NACE Career Readiness Competencies

Source: https://careernetwork.msu.edu/resources/nace-career-readiness-competencies/ Parent: https://careernetwork.msu.edu/channels/agriculture-green-industries/

Career Readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace. While education and experiences are important, employers have identified the following eight competencies as necessary skills for any new college graduate.

Critical Thinking\ Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.\ *Employers are seeking students who are able to:*

Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgement;
Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources

Communication\ Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.\ Employers are looking for students who:

Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills;
Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand;
Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors and others

Teamwork\ Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively towards common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.\ Employers are looking for students who can:

Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities;
Collaborate with others to achieve common goals and employ personal strengths to complement others

Leadership\ Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.\ *Employers are looking for students who are able to:*

Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction;
Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods;
Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.

Professionalism\ Understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and work place.\ Employers are seeking students who:

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior;
Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization;
Demonstrate dependability (i.e., report consistently for work or meetings;
Be present and prepared

Career & Self Development\ Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships.\ Employers are looking for students who:

Develop plans and goals for one’s future career;
Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback

Technology\ Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.\ Employers are looking for students who:

Navigate change and are open to learning new technologies;
Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work

Equity & Inclusion*Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.\ and religions.\ Employers are looking for students who:*

Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change;\ Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups

*Adapted from NACE Career Readiness Competencies

*Duplicate information available in attached handout.

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