Graduation for many students is just around the corner. We’re in the second half of the semester and it’s the home stretch. For many of you, the job search has begun. So now, it’s time to polish up that resume and start applying to jobs. But what if you don’t have a whole lot of experience in your field of interest? That’s not uncommon for an undergraduate student looking for their first job out of college. So how do you pitch yourself as the ideal candidate for a job without the relevant experience? You focus on your Transferable Skills.

Transferable Skills are the skills you’ve learned throughout your life in different areas that apply to any job you’re applying for. Skills like adaptability, communication, and teamwork are all great to have not only on your resume, but to emphasize in a cover letter or interview. As long as you can back up your claim with a story or instance where you used that skill, you can 

use it. While the semester and your schoolwork have gotten more complicated thanks to Covid-19, you’re also learning critical skills in digital technology, communication, and adaptability. Learning to articulate your transferable skills will give you a leg up in the job search.

The top Transferable Skills employers look for according to NACE are:

1. Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving

Think about a time where you were faced with a problem that needed to be solved. How did you go about it? For example, did you have to change your spring break plans at the last minute because of Covid-19? How did you solve that problem?

1. Oral/Written Communication Skills

Your resume and cover letters are an example of your written communication skills, and your interview is a good representation of your oral communication skills. Another question employers might ask would include public speaking. Have you ever done a presentation in front of a class or for your work?

1. Teamwork/Collaboration

Think about a time you had to work on a team. How did you handle the situation? Were there conflicts you needed to solve?

1. Digital Technology

Think about what computer skills you have, are they what the employers are looking for? Can you think of a time where you had to learn a new software or application on the job or for a class? For example, did you have to quickly learn how to use Webex for a class because of the pandemic?

1. Leadership

Think about a time you expressed leadership qualities, what did you do and how?

1. Professionalism/Work Ethic

Has there ever been a time where you needed to work with an angry customer or solve a workplace dispute? Or did you need to switch quickly from in-person work to remote work for your job? How did you hold yourself accountable at home?

1. Career Management

Do you have the skills necessary to build and manage your career on your own? Do you have goals and a strategy to achieve those goals?

1. Global/Intercultural Fluency

Talk about a time you worked with someone from a different culture or background as you. Was there a conflict to resolve professionally?

These are skills that you can learn through your classes, at an internship, or through any job you may have held, and many of these skills will come in handy for your classes and jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. You don’t have to have learned or used these skills in a completely relevant job or internship to your field of interest, these skills are life skills. Of course, if you need any help articulating these skills, the Career Center is here to help!

April is Career Month! The Career Center will be celebrating with plenty of different opportunities and events for you to take advantage of and progress your career. From the Clothing Closet to the Dining Etiquette Dinner to Navigating the Security Clearance, these events during the month of April are intended to better prepare you for your upcoming career in your field of interest.

I’m especially excited for some of the networking events planned for the month of April. There are all sorts of networking events going on during Career Month, including UMBC Connects. I’m looking forward to the networking event on April 20th for Political Science and Public Policy majors. It’s a great opportunity to get in touch with alumni and professionals within your field of interest! There is an event for everyone, whether your major is Engineering or Social Work, Computer Science or English, there is an event for you!

There are also tons of workshops going on throughout the month of April, where you can go and develop your professional skills and hone your abilities to prepare for the workforce. From personal branding to professional communication, there are plenty of skills you can learn during Career Month that will jumpstart your career!

Finally, there are off-campus trips to employers where you can get the chance to learn more about what they do, how they do it, and what working at that company or organization looks like! You can get a feel for the organization by directly observing the work environment itself, and of course, get the chance to meet people and network.

Here are some more interesting events coming up:

April 2nd and 3rd: Clothing Closet. The Clothing Closet is an event all about dressing to impress! Come pick out a professional interview outfit for absolutely no charge. (First come first serve, so don’t wait!)

April 6th: Navigating the Security Clearance. If you’re interested in a job with the Federal Government, you may need a security clearance. The Career Center will be hosting NSA experts to debunk the myths around obtaining a security clearance.

April 8th: Communicating for Success. The Career Center will be hosting a workshop dedicated to teaching you how to better communicate, in person, over the phone, and by email!

April 13th: Personal Branding. Come by and learn how to develop a personal brand and what it takes to keep up your reputation.

April 22nd: What I Wish I Knew in College. A panel of UMBC Alumni will be coming to campus to share with you the secrets and tips they wish they knew before graduating.

Check out our Calendar on the Career Center Website for more information on all of these events and more for the month of April. As always, you can contact us at (410) 455-2216 for more information on upcoming events, appointment types, and mock interviews.

Name: Raghurai Kulkarni

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Mobux

Position Title:UI/UX Designer

Major(s)/Minor(s): Human Centered Computing

Current Class Level:Master’s Student

Work Term: Summer 2019

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

Working for start-ups is very different and varies a great deal from start-up to start-up. I began by learning about the software that we develop and then created all the UX (user experience) documentation like journey maps, personas, etc. When you work for a start-up you have to wear a lot of hats; I am an intern but I led one full-fledged project. For this project, I developed a system development cycle according to company capacity and requirement. I did pretty much everything from requirements gathering, research, and overseeing the implementation. Sometimes I handle the implementation myself if I can while the other engineers are busy with core features.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

First, I tried to reconstruct my resume so it could pass all of the application tracking systems which many companies are using to filter out applicants. Then, I began to monitor UMBCworks and internships.com. I was a little bit delayed in applying for internships because I was coding my portfolio instead of making one through websites like Squarespace and Wix. However, I applied to my current internship in May and went through a couple of interview rounds to start work in July.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization? 

UX is a very broad field and different companies have different definitions of what parts of the UX process fits into their users experience. Smaller companies have to do all the same work with less staff, so I was able to try various things and experiment with my designs.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Mobux is a mobile experience company and we try to invent new ways to interact with users. We research a lot about users, mobile devices, trends, and mobile usage habits. So, I guess we are striving to make the mobile experience more enjoyable and fun.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

My advice would be to apply early. Also, it’s not just about being smart and technical, but you have to possess strong conversation and networking skills, too. Going to Career Center events and workshops can definitely help with this.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week?Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!