5 career skills you need in life that university won't teach you

Why there's more to it than just getting a degree
A record number of students have gone through clearing
Sue Carruthers21 August 2017

University is a pivotal time in life; you move to a different place, you make new friends and you acquire in-depth knowledge in the field you choose to pursue as a career.

However, university is costly and, more than ever, the value of a degree course in the workplace might be questioned.

Whilst a bachelor’s degree arguably teaches students on an academic basis, there are five critical skills that many degrees won’t equip students with that are crucial in the business world.

1. Focused and purposeful communication

Students mostly work with word counts and time frames: a paper needs to be a minimum of 2,000 words, a presentation needs to be 20 minutes long. In reality, however, time is your most valuable resource and none of your contacts will appreciate receiving an email that is 500 words long. Don’t cut out the information you want to convey but keep your business communication short, sweet and to the point. Not only will your contact appreciate this, it will also save yourself time.

2. Meeting efficiency

Unused time ultimately translates to revenue loss in business. Whilst you may be used to university course meetings at coffee shops that start with brunch and end with late-afternoon drinks, efficiency is key when it comes to business meetings. Having an agenda and a clear idea of the expected outcome and the required results of the meeting help in structuring; thorough preparation of additional tools – laptops, projectors, notes, tablets – ensure that no time is wasted waiting around. In an age of globalisation, video meetings aren’t unusual anymore. If you’re leading a video conference, be meticulous about your technology and make sure all relevant files are on hand.

Top 10 cheapest university cities for students in the UK - in pictures

1/10

3. Time management

A key understanding students lack when they finish university is that more time spent doesn’t equal better results. No one benefits from procrastination and this is especially true in the workplace. To reiterate my point from earlier, time is the most valuable resource in today’s world and time management skills are crucial for success. While students may enjoy the freedom of time, business hours require discipline and energy. Say goodbye to mid-week all-nighters.

4. Thinking outside the box

University works in structured and set ways. A year is divided into terms and weeks, there are clear rules for academic writing and everything follows a standard procedure. However, in business, the most intriguing ideas are often the ones that ditch the protocol. Don’t neglect your common sense but don’t be afraid to take an alternative route either: an idea may seem bizarre at first but turn out to be your way to success. Initiative is a great asset and a key way to stand out in your career.

5. Intelligent networking

Although they may not know it at the time, the networking skills students acquire while at university can set them in very good stead in the business world. They just need honing: It is important to understand that everyone offers something to learn for you and that you can profit from every connection you make. Treat everyone with kindness, grace and openness to their views and suggestions and it will pay off in the future.

Sue Carruthers is the Senior Director HR at Polycom, Asia Pacific, Africa and Europe.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in