How Do I Build Employability Skills

Skill-building does not happen overnight. Neither skills can be developed by attending some training classes. Skill comes for practice, doing things repeatedly. Here are some of the practices people follow to build essential skills needed for employment.

1. Reading books, articles, blogs, online and offline

Reading helps build awareness, perspectives, imagination, language skills and comprehension. The more you read, the broader becomes your horizon. Read as much as you can. Read indiscriminately.

2. Writing journals, blogs, articles

While reading increases imagination, writing improves articulation. The more you write, the more confident you will feel about sharing a perspective in a congruent and consistent manner. It also improves language skills, grammar and vocabulary. Writing a journal every day used to be a great practice. 

3. Travelling to different places

Travelling expands your awareness about life. You will learn to face new people, places and unknown challenges outside the comfort of your safe and familiar places. Travelling builds confidence.

4. Attending conferences, symposiums, trade shows and events

It helps you know what’s happening in your area of study, the latest trends and challenges. In conferences and trade shows, you also get opportunities to get connected to experts in the fields of your choice. Confident people often inspire confidence and you will get to see a lot of confident people in these conferences.

5. Participating in Tech fairs, coding challenges (if you are a programmer) and competitions of any kind

It helps you build presentation and communication skills when you get a chance to present your ideas and work to others. 

6. Taking classes for peer students or juniors

As they say, the best way to learn a subject is by teaching the subject to someone. In college days, there are students who get called for any type of “doubt clearing” or “last minute support” needed to scramble through a test paper. The more you teach, the more you learn

7. Giving job interviews

The more job interviews you appear for, the less anxious or nervous you will be in your next job interview. Instead of feeling shy, you may want to take every opportunity (of job interview) as a practice session to reduce anxiousness and build confidence.

8. Attending training classes for skill improvement

Training and skill development classes are useful for students who are low on the initiative and learn only under an instructor driven environment.

9. Internship

An internship is a great way to build practical hands-on skills where you get a chance to do things yourself. 

10. Volunteering or Part-time jobs

Since skill building is all about doing, any opportunity that you get to do actual work as a volunteer or paid worker (part time or full time) will help in skill building.

 This is not an exhaustive list. Start doing some of these based on available opportunities and the skill gaps that you may have.

Note: This article was written for students preparing for their First Job. Some of the points are applicable to individuals seeking jobs at any level.