Through extensive research of the literature on career readiness, work with the National Association of Colleges and Employers, discussions with faculty spearheaded by a special working group, and dialogue with a host of employers, the College of Arts and Sciences has identified twelve competencies that are taught throughout our curriculum. These competencies include:
Career competencies
Reasoning
Description
Recognizing ethical issues arising in a variety of settings or social contexts, reflecting on the ethical concerns that pertain to the issue, and choosing a course of action based on these reflections.
Sample behaviors
- Assess one’s own personal and moral values and perspectives as well as those of other stakeholders.
- Integrate these values and perspectives into an ethical framework for decision-making.
- Consider intentions and the short-and long-term consequences of actions and the ethical principles that apply in the situation before making decisions.
Description
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Sample behaviors
- Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment.
- Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
- Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
- Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
- Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders.
- Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.
Description
The process of designing, evaluating and implementing a workable strategy to achieve a goal.
Sample behaviors
- Recognize constraints.
- Generate a set of alternative courses of action.
- Evaluate alternatives using a set of criteria.
- Select and implement the most effective solution.
- Monitor the actual outcomes of that solution.
- Recognize there may be more than one valid point of view.
- Explore and create new ways of approaching problems.
Teamwork
Description
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Sample behaviors
- Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
- Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
- Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
- Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
- Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
- Plan, initiate, manage, complete and evaluate projects.
Description
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Sample behaviors
- Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
- Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
- Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
- Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
- Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
- Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks.
Description
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Sample behaviors
- Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
- Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
- Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
- Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
- Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
- Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
- Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.
Creativity
Description
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Sample behaviors
- Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
- Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
- Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
- Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
- Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
- Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.
- Pursue digital ways of knowing, learning and doing.
Description
Generating new, varied and unique ideas, and making connections between previously unrelated ideas. Combining established elements in a new way to create something new.
Sample behaviors
- Challenge existing paradigms and propose alternatives without being constrained by established approaches or anticipated responses of others.
- Employ their knowledge, skills, abilities, and sense of originality.
- Have a willingness to take risks and overcome internal struggle to expose one’s creative self in order to bring forward new work or ideas.
- Combine elements in new ways to create original pieces of work.
- Create new knowledge and innovate ways of knowing.
Description
Set a foundation for long-long learning built on resilience and curiosity with an emphasis on applied problem solving and navigating diverse settings and varied challenges.
Sample behaviors
- Become aware and reflective concerning one’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
- Build confidence in one’s ability to learn under one’s own direction.
- Build fortitude to adapt to new and varied relational, intellectual and structural settings.
- Foster curiosity and courage in learning new, unfamiliar, and intimidating bodies of knowledge.
Community
Description
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
Sample behaviors
- Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
- Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
- Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
- Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
- Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
- Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
- Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
- Address systems of privilege that limit opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities.
Description
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Sample behaviors
- Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
- Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
- Be present and prepared.
- Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
- Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
- Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
- Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
- Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
- Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
- Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
- Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
- Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
- Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.
- Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
- Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
- Seek and embrace development opportunities.
- Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.
Description
Develop a consciousness about one’s potential contributions and roles in the many communities one inhabits, in person and online, and takes action accordingly.
Sample behaviors
- Actively engage with the communities in which they are involved.
- Build awareness of how communities impact individuals, and how, in turn, an individual impacts, serves, and shapes communities.
- Evolve their awareness of culture and power in community dynamics.
Career readiness is for everyone
The simple truth is our students spend more time with faculty than with any of the College’s career coaches. By integrating competencies into your classrooms, you are democratizing access to career readiness.
Contact our Associate Director of Career and Academic Integration, Sarah Schmitt, to request a virtual consultation to explore possible approaches to integrating career competencies into your existing courses.
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