Today was an impactful day. We started the day with a lecture from Ellie Doyle before heading to a tour of Croke stadium. She gave us many insights about the job market and creating a personal brand from her experience with Talent Hub. One of the key takeaways that I had from her presentation was the importance of soft skill development. Soft skills (or essential skills) are skills that are not the technical things that are taught to you in school. While I was familiar with the importance of soft skills before, I was surprised by the list of top skills that were presented, and the fact that almost all of them were soft skills.
Looking at the importance of soft skills, I have recently reflected on the soft skills that I possess. One soft skill that I possess is customer service skills. These skills were developed over time through working with patrons at my local library and customers at McDonald’s when I was younger. This skill will allow me to understand and work with clients in a better and more professional manner as I go into my potential future employment in public accounting. Another soft skill that I have is leadership. Leadership was a hard skill to learn and possess, yet I believe I have developed this skill over my academic career. In group projects and during class, I attempt to step up and ask the questions that I need, in addition to organizing and distributing group project details and overlooking assignments. This is an important skill to have in any career as it allows you to stand out among your peers and also progress your career into a future management role.
My personal brand is also important to consider before going into the workforce. After giving this important topic much thought, I believe my personal brand includes the strive to help others. This is prevalent through my past work experiences, such as my positions of Tutor, New Student Ambassador, and as a peer. These positions have allowed me to work towards helping others in direct and indirect ways. This mission and brand is something that I hope to continue as I enter the workforce.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed and learned much from the lecture today. I look forward to learning more during this visit.