or even lead your first business presentation.

For employers and college career service centers, SelfLink.com can also be a perfect onboarding tool to educate your new talent entering the workforce on the importance of “how you show up”, how you communicate, how you connect, and how communication contributes to career readiness.  We encourage everyone to continuously hone their skills and the findings in this latest study are a good reminder of what companies are seeking.