4 soft skills you should develop for your future career | iQ Thrive Academy

Having the right soft skills can give you the edge in getting the job you want when you graduate. You’ve got the knowledge you need from your degree, but you’ll need to know how to work in an office, ask for what you want and be confident in yourself as a professional.

When we spoke to upReach alumni Joseph at the launch of the iQ Thrive Academy, he told us that one great thing he learned during the programme was to “focus less on the job title and focus more on the skills of a role and what you want to develop”.

But what are the skills you should focus on building when at university? Here are some soft skills you should develop in preparation for your future career.

Learn to network

When we caught up with upReach alumni Tiegan, she shared that networking was a huge benefit from the upReach programme. Building the right connections helps you to get a foot into the door of the career opportunities that you want, and can even open your eyes to avenues you might not have thought existed.  Networking can be as simple as striking conversations with people you meet at events, or even online. The more you start these conversations, the more confident you'll become. 

“Networking is crucial for any career path and is one of the key soft skills that upReach helped me with."

"Of course, some networking opportunities do fit that criteria and they serve a purpose, but not every opportunity looks like this. Networking can be done by messaging someone on LinkedIn, by emailing someone at your university or organisation who is doing something you’re interested in, by attending webinars or workshops about topics you’re fascinated by and then talking to the person next to you."

"It’s really just the ability to build up a group of people by having conversations - that you can rely on for different purposes - and that can rely on you too as a member of their network. Without networking, I wouldn’t have done half of the things I’ve done so far in my career, because I wouldn't have even heard about certain opportunities if a member of my network hadn’t shared them with me.” – Tiegan, upReach alumni

Learn to work as a team

There aren’t many jobs you’ll find where you have to work completely on your own. Learning to work with others effectively is vital for your future career. Showing that you know what good teamwork is will put you ahead of the competition. It means learning to trust other people, being open to ideas and supporting one another in an encouraging way.

You’ll likely work on a group project at uni where you’ll need to collaborate well with others. Make a note of how you worked and whether this was effective - you can use this in future interviews. Part time jobs and internships can also provide you with the opportunity to learn better team working habits, giving the experience you need to be an effective team player.

Learn to ask meaningful questions

upReach alumni Joseph shares that “the ability to ask meaningful questions is important. There are so many times a meeting goes by and you don't ask the right questions, so you don't know where to start with the task at hand. It’s also important to make your presence known in the right rooms with the right people and asking questions can help with that.” 

To ask the right questions, you’ll need to start off with good listening. Pay attention to what other people are saying, think about consequences and look for gaps that need to be filled. Ask the right questions to the right people.

You can start off by getting involved in your seminars, finding potential gaps in readings or exploring links between different ideas. Getting involved in these kinds of group set ups will help you to feel more confident in asking questions later in your career.  

Learn to be flexible

The workplace can change day to day. Technology alone is evolving quickly - a lot of us had to quickly adapt to new ways of working and studying during COVID. Your future role could transform over time. Being ready and able to adapt will help you to continue thriving in your career over time.  

Knowing how to stay calm when things change is something most employers will look for. Having an open mind and a wide skillset will help you to take on the challenges that come your way.

Think about the ways that you’ve already had to adapt – virtual learning, changes in management, working with a group for the first time – and consider how these show that you’re flexible.

Getting involved and jumping into as many opportunities as possible can help you gain the wide range of skills that help you to be flexible. Be open minded, ask around for opportunities and keep tabs on event pages and student union activity.