The Class of 2025 is preparing to enter the workforce, and it can be a daunting prospect.
In a conversation with Business Insider, Irmgard Naudin ten Cate, global talent attraction and acquisition leader at the Big Four firm EY, told us about the key pieces of advice she shares with college students preparing to embark on their careers.
She said students should lean into networking early, be open to trying out job simulations, prepare with AI, and emphasize soft skills in interviews.
Develop your soft skills
Naudin ten Cate said it’s important to highlight soft skills as well as more technical skills in your job application materials and interviews.
She puts a premium on three in particular: curiosity, adaptability, and your ability to wield influence and negotiate at work.
Whatever soft skills you may have, make sure you show they’re transferable and “articulate to your future employers what that looks like for your success,” she said.
Use AI responsibly
Naudin ten Cate said there are many ways you can use AI (responsibly, she emphasizes) in your job search.
“You can do so much research into the job, the company that you want to work with” by using AI, she said.
A chatbot can help you decide the questions to ask your interviewers, or prepare for the questions they might ask you, she notes. You can paste in a job description for an appealing job and your résumé, and ask it to pinpoint any overlaps you should highlight.
“I think that if you use AI responsibly, I think it’s so helpful and so powerful because you don’t have to go into all of these records,” she said. “You can really prepare yourself and use it in the best way possible. So for the job search and job preparation, I think it’s super important.”
Network early and often
“It takes many building blocks to build your brand,” she said.
She said students should start networking sooner rather than later in their college years, but it’s never too late to start and is crucial at any point in their careers.
Connecting with your peers, professors, or people you may know from a summer job or internship is a great way to start networking early in your college years, she added.
“I think it’s around really thinking, with everyone that I interact with, how do I network with purpose?” she said.
Try job simulations
Trying virtual job simulations or online courses can help you gain insight into what it’s like to work in a certain job or company.
“There’s many opportunities like that and I would really encourage people to look at them because it’s really important that you see what that job looks like, and it sets you apart because it shows that you’ve done a lot of investigation in making yourself prepared for the job search,” Naudin ten Cate said.
Some also grant badges or certifications that can give you a leg up in the job search.
“There are so many fantastic job simulations,” she added. “It’s all about making sure that you use them.”
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