Communications manager internship skills for your resume and career

In one sense, almost any gap year activity could be helpful, since one of the skills that Aacu they value most highly is the ability "to work independently." It's hard to make the transition from K-16 education, where so much of your time and work has been structured for you, into a work environment where supervisors will expect you to set priorities, accomplish tasks, and manage time on your own. So a gap year of any sort might give you a chance to hone such skills. COVID permitting, a gap year can also be a time to travel, to develop more of the intercultural competency and facility with languages that are increasingly important in an economy where your bosses, coworkers, customers, and clients might live halfway around the world, or at least come from a very different background than yours.

Although communication skills in high schools and colleges are somehow considered "soft" by some, the fact is the ability to be able to speak effectively, whether orally or through some form of visual media, is never going to go out of style. All graduates, traditional or non-traditional, will need to hone their ability to speak to another person.

And, with what is inevitably going to become a post-COVID world, it seems to be more critical than ever that students take seriously the technologies that are now prevalent and imperative to our ability to connect...Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, even OK, old-fashioned e-mail, we need to build up a better understanding of how these new modes of dialogue can be used in our personal lives and our professional ones.

These are skills that don't come easily, as many seem to believe. Yes, some have a natural ability to converse, and some are very tech-savvy; but most need to be taught those skills, and those students who need to be trained must be open-minded to learn and open-eared to listen.

Here is a brief description of the top nine transferable skills that student graduates vitally need to succeed effectively and efficiently in this constantly changing world.

Analytical and Critical Thinking. Employees with these competencies recognize there may be more than one valid point of view or one way of doing things. They evaluate an issue or problem based on multiple perspectives, while accounting for personal biases. They are able to identify when information is missing or if there is a problem, prior to coming to conclusions and making decisions. 

Applied Problem Solving. People with this skill recognize constraints and can generate a set of alternative courses of action. They are able to evaluate alternatives using a set of criteria in order to select and implement the most effective solution and monitor the actual outcomes of that solution. They are also able to recognize there may be more than one valid point of view or course of action.

Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making. Workers trained with these competencies can assess their own moral values and perspectives as well as those of others. They are able to integrate those values and perspectives into an ethical framework for decision making. They consider intentions and anticipate the consequences of actions, both at the personal and social levels, and understand the ethical principles that apply to a situation before making decisions. 

Innovation and Creativity. People with these competencies challenge existing paradigms and propose alternatives without being constrained by established approaches or anticipated responses of others. They bring their knowledge, skills, abilities, and sense of originality to the work that they do. They are willing to take risks and overcome internal struggle to expose their creative self in order to bring forward new work or ideas.    

Digital Literacy. People with this competency have expertise in evaluating sources of information for accuracy, relevance, purpose, and bias. They respond quickly and creatively to emerging communication technologies and to the changing uses of existing technologies. They recognize how the basics of effective communication persist as the technological landscape evolves and changes while also recognizing the opportunities created for new and innovative approaches to get a message across. 

Engaging Diversity. This competency makes employees understand that diversity provides a broader perspective, giving an organization a wider range of options toward resolving challenges. Such employees have the ability to see others points of view and recognize that only seeing things through one’s own culture and experiences is an impediment to achieving goals. They possess the cultural humility to acknowledge their own biases and to manage the conflicts that are inevitable in an increasingly diverse world. 

Active Citizenship and Community Engagement. Employees with this competency understand that creating change and opening paths to new futures starts with the active participation of citizens in their local communities and even spans globally. They actively engage with their communities, because they know that their contributions impact the community and that their engagement with the community in turn shapes them. Through coursework, participation in service-learning projects, and volunteering, they have developed and fine-tuned their awareness of social and cultural differences, of the dynamics and needs of the local as well as global communities and are active citizens who engage with their communities to find new futures. 

Teamwork and Leadership. Employees who possess this ability are able to both lead and be a part of a cohesive group. They understand their roles and responsibilities within a group, and how they may change in differing situations. They are able to influence others as leaders or as contributing members and have the willingness to take action. They leverage the strengths of the group to achieve a shared vision or objective. They effectively acknowledge and manage conflict toward solutions.

Oral and Written Communication. Employees with these vital skills have the ability to intentionally engage with various audiences to inform, persuade, and entertain. They are able to demonstrate their proficiency and expertise in various means of oral and written communication. They can create effective relationships with an audience as they keep in mind the needs, goals, and motivations of all involved. They are able to ensure that the communication they create is functional and clear to achieve a desired outcome.

Writing skills are still one of the most sought after skills. Even as graduates are told to strengthen their skills in multimedia production whether a graduate in journalism or PR, written communication skills are still core to a lot of the work that happens. This even more now with remote work that requires the extensive use of email and other texting apps beyond Zoom for efficient and quick communication between teams. Graduates should also possess good verbal communication skills and especially be comfortable in both in-person and virtual communication situations - learn to be comfortable and capable speaking to people in person and over a mic and camera. Flexibility is another key skill graduates should possess. This was already a skill prior to the pandemic, but even more so now. Graduates should learn how to deal with situations when they don't go there way, especially with technology situations, and be flexible and adaptable on the fly rather than getting lost in frustration that can lead to situations getting worse.

The most important technical skill is the proven ability to learn new technical skills. Sure, some positions may require proficiency with particular software. However, better is the experience of working on a project where you had to select the technology, learn it, and evaluate its usefulness for future work.