Top 3 soft skills employers want you to have

City Year skills that translate well to a career

Your GPA and resume may secure you the interview, but they may not get you the job. 77% of employers want you to have soft skills to ensure you’re a well-rounded candidate.

So, what exactly are soft skills?

Soft skills are those intangible skills that are more difficult to put on your resume. They are a window into your personality; The skills that show your ability to adapt, problem solve and work with others.

A recent study by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that the top 3 soft skills that employers are looking for, in order of importance are:

1. Ability to work in a team structure
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems
3. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization

When you land the interview, employers will expect you to provide them with real-world examples. They’ll be looking for past experiences and training programs that have helped you develop these skills.

As a top leadership development program, City Year provides more than 3,000 AmeriCorps members (ages 18-25) each year with 11 months of intensive skill-building to help gain those top 3 soft skills.

Teamwork:
By working in diverse teams of 8-15 young adults for the duration of the year, you’ll learn to collaborate as a team to help students and schools succeed as well as learn how to value diverse perspectives and resolve conflicts in constructive ways.

Problem-Solving:
By working in under-resourced schools and with students who are at-risk of falling behind their peers academically, you’ll learn how to think critically, solve problems and make well-informed, ethical decisions to help students reach their full potential.

Communication:
By interacting with students, teachers, school administrators, parents, community members and other AmeriCorps Members, you’ll become an expert at clearly and effectively articulating your thoughts and ideas orally and in writing, as well as how to tailor them to each specific audience.

Find out more by meeting Staci, City Year alumna, whose soft skills landed her a dream job as a consultant for Deloitte.

Ready to serve with City Year? Connect with us today:

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