Build Your Skills

In AI-exposed entry-level jobs, employers are increasingly asking new graduates to bring skills once associated with more experienced workers, including judgment, leadership, and complex problem solving.

At the same time, employers continue to place a high value on the strengths developed through a liberal arts education, including communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and professionalism. They also want candidates who can show how they have used those skills, not just list them.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) identifies eight competencies associated with career readiness: Career & Self-Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork, and Technology.

Use the resources below to strengthen a skill, learn something new, or gain more practice applying what you already know. This is NOT an exhaustive list. If you have suggestions for inclusion, please contact career@kzoo.edu.

Practice Your Skills with Forage

Want to see how your skills translate to actual work? Forage job simulations let you try tasks modeled on the work professionals do at real organizations. Choose a career area that interests you and work through a self-paced simulation. Depending on the experience, you might analyze data, develop a recommendation, communicate with a client, complete a project, or solve a workplace problem. You’ll be able to compare your work with examples from professionals and earn a certificate when you complete a simulation.

Build A Specific Skill

Choose a skill area below to find resources.

Not Sure Where to Start?

You don’t have to work through everything on this page. Pick what connects to your goals, or what you actually want more practice with.

As you build a skill, think ahead to how you’ll prove it: an example, a project, a portfolio piece, a credential, an experience you can point to. Employers care less about a word on your resume than about a story behind it!