Despite being one of the most popular majors at UNT and colleges all across the country, students with Liberal Arts degrees frequently underestimate their career prospects after graduation. Career Services professionals are no strangers to meeting with Liberal Arts students who think that becoming a teacher or going to graduate school are their only real options. While either of those choices are certainly noble and worthy endeavors, the skills attained by earning a degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences are highly valued by employers in all sectors of the job market.
Soft Skills Are In Demand
The hiring managers and recruiters who visit our campus for career fairs and networking events regularly mention Soft Skills as one of the most desirable qualities in potential employees. Soft Skills can be defined as “personal habits and traits that define how you work, both on your own and with others.” These particular skills are considered important because they allow employers to hire based on a candidate’s aptitude for thinking critically, problem solving, and adapting to new responsibilities or job duties. Basically, evidence of impressive Soft Skills allows an employer to evaluate a candidate based on what they are capable of learning – as opposed to limiting that decision to what an individual already knows. All companies have very unique and specific systems for conducting their work. Hiring students with Soft Skills, like Liberal Arts majors, gives hiring managers confidence that their new employees will be able to learn, adapt, and succeed within the structure of their organizations.
Here are some of the top-rated soft skills that employers are looking for in applicants:
Communication (90% of hiring managers rated this as an important skill for recent graduates.)
Excellent communication skills are a valuable tool in any industry. Marketing, copywriting, and public relations professionals need to communicate at high levels to engage the public. Even in the world of tech and engineering, communication skills are essential. A Liberal Arts major may not be able to write code or design a robotic vacuum, but if they can communicate to the general public how to use an new app or how a engineered product will make their lives better, then they have proven their worth to the company.
Critical Thinking (84% of hiring managers rated this as an important skill.)
Liberal Arts majors do a lot of reading. Participating in class discussions over assigned readings and writing analytical term papers help improve students’ critical thinking skills. Employers value individuals with the ability think critically because they can solve problems and find ways to improve work processes.
Ability to Work Independently (85% of hiring managers rated this as an important skill.)
The ability to work independently has likely never been as important as it is in the world of COVID-19. Employers place a high value on individuals who can manage their workloads remotely – or with minimal supervision. Students with a Liberal Arts background are typically adept at working independently due to their experience researching and writing term papers – or creating class presentations.
Micro-Internships Add Practical Experience to Your Resume
Liberal Arts students possess the skills required to succeed in the corporate world, but their biggest challenge is often talking about how what they’ve learned in academia will be an asset to a potential employer. One way to overcome this challenge is by accumulating experiences that will show students how their academic training directly translates to a real-world work setting. UNT’s partnership with Parker Dewey gives students the chance to apply for, and complete, Micro-Internships that can upgrade their resumes with relevant experiences, while also reinforcing that the skills they’ve developed in college have value in the workplace.
Here are a few Micro-Internships previously listed, or currently available, through UNT’s partnership with Parker Dewey:
The Second Stylus/The Path Network | Washington, D.C., DC
DATES 10/15/2020 — 04/01/2021
PAYMENT $90.00
DESIRED SKILLS: Copywriting; Content Creation
PCC Platform Manual | Washington, DC
DATES 09/15/2020 — 09/30/2020
PAYMENT $450.00
DESIRED SKILLS: Technical Writing; Graphic Design
Product Digital Field Guide | Kansas City, MO
DATES 07/10/2020 — 07/27/2020
PAYMENT $360.00
DESIRED SKILLS: Editing; Technical Writing; Graphic Design; Digital Publishing
Strategic Partner Identification | Waterville, ME
DATES 06/01/2020 — 06/18/2020
PAYMENT $360.00
DESIRED SKILLS: Research
Learn more about all the various alternatives to internships that the Career Center offers.
