Employers are looking for soft skills (the ability to interact effectively and efficiently with others) in every interview candidate. Skills related to your field or major are critical to a job and in some fields required (medical, engineering, etc.) but equal to those industry-related skills are ones which set you and your colleagues up for success. Enter soft skills. Liberal Arts institutions are masters at incorporating these soft skills in their curriculum, classes, activities, communities, and organizations.
Some even argue liberal arts would change entire business model’s, because of the context and well-rounded education received. When looking at a college and university institution to attend, always consider a Liberal Arts institution in your mix. Your skill set for success in the workplace upon graduation could depend on it!
Employers Want Both Broad Knowledge and Specific Skills
Check out the following ranges of knowledge and skills and which ones are are more important for recent graduates who want to pursue advancement and long-term career success:
Source: https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/nchems.pdf
- 16% of Employers want: Knowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position.
- 29% of Employers want: A range of knowledge and skills that apply to a range of fields or positions.
- 55% of Employers want: Both field-specific knowledge and skills and a broad range of knowledge and skills
Ten Most In-Demand Soft Skills in the Workplace
“An IBM study reported that even though an estimated 120 million workers worldwide will need to be retrained as a result of AI and automation in the next three years, executives named adaptability, time management and collaboration as some of the most important skills to hire for in today’s workforce.”
- Growth mindset: An ability to learn continuously and willingness to adapt to change
- Creativity: Developing new ideas, applying new solutions to address existing problems
- Focus mastery: Harnessing concentration to make better short- and long-term decisions
- Innovation: Improving upon an existing idea, concept, process or method to achieve a desired outcome
- Communication skills: Interpreting information though speaking, listening and observing
- Storytelling: Organizing thoughts and data points into a comprehensive, holistic narrative
- Culture awareness: Ability to effectively interact, work and develop meaningful relationships with those of various cultural backgrounds within the organization
- Critical thinking: Objective analysis and evaluation in order to form a judgment on a topic
- Leadership: Providing guidance within an organization
- Emotional intelligence: Practicing control, expression and observation of interpersonal relationships among people in a workplace
Top 15 Professions of Liberal Arts Graduates
What type of careers and professions do Liberal Arts institutions lead to? Here are the top 15:
- Elementary and Middle School Teachers
- Lawyers, Judges, Magistrates
- Managers
- Postsecondary Teachers
- Chief Executives and Legislators
- Education Administrators
- Social Workers
- Secondary School Teachers
- Counselors
- Sales Representatives
- Clergy
- Retail Sales Supervisors
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Accountants and Auditors
- Marketing and Sales Managers
Source: https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/nchems.pdf
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