Internal communications manager skills for your resume and career

I know that "soft skills" is commonly used, but I'm not a fan of the term. I think it implies that some of these skills are "soft" or "easy" or "unimportant." They aren't. In many ways, so-called "soft skills" - things like interpersonal communication skills - can be among the most important skills for any worker. This is especially the case in communication-related fields, where there is an expectation that human interaction - both in-person and mediated - is important. This is true with leadership skills and presentation/speaking skills.

Having the ability to write well is important in most knowledge-based fields today. It is especially critical in any communication-related field of job specialization. Otherwise, the specific technical skills are important variations between the particular company and/or job expectations. Some fields use proprietary software that one typically learns about once one starts the job. Some fields require media production competencies - related to basic video production, audio production, imaging or photography, or even web design/management. The important thing is to develop a general competency with technology - and to learn how to learn. That allows you to pivot to develop new skills in different situations and roles.

Anyone with internet access can learn many different skills. Many resources are free. The skills you should learn highly depend on the specific field you'd like to work in. For example, if you are interested in market research, then I recommend you take a statistics or data analytics course on online course sites, such as Coursera or Udemy. If you are interested in graphic design, a photography or Illustrator course will be helpful. It is also important to stay updated in your field by following various online sources. For instance, if you are interested in advertising, keep up with publications such as Ad Age, and if you want to work in public relations, I recommend that you keep an eye on the websites of the Public Relations Society of America and the Institute for Public Relations for the latest news.

Graduates can also enhance their skill sets and put them into practice by engaging in different experiences, such as volunteering with organizations in their field. With the ongoing pandemic, many organizations are seeking virtual help from volunteers. For example, if you volunteer in a social media marketing project for a nonprofit organization, you get to create a social media campaign to increase awareness of the initiatives of the organization. This experience can hone your skills in creating and managing online content. To search for these kinds of opportunities, you can use sites such as VolunteerMatch or AllForGood. It would be a great chance for you to apply what you have learned in class to make society better in this novel pandemic. You can also engage in a remote internship for a similar experience.

I think graduates will need the very skills they have already learned: agility, flexibility, resiliency. Many in the workforce when the pandemic hit were expected to work from home and figure out how to keep doing their jobs and be productive. In some states, large segments of the population are still working from home and will continue to do so for some time. For those graduates getting their first jobs, they may be working from home as they start their careers. They will need to bring to the job the same skills they learned in their last semester (or semesters) in college. I believe business and industry will expect workers to be agile, flexible and resilient while also being productive and accountable.

Beyond that, for graduates with communication degrees, they will still need to be able to write and speak effectively, be able to shoot and edit video, and be proficient in social media. Students will need to have multimedia skills and not be a specialist or "one-trick pony." To be prepared to work in a communication job, the graduates must be well-rounded. They should be able to use Mac and PC systems, a myriad of software programs (from Office to the Adobe Suite) and all major social media platforms. Further, students must be able to understand when to use particular systems or social media platforms; for example, when is Facebook the best platform to use, and how is it best used?

Further, graduates must have soft skills, such as being able to think critically, solve problems, work as part of a team and make decisions. They need good interpersonal skills and intercultural awareness because they are likely to work with people across the country and around the world, especially now that all businesses and industries have learned they can function virtually.

We learn from the textbooks of life and practice. What employers look for are students who not only reflect current knowledge but move it beyond to new frontiers.