7 Important Skills Not Always Found on a Resume

By Maura Gergerich, Peer Advisor

1. Be a team player

Most jobs will require you to work with your co-workers on projects and activities. You will rarely find an office that sticks their employees in a cubicle with a stack of papers to fend for themselves. Everybody knows that one person who may be so qualified for a job, but gets looked over because people don’t like to work with them. Learning how to work on a team is essential (yet we all know it’s not always easy). Work on being able to organize and collect ideas from multiple people. It is also a good idea to know how to step up and lead a group without micromanaging or being a control freak (no one likes feeling led by a dictator). 

2. Flexibility is important

Being able to adapt to new situations is an important life skill in and out of the work force. If you are a dependable worker and can stay such no matter what is thrown your way, you become such a valuable asset to your employer. Every office has a certain daily routine but it’s when things get crazy that the most aid is needed and it is important that your coworkers can rely on you in these situations.

3. Creative thinking

While it is important that you fit in with the routine of a company, it is also good to be able to bring something fresh to the table. Employers generally like having outside minds to give feedback and especially if you are new to a position, you still have an outsider’s impression. Innovation happens when things keep moving forward and your ideas are what push things to the next level.

4. Effective communication

You may have the most brilliant ideas of your generation, but if you don’t know how to communicate them effectively they will most likely fall by the wayside. Aside from articulating yourself you should also be a good listener and be attentive in your body language.

5. Problem solving

Unless you’re a supervisor or CEO it may not always be your job to solve office problems, but if you are able to find solutions to unexpected issues without overstepping your boundaries, you become a valuable asset to your workplace.

6. Accepting constructive criticism

This is crucial to any field in life. Every idea you present will receive feedback from your employer and possibly even your peers so knowing how to accept suggestions and incorporate them without getting defensive is a must. You should also be able to give feedback on other’s ideas so that your suggestions are constructive criticism rather than just criticism.

7. Confidence!

Whatever you do for a living and whatever degrees you have, confidence is a major selling point. Whether it’s in an interview or on the job itself, make sure to always smile and keep your head high.

Using Pathbrite to Build Your Online Portfolio

By: Robert Vanisko
Part of the Career Toolbox Series 

While resumes are very crucial to getting a job, most of the time they do not tell the full story of who you are and what you can contribute to a particular job.  This is especially true for people with creative majors.  Don’t you wish there was a way for creative people to show off their writing and design samples without having to create an entire portfolio from scratch? Luckily for you, there is. 

Pathbrite is an online service that allows you to build an online portfolio in just a few quick and easy steps.  Pathbrite gives you different options for what type of portfolio you want, including Professional, Academic, and Freestyle.  When making a Pathbrite portfolio, you receive prompts that tell you exactly what to include in your portfolio.  For example, the first step in a professional portfolio is to upload your resume, followed by a prompt to upload something that represents your professional skills, which could include a writing sample, design sample, etc. 

Pathbrite takes you step by step until you have a completed portfolio full of diverse materials.  These materials should adequately represent the skill set that you want your potential employer to see.  As a Public Relations Major, my Pathbrite portfolio includes my resume, my design samples from Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, a Press Release, and a Backgrounder.  Therefore my own portfolio reflects my graphic design skills, writing skills, and work experience that shows that I have used those skills in a work setting before.

The portfolios are very easy to send to any employer and can go a long way in differentiating you from other candidates for a particular job.  This is also a very good networking tool as well.  If you are giving an elevator pitch to your dream employer and don’t have too much time to get all of your qualifications across, it is always good to have the URL to your Pathbrite portfolio ready to go so you can have all of best work available in an instant.

Overall, Pathbrite is a great tool to use and can be a key factor in separating yourself from the rest of the pack when applying for a job.  To view a sample Pathbrite, click here. For those of you looking for additional information on how a portfolio can help your job search, you can refer to this blog post.