So, you’re a graduating senior on the hunt for your first “big-girl” job.” First of all, congrats! Embarking on your career journey is a huge milestone in your life as you step away from the role you’ve had your whole life as a student. Up to this point, college has taught you the “hard” skills you’re going to need for your first job — specialized talents, industry-specific vocabulary, and possibly even certain softwares or programs. But what about the soft skills you need to succeed in your first job?
Soft skills aren’t specific programs or competencies you learn, but rather characteristics, traits, and qualities you have as an individual. These skills are what ultimately determine the type of employee you are going to be — they determine how you’re going to show up in the workplace, tackle new or difficult tasks, and interact with the rest of your team. It’s not just important to have soft skills in order to be a good employee, but also in order to set yourself up for success early on in your career.
So if you landed your first “big girl job” and are preparing to make the switch from student to staff member, here are some important soft skills you should master that will help you succeed early on in your career, according to multiple experts.
Discernment
Discernment essentially means having good judgment. In the workplace, this can mean focusing on what’s most important in your work. “Before I ever worked in tech, I learned my most important career lessons on a pork factory floor in rural Ireland, watching my dad manage a production line for decades. He used to say listen to the thunder, his way of reminding me that not all noise is worth reacting to, and that knowing what actually matters is a career superpower,” Dervilla Lannon, Vice President of People at Verkada, tells Her Campus. So block out the noise, and focus on what’s relevant.
Leadership
In the event you are promoted or put in charge of something at work (a good sign for you as an employee), you may be put in a leadership position where you are in charge of a team of people. An employee with leadership skills is able to delegate and guide others. This will affect the success of your operations and prove you are not just a good worker at your specific job, but also that you can manage others to succeed as well.
“Being a strong leader can mean taking initiative, offering to support or guide others in your workplace, being a listening ear to someone who needs help with an issue, volunteering to lead a meeting or share a new insight with your team, and of course, leading by example. Being respectful, humble, and mindful of others are other strong qualities of a leader,” Tianna Faye Soto, a keynote speaker on leadership, says. “Remember, you don’t always have to be in the spotlight, in the highest position, or the loudest voice in the room. Quiet leadership matters too!”
Attention To Detail
Having good attention to detail means you produce high quality work that is completed accurately and with no errors. “One of the simplest ways to show attention to detail is in your emails and written communications,” Allison King, professional resume writer and career coach at King Career Services says. “You could be judged for typos, a cover letter addressed to the wrong person, or a too-casual email sent to your new boss. Run everything through a spell-checker or writing assistant tool, and read it out loud before you click send. This protects your professional reputation while you’re still building it.”
Adaptability & Flexibility
In many fields, things can change on a dime. The quick nature of certain jobs means you need to be adaptable and are able to pivot at any point. “Many students are surprised to realize how quickly things can change in the workplace; from needing to learn new systems and ways of doing things to devoting lots of time to one project only to be asked to rapidly switch to another. Demonstrating that you’re adaptable, flexible, and can be open-minded to change will show your employer that you’re a team player who is ready to pivot,” Soto says. “It may be difficult at times, but a great way to practice this is by practicing acceptance around things you cannot change, and reminding yourself that change doesn’t have to be a negative or stressful thing.”
Accepting Feedback
Things are bound to go wrong at some point in your career, and when they do, you may get feedback on how to improve in the future. A good employee doesn’t let this feedback discourage them, but rather uses it to strengthen themselves and their work. “When heading into your first job, focus on learning to filter feedback without catastrophizing or losing humility. When things go wrong (and they will), remember … stay resilient, assume positive intent, and don’t spiral over setbacks,” Lannon says.
Time Management
Time management means you are able to allot a certain amount of time to make sure each task gets done, while also making sure you are on track and ensuring deadlines are met. This can involve having good judgement and deciding what tasks deserve higher or lower amounts of attention, and distinguishing which tasks that are more or less of a priority to complete first. “Time management is what many professionals think is most important, but energy management is what ensures the highest productivity at a sustainable pace,” Meredith Turney, Founder and Principal of Via Conscia says. “The most successful early-career professionals learn when they do their best thinking, when they need breaks, and how to pace themselves instead of running on survival, which leads to burnout.”
Dependability
Dependability means you are reliable, that your employer can trust that you are consistent and will be present when you are needed. “Your first job isn’t about proving you’re perfect. It’s about learning fast, showing grit, and becoming someone others trust. The habits you build early will matter more as you progress in your career,” Lannon says. This can mean being on time, accountable, available, and a person of your word.
Creativity & Innovation
Creativity and innovation also go hand in hand. Both of these skills mean that you are an outside of the box thinker who can bring something new to the table and develop new ideas that could have desirable outcomes or solve an issue that the company is faced with. Creativity and innovation add value, insight, and imagination into your ideas. “It’s clear our world is changing and growing rapidly, especially with the development of AI. This is going to require students and young professionals to be even more creative and find ways to innovate without leaning on technology to generate all of the ideas for them. Tried-and-true ways to lean into your creativity include spending time in nature, leaning into the mind-body connection, allowing your mind to wander (yes, it’s really a thing that has been studied!), and making time for fun brainstorms,” Soto says. “It’s especially important to carve out time and space for you to get creative without fear of judgment. The best ideas come from when you’re being authentic and letting your imagination run wild.”
Integrity
This one is major. An employer wants someone they can trust — and when I say trust, I mean not just to get the job done, but to also trust in general when it comes to their character. An employer should trust you and feel you have the company’s best interest at heart, especially when it comes to handling sensitive information that is presented to you. Having integrity means you are honest, which also allows the employer to trust you more. “The reason trust comes first is your boss has a boss too. They are trying to prove their worth to their boss and succeed just like the rest of us. They feel better about where they stand with their own boss when they trust your work, your reliability and your judgment,” Ellen Raim, CEO of People Matter LLC says.
Willingness to learn
Just because you are no longer a student, that doesn’t mean the learning should stop. Even outside of your career, you should always strive to continue to learn more and grow as a person, and this includes in the work place too. “This may seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how often young professionals aren’t willing to grow and learn — and employers take notice. An easy way to develop this skill is to regularly seek out new information, knowledge, and skills at your job — even if something doesn’t seem directly related, or isn’t necessarily “on your plate,” being curious and inquisitive will go a long way and signal to your employer that you’re interested in growing, Soto says. “Asking for feedback, seeking out 1:1 meetings with people in other departments, asking what you can do better, etc. are all great ways to practice this soft skill.”
Financial and Resource Literacy
Being financially literate is something that can help you throughout your life, not just during your first job. However, because of how important it is to have this skill, the earlier you start to learn it, the better off you will be. When starting your first job, it is important to know how you will be compensated beyond your paycheck (because yes, there is more and they are called benefits). “Mastering financial and resource literacy is an underrated soft skill for anyone entering their first full-time job. Your salary is just one part of what you are actually earning. Your benefits are part of your compensation, too,” Harlyn Kassardjian, director of strategy and business operations at Betterment at Work tells Her Campus. “Things like 401(k) matching, employer-sponsored emergency fund, HSA/FSA accounts, and wellness perks are basically free money and support, but some young professionals leave them untouched because they are not always easy to understand.” Make use of all the resources provided to you, they are meant to help you thrive in different areas of your life in and outside of your job. “Dig into the educational resources your employer provides. Many companies offer free access to financial advisors, tax consultants, legal services, or even one-on-one benefits counseling. These tools are meant to support you in navigating major financial decisions for the first time,” Kassardjian adds.
Professionalism
When starting your career, you always want to demonstrate professionalism — which, TBH, can be hard to define. There is a general standard in terms of what professionalism means while at work, but it’s also dependent on workplace culture. “One of the eight competencies employers consistently mark as highly important in their new employees is professionalism,” Jocelyn Coalter, senior director of career and leadership development at St. John’s University says. “This includes characteristics such as dependability, acting with integrity, having accountability, the ability to prioritize, and more. Showing an employer your dedication to the role and to learning is very often more important than knowing everything about the role. Being someone that is open to feedback, open to learning, and being someone that your team can rely on and trust, is immeasurably important in the workplace, no matter what that workplace looks like.”