Your university experience provided you with tangible work, knowledge, and skills you can use when applying for a job. If you took lab courses, add that experience to your resume as proof of your abilities to follow instructions and achieve results. Any research you did in school can help you secure a job that requires an ability to analyze and dissect information, which is most work. Your major can have a large impact on the job you ultimately choose. Use these tips for finding the right career for your skills and degree.
Skills to Be a Diplomat
Diplomats have to work with a variety of people and be respectful of other cultures as they travel. Many college degrees prepare you with these skills since you’ve likely had to work with people from several different backgrounds.
Courses in subjects like Anthropology and Sociology help you to get a better understanding of other belief systems and values as well. Most any college degree can qualify you for work as a diplomat in the Department of State.
According to the Department of State website, “As a Civil Service employee, you’ll support U.S. foreign policy right here in the United States. You’ll help drive diplomatic principles and initiatives worldwide through conscientious work in the United States. In short, Civil Service professionals are dedicated to improving the world in which we live. Working in Washington, D.C., or other cities throughout the United States, Civil Service professionals work on everything from improving trade opportunities for U.S. businesses, to helping American couples adopt children from overseas, to monitoring human rights issues.”
If you have foreign language skills, these will only help you to secure the job faster. Apply through local government agencies. Diplomats work in a variety of capacities, and you may serve as an adviser or be expected to handle negotiations.
Skills to Enter Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officials need to have an ability to analyze a situation and work with the public. As a student, you probably learned how to follow instructions and what it took to get the job done. Your analysis and research skills would serve you well in a law enforcement position. It doesn’t require you to have a specific degree in law enforcement, though completing a criminal justice master’s program would definitely help. You can apply at the local or federal level, and there are many types of law enforcement jobs available from police and detective work.
A U.S. Department of Justice-funded research project entitled Hiring in the Spirit of Service identified the following as core competencies for law enforcement officers:
- Ability to use good judgment and to problem solve
- Capacity for empathy and compassion
- Capacity for multi-tasking
- Ability to demonstrate courage and to take responsibility
- Ability to be resourceful and show initiative
- Demonstrating assertiveness
- Possess and demonstrate integrity
- Capacity for engaging in teamwork and ability to collaborate.
Skills to Be a Business Manager
Business managers need to be organized, have leadership and time management skills, know how to work with others, and have good problem solving and communication skills. Many college courses and programs teach these skills. As a college graduate you should have the skills necessary to start working in a basic managerial capacity. However, don’t expect to start at the top. No one is going to hire a rookie to manage 100 people, you will probably need to start as a supervisor or assistant manager and work your way up, but a college degree can help you get to a management position more quickly.
No matter what field you end up going into, a college degree can help you get there. Think about the type of career you want, and aim to get a degree that puts you on that path.