Job and internship season is in full swing and that means making sure your communication skills are up to par. Do you have what it takes to be an effective communicator? Find out below:
1. Be Helpful
Being helpful goes a long way in the job market. If someone is offering their help with something, they genuinely want to learn and grow and collaborate. Asking questions and knowing why is also important to your growth. This can introduce you to more upper level work and shows a lot of motivation and resourcefulness as an employee. Ask yourself and your boss/employer what being resourceful means to them and what their expectations are for someone in that role. And if you have a positive attitude, that takes you even further!
2. Always say 'Thank you'
I can not stress the importance of saying thank you. In every situation, try to say thank you as much as possible because technically, no one is required to help you. They are helping out of the kindness of their heart and because it is part of their job. I wouldn’t have built the connections that I have today if I had not said thank you and been willing to help with anything. Going out of your way to say thank you shows that you appreciate two-way communication and value the other person.
3. Be an Empathetic Listener
Too often people feel that they have to shout or talk over others to be heard. It’s exhausting. Instead, it’s so important to sometimes sit back and listen to what others have to say and not discourage other people’s opinions. Not having respect for other opinions just makes it uncomfortable for you, the person being disrespected, and the entire team. Don’t be the one person that ruins it for everyone else because you think your ideas are more important than everyone else. We’re all here to learn, grow, and continue to do our job better as effective communicators.
4. There's no "I" in Team
Applying for jobs and internships is a very humbling process. The worst way to come across is to be a know-it-all. It’s so important to be very thankful for the experiences that you have had and really rely on your colleagues and professors for help and advice. You wouldn’t be where you are without the help of other people. This is why I say there’s no “I” in team. Be proud of how far you’ve come, but also realize there’s so much further you still have to go on your professional journey.
5. Choose Your Channels
In college, we know that Groupme is the primary form of communication for all college organizations. But did you know, there’s another really great professional messaging platform? It’s called Slack and it allows professionals to send quick messages to each other outside of email. Slack is super useful for asking questions about a task from a boss and sending large media files that are too big to send over email. You can also message a variety of teams and groups at the same time. One way to impress your future employer is practicing your professional email skills and developing your formal writing.
Lastly, besides working the nine to five, make sure to enjoy your experience and let your personality shine through.
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