by Elizabeth Campbell
Skills you learn during college sometimes seem like they will be of no use to you once you leave, however many of the skills you develop are useful once you enter the workplace. Here are some of the most valuable skills that you can transfer from the classroom to the workplace.
- Take notes and be attentive. Not only is this important in class when you are learning new material and your professor is giving you information that will most likely be used in an assignment, it is also important at work. When your boss, or a coworker, is giving you a task and telling you how they want you to complete it, pay attention and take notes. Don’t just assume you will remember everything said. Most times you will not, and it will look bad on your behalf if you don’t take the time to write down what the person wants you to do.
- Be on time. If you go to a teacher at the end of the semester with a less than perfect grade that you are looking to improve, that teacher is more likely to help you out if you are on time in their class every day. If you are consistently showing up late to their class, they will feel disrespected and not want to give the extra help to you. The same goes in the workplace. The people who are on time and putting in the effort at work are going to be the ones that the boss asks to do important assignments. The workers that show up late every day and seem inattentive during meetings will be the last person on the boss’s mind when looking for help on a project.
- Ask for help. In the work place, some people think that it is a bad thing to ask for help from other coworkers, and like they will get in trouble. However, most people would rather you ask them for help than for a project to turn out poorly because you were too afraid to ask for help. In the classroom, asking for help is vital to passing the class, so why wouldn’t asking for help be vital for exceeding at a job? Some of the best leaders turn to their advisors and friends for help, it isn’t something to be ashamed about. Your professors may also take note of your extra effort to do well in their class and when you go to them at the end of the semester looking to improve your grade with the final exam or assignment, that professor will remember how hard you worked in their class to get a good grade, and will be more willing to help you out.
All of these are ways to succeed in both your jobs and during your time in college.
The best part about these tips is that none of them are difficult to implement. If you are always late, set your watch 15 minutes ahead of time so you will be early. If you struggle paying attention and taking notes, recognize your weakness and make an effort to constantly work on improving the skill.
And if asking for help seems like something to be ashamed of, it isn’t! It is better to ask for help than fail at the task you are working on, and people will be more likely to remember how you succeeded at your project than the fact that you asked for help while working on it.