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      4 Essential Tips for Starting a New Job During COVID-19

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      Starting a new job can be an exciting time, as you prepare to walk into the office on your first day to meet your new team, set up your office, and hit the ground running. But starting a new job remotely sometimes can lack that same luster, especially when working from home is the “new normal” across the company. As many companies are now adjusting to new or modified schedules that allow their employees to work from home, and as the future of offices shift, as a new employee, it can be intimidating to begin a job with a new company without the formalities of orientation and meeting your new colleagues in person. Adapting to a new job remotely poses its own set of challenges: How do you get acquainted with colleagues who are not on your immediate team? How will your new coworkers know about your hire? How will you establish rapport with your team?  
      Being patient and flexible seems to be the name of the game when adjusting to a new job from home. Make your adjustment to your new company a smooth one, even from your own home, with a few tips on starting a new job remotely.

      1. Make your manager the middle man 
      There’s no bigger advocate to have when starting a new job with a new company than your manager, especially when meeting colleagues in person on your first day is no longer an option. Your manager will be your guide and biggest cheerleader, announcing your arrival as a new hire while everyone is working from home and pre-occupied with adjusting to a new type of work-life balance. 
      See if your manager would consider sending out an announcement of your hire, and open your calendar up for e-introductions from your new coworkers. An announcement is a great way for others in your company to get to know you and your role and how you might be working with them. Your manager can also include you in on various video conferences and meetings to introduce you to a variety of coworkers to get acquainted with. Ask about meetings that could help you not only introduce yourself and your role, but also help you become familiar with the moving parts of the business and current projects to get you up to speed. 
      Build a rapport with your manager by suggesting one-on-one meetings frequently during the start of your role to gain more understanding of your team, their preferred communication style, and short-term and long-term goals you should adhere to. When working from home, it is easy to be out of sight, out of mind when it comes to connecting with your manager, so proactively scheduling regular check-ins helps keep the communication flowing, making work more effective and your transition even smoother. 
      Your manager is in charge of making sure you get your foot in the door with all of the right people while working from home; make sure to use their influence to ensure a graceful start to your new job. 

      2. Use human resources as a resource after onboarding
      When starting a new job, onboarding can be one of the most helpful ways to introduce yourself to your new company. Whether you are in the office or working from home, the onboarding process is a great tool to learn more about the structure of the company, your new role and responsibilities, and what to expect when you do eventually come back into the office.
      Navigating a new company after onboarding without the proper connections or guidance in person can seem daunting. Your human resources team is the perfect team to help guide you through a new company, even past the initial onboarding, having access to everything you need to make your transition to a new company and role from home a smooth one. Keep in touch with your human resources team after onboarding to get key information that will help you past your first days with the company, including company directories, work-from-home polices and procedures, and employee resource groups to get involved with to acclimate yourself to your new company. Your human resources professional should be on top of the latest company news and any changes, especially during major shifts in the company with work-from-home schedules. They can be your introduction to the full company and help you explore your new job without having to leave home. 

      Source: cottonbro | Pexels

      3. Discover your team’s communication style 
      One of the major setbacks of working from home is establishing and maintaining effective communication with colleagues, your manager, and other coworkers, especially as a new employee who is just learning the ropes. For some of your colleagues, this might be their first time working from home for an extended period of time, adjusting to new forms of communication online and by phone vs. the standard in-person boardroom meeting many workers have been accustomed to. 
      Discover your immediate team’s preferred communication style, whether it be by phone, email, instant messaging, or via video conference. Some colleagues may rather not be inundated with emails and respond better using other forms of communication, which will help you be more effective at reaching them when starting your new role.
      How your team communicates, along with when your team best connects and is productive, is also crucial to starting off on the right foot from day one. Does your team have frequent check-ins, or should you put time on each calendar to have one-on-ones? Is your manager available during normal business hours or likes to catch up before or after the workday? These are all important preferences to note when working with your new team, especially when face-to-face time is limited or nonexistent and many are juggling family and work during the workday. 

      4. Connect with new team members offline 
      If you’re starting a new job remotely, it can be difficult connecting with your new team outside of work-related tasks and duties. Whether you’re working from home or going into the office occasionally, make time to get to know your colleagues, and give them the opportunity to get to know you. 
      Video conferencing is a great way to connect with your new team face-to-face if you haven’t already done so in person. Put some time on your team’s calendar to meet virtually either during or after work to get to know them informally. If video conferencing isn’t an option, a good old-fashioned phone call works just as well. Get to know them by connecting on a more personal level: How did they get started at the company and what has their experience been? What would they like to know about you? Who else should you try to meet within the company?
      Giving your new team the opportunity to get to know you outside of your new role within the company helps bridge the gap between being the new employee no one has met yet to someone they know and can trust professionally. It also helps build relationships with other team members who can help advocate for you as a new hire. Look at connecting with your new team as networking in a different way, connecting with your colleagues on a different level to establish trust and build morale professionally. 

      Starting a new job working from home doesn’t have to be intimidating or daunting; make your presence known across your company so that you can hit the ground running and make the biggest impact. 

      What’s your advice on starting a new job from home?  More

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      5 Things to Remember If You’re Working Remotely Right Now

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      Months ago, millions of us packed up whatever gear we could grab from the office, went home, and, overnight, began life as remote workers. From taking regular breaks to sticking to a schedule to establishing a dedicated workspace, there are plenty of strategies for making working from home work. But there’s a huge difference between choosing to go remote and being forced to do so during an emergency. As remote work becomes more of a long-term or even permanent situation for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, what can we do to prevent burnout? We got experts to give us their best tips, advice, and things to keep in mind.
      1. Take the plunge and invest in a more comfortable set-up
      If you’ve spent the last few months hunched over the kitchen table or curled up on the couch, avoiding investing in home office gear in hopes you’d get back to the real office soon, it might be time to reconsider. Even after just a short time, your body may be feeling the effects (stiff neck, back, and shoulders, anyone?). “The ergonomics of home offices are absolutely horrible,” according to Laurel Farrer, founder of the Remote Work Association. “There are hundreds of rules that go into keeping us healthy and safe at [on-site] work, from which watt of the lightbulb is used, to the length of carpet and how high desks are. When we go home, we don’t know what those are or that we should be implementing them,” potentially putting our health at risk. 
      Farrer, who also runs Distribute Consulting from her home in Connecticut, said it can be liberating to realize that we don’t need a lot of office odds and ends we thought we did, from stodgy office furniture to giant file cabinets. But making sure your pared-down remote set-up supports your well-being is still critical (see how yours measures up with this checklist from the National Institutes of Health). And you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot to feel better. “Small, simple, and cheap changes,” she said, like putting your laptop on top of a box (to raise it closer to eye level) or simply standing up more, can make a real difference. If you are ready to invest, though, Farrer suggested a riser or standing desk of some sort for your laptop, plus a real keyboard and mouse. Some fun extras? Arranging a good video call backdrop, and buying a good microphone and ring light, “things we’ve never thought about before” that can make video meetings look way more professional.

      2. Continue to reinforce boundaries, but remember to (virtually) socialize 
      “You wouldn’t barge into someone’s office and expect them to drop everything they are doing for you,” a teammate once told Julie Chabin, who heads product design at Product Hunt and YourStack remotely from Paris. It’s the same with remote work. In the virtual workplace, with requests cascading in through email, instant messages, and calls, “it’s OK to say ‘thank you, I’ll take a look at this after I’m done with my current task,’ when you get a notification,” advised Chabin, who has worked remotely for five years. 
      That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t connect with colleagues. It just has to be more intentional, said Daisy Chang, professor of organizational psychology at Michigan State University. Though she misses walking down the hall to chat with colleagues and checking in with her graduate students in person, her department, like all newly remote teams, have to carve out time to “talk to each other, exchange ideas, maintain social connection” and get support virtually. From scheduling chats to more formal ways of getting on the same page, like syncing digital calendars to focus on a project at the same time, Chang said it’s important, especially for people who particularly crave in-person connection, “to find ways to inject that back into their work life.”

      3. Over-communicate and be proactive 
      A lot can get lost virtually, especially when the shift happens abruptly, so it’s important to be super clear when discussing a project, idea, or request with coworkers. “In remote work, over-communication is just communication,” said Farrer. Even if it feels like you’re talking a ton and over-explaining, keep at it. “That’s how you stay connected.”
      Chang, who recently conducted a study on the hasty transition from in-person to working at home and some of the unique challenges that workers face in the COVID-19 context, agreed it’s harder to communicate effectively. But the self-described optimist said she actually sees this as an opportunity to be clearer. Being apart could force us to be more thoughtful and challenge us to consider a problem more deeply before crafting an email or speaking up on a call, rather than throwing out a half-baked idea in passing.
      Something both Chang and Farrer agree on is the need to be proactive, especially if a new colleague joins virtually or you’re the newbie yourself. Managers and companies should ideally be providing training and channels to get to know people, but some are still playing catch-up with the remote situation, too. In the meantime, “we really have to rely on ourselves,” said Farrer, whether that’s mustering the courage to hit “send” on an email to a potential mentor or simply scheduling a virtual coffee chat with someone you don’t know well. 

      4. Mix things up 
      Hated your hours or dress code? More productive in the early mornings? One benefit to remote work is that, on your own turf, there are opportunities to make your job work better for you. “We all sort of fall into a routine, something that’s comfortable, but it doesn’t hurt to learn new habits or change it up,” said Chang, who also suggested sharing what worked or didn’t with coworkers, from blocking out mornings for focused work to changing up your online hours. 
      After all, Farrer said, “you don’t have your employer sitting next to you telling you what to do,” so it’s important to work on being more self-reliant when it comes to getting things done and how you do them. Employees (even those with amazing supervisors) have to “take initiative to be their own boss for a little while,” making calls about what works for them.  

      5. Embrace kindness and vulnerability 
      It’s time for us to get real at work—at least a little bit. While keeping things professional is paramount, it’s important to recognize that everyone has their own struggles and personal demands, especially now. “The reality of working from home is it’s not all sunshine and rainbows all the time,” Farrer said, even in normal times. Being yourself and being open “is how you create a sense of culture in a remote team.” (In fact, Chang said, a number of studies show that being allowed to be your authentic self at work may lead to higher performance and engagement while feeling inauthentic at work can lead to burnout). 
      In other words, your coworkers are your coworkers, but we’re all human. “It’s essential to care about people, genuinely. Ask them how they are doing, let them be people, not just colleagues or clients,” Chabin said. “As we’ve seen with this global pandemic, we all have families, pets, children… it’s okay to have candid conversations.” And if you’re a freelancer or solo business owner, it may be helpful to find people in your field to reach out to for that same sort of support. 
      If you’re not ready to open up or your company’s culture doesn’t allow for it, acts of kindness can go a long way virtually. Whether that’s shouting out someone’s success with a client, or recognizing a birthday or work milestone, Chabin suggested, these simple acts still go a long way toward building trust. Extend those kindnesses to yourself—this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone (even remote work experts, Farrer said, were struggling at the beginning of the pandemic). If self-care has slipped as the months have gone on, recommit to claiming those extra hours you spent commuting as personal time, Chabin emphasized, whether that’s reading a book, working out, going for a walk, chatting with family or trying out a 15-step skincare routine. 

      If you’re struggling with remote life or feeling burnout creep in, above all, it’s important to remember: “This is not working remotely,” Farrer said, “this is trying to maintain economic and business continuity during a global crisis.” More

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      Stuck in a Work Rut? Here’s How to Get Out

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      Every single day feels exactly the same. And it’s not just quarantine that’s causing the monotony—it’s your job. Yep, you’re in a total work rut, and it’s compounded by the fact that you’re still working from home. Every morning you sign on wearing the same pajama pants you’ve had on for two (OK, at least three) days and churn through your task list on autopilot. Rinse and repeat. You do that same thing every single weekday.You’re eager to snap out of it but, unfortunately, so much of the advice you’ve read doesn’t seem realistic in the era of COVID-19. You know things are tight at your company, so now isn’t the time to ask for a promotion or a raise. Travel is still a nightmare, so you can’t recharge with a vacation.
      So… now what? How are you supposed to claw your way out of the mundane hole you’ve found yourself stuck in? Have no fear, because we have some advice to help get you out.

      1. Give yourself a fresh view
      If you’re sick and tired of looking at the same four walls of your home or apartment (umm… aren’t we all?), allow me to remind you how much a change of scenery can boost your focus and your spirits. That’s because our brains love novelty. Working in a new environment can give you a much-needed dose of motivation.
      I know what you’re going to say, “But, I can’t really go anywhere! How could I possibly switch up my surroundings?”
      Here’s the good news: you don’t have to go far. Try rearranging the furniture in your home or office space. Or, work from your kitchen table for the day rather than your couch. Set up shop on your patio or your balcony. Even adding some new art or a plant to your desktop can help you spruce up your scenery. These seemingly small changes can have a remarkably large impact on your attitude.

      2. Switch up your tried and true routine
      Similarly, if you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, I’m willing to bet that your work routine is pretty stale. You’ve been hitting the “repeat” button every single workday day for the past several months. It’s time to shake things up a little bit. Now that you’re working from home, you have more flexibility than ever—so, why aren’t you taking advantage of it?
      Try getting your workout in over your lunch break. Block off Wednesday as your meeting-free day when you can focus on your larger projects. Or, test out a time management method like the Pomodoro Technique to see if it makes you feel more productive and enthusiastic about your work responsibilities.
      Your rut is only going to get deeper if you keep doing the exact same thing day in and day out. Regularly test out some changes to your routine to help make your days feel a little fresher.

      3. Go beyond your immediate work team
      You talk to the same people at your company Monday through Friday. You see their Slack usernames in your sleep, and you have their voicemail greetings committed to memory. It’s time to widen your circle with some networking. It’s going to look a little different than it used to—you won’t be slapping on a nametag, shaking hands, and bonding over cheap wine and rubbery chicken skewers. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t still make meaningful connections.
      Want to know the best place to start? Within your own company. Especially if you work for a larger organization, I’m willing to bet there are plenty of fellow employees you know almost nothing about. Go beyond your immediate team and connect with that person in finance or schedule a virtual coffee date with someone from the sales team. Not only will you make a valuable connection with someone new, but you’ll also likely learn about your company on a different level—which can give you a renewed outlook and appreciation for your own work and how it contributes to the bigger picture.

      4. Take control of your professional development
      If you know that your company is just gritting its teeth and trying to get by right now, it’s likely not the best time to ask for a raise or try to secure a promotion. But, while those things might not be on the table, you can (and should!) still have a candid conversation with your boss about some of your other career ambitions.
      Maybe you want to get more exposure to other areas of the company and would like to participate in a cross-functional project that’s just getting started. Or perhaps you’re eager to beef up your SEO skills and want to see if you can get paired up with someone in your company who’s an expert. Those are things your manager could support you in doing—but only if you make your desires known.
      Remember, professional development is also something you can spearhead yourself. Whether you want to finally launch your personal website or take an online course on Photoshop, go ahead and chase some of those ambitions on your own. They might not directly impact your day-to-day at work (at least not right away), but they can help reignite some passion and enthusiasm for your qualifications and career future.

      Let’s face it: most of us have already lost all concept of time. And, being stuck in a rut at work only makes every day feel like even more of the same old, same old. You may have less career options available to you than you usually do (raises and promotions aren’t easy to come by as many companies have tightened their belts), but that doesn’t mean you need to be content with every workday feeling like a carbon copy of the one before it.
      Use these four tips to pull yourself out of your work rut and reignite some passion and excitement for your job. Trust me—you deserve that much.

      Do you have any tips for pulling yourself out of a work rut? Let us know! More

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      Quarter Life Crisis or Comparison Trap? What to Remember When You Feel Lost

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      Six years into a successful career in PR, with amazing friends and family and my sweet dog napping next to me, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have always been driven, and am proud to say I’ve worked my butt off to get where I am today — from my professional position to my Toronto apartment and my rescue pup, Moose.  That’s why I was pretty shocked to find myself on the eve of my 28th birthday in tears. Not happy tears. More along the lines of, “What the hell am I doing with my life?” tears. Granted, some of this could be credited to the bottle of rosé I’d just enjoyed with my boyfriend, or the fact that I was ovulating. But there was something else: in the weeks leading up to my birthday, it felt like all my single girlfriends had announced engagements; and my married ones, pregnancies. Never major priorities before, I found myself feeling frantic — career success and personal accomplishments aside — was I behind?
      The thing they don’t tell us about our late 20s is the way our lives will look vastly different from the friends we feel so close to — and how to navigate this free of comparison. I thought I was too smart for the comparison trap — Instagram and social norms be damned. Well, here I am, and I’m sure I’m not alone. If you too are the token career woman in your friend group, here are some of the things I’ve found really helpful to ground me in what is truly fulfilling at this time in my life:

      Try something new
      Not as in, trying on wedding gowns. Find a way to connect with other like-minded women in your community who may be experiencing similar uncertainties and anxieties. You will probably be surprised to find the number of female-focused workshops and networking events in your area that can really open doors — even if it’s just a door in your own mind. This may sound daunting, but I promise if you attend just one, you’ll be glad you went.

      Source: @sezane

      Reflect on a ritual that brings you joy
      Something that you only need yourself for. We tend to feel “too busy,” but time to truly unwind on your own can help declutter your mind and validate the things in life that truly matter. This can be as simple as making a coffee, doing a workout, or writing. Do something just for you, on a regular basis, that has no expected return or outcome. What you gain internally just might surprise you.

      Source: Retha Ferguson | Pexels

      Chuck the five year plan
      Goal-setting is second nature to us career-focused gals, but it may be time to hit pause. If you’re feeling the immediate pressure of “keeping up,” your detailed roadmap to 40 may be compounding that pressure. As someone who was admittedly measuring my self-worth by the way others perceived my success, this moment of comparison made me realize it was time to take a step back from my goals, whether personal, professional, or financial. This doesn’t mean you’re back to square one or that those goals will change. There is true value in taking time to think critically about what brings you true fulfillment each day, and letting those goals fall into place or adjust naturally according to that fulfillment.  
      Your late 20s are weird: you don’t feel young but you don’t feel old, everyone is officially on very different life paths, and you’re realizing all the complications your 6-year-old dreamy self didn’t know existed. You’re going to be just fine — be brave, and let your happiness look different from your friends. It’s worth it. More

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      Feeling Bored? Take One of These Online Classes

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      In this day and age, there is never an excuse to be bored, but it may not feel that way—especially when it seems like you’ve already watched every movie and show ever uploaded to Netflix. Sometimes to break out of your boredom, you need to mix things up a little bit and give your mind some food for thought. Enter: online classes. Digital education has always been a great option for those looking to expand their skill set or supplement their resume, but lately, the amount of amazing online course options have expanded even more. You can probably guess why. Online classes are flexible, often allow you to work at your own pace, and are almost always more affordable than going back to school. Because there are basically an endless amount of options out there for you to choose from, we rounded up a list of online classes you can enroll in if you’re bored—some of which are completely free to take, and all are hosted by really cool, talented, and insanely smart women!

      This free 30-day course from public academic, writer, and lecturer Rachel Cargle serves as an eye-opener and a call to action for anyone seeking to be allies to Black women. Each day you will have access to prompts that will urge you to think critically and act tangibly in solidarity. 

      Chances are, you’ve seen the ads that popped up everywhere when social distancing began for MasterClass (you’ll see a few of their courses on this list!). A $15 monthly subscription to this service gives you access to online classes from more than 85 of the world’s greatest minds, including the remarkable Dr. Jane Goodall. Her first ever online class will teach you how you can work to conserve the environment, plus she’ll give insight into her decades of work studying chimpanzees. 

      It’s safe to say that most of us could use a little extra confidence! In this online course, author, broadcaster, and podcast host Emma Gannon will walk you through why we self sabotage and will lead you through five exercises that will help you build your creative confidence. You got this!

      Considering Shonda Rhimes produces some of the most popular TV shows of our generation (we’re looking at you Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal), we can think of no one better to instruct us in the art of television writing. Even if you don’t have dreams of writing for TV professionally, learning about the process and trying something creative will be fun and educational. 

      If you’re in need of a little comfort food, you’ll love Tuscan cookbook author Giulia Scarpaleggia’s introduction to simple, traditional, hearty Italian and Tuscan recipes. You’ll learn how to make pasta from scratch (yes please!) and how to use basic ingredients in the pantry to make wholesome, delicious recipes.

      It’s time to step away from the iPhone and finally learn how to use that DSLR that’s been collecting dust in your closet. Learning how to use a DSLR camera to its full potential can be intimidating, but photographer Kelly Lawson will take you through all the basics in a way that makes the learning process way easier. 

      Source: Mateus Campos Felipe | Unsplash

      Throughout this course, Bola Sokunbi, Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), money expert, and the founder of Clever Girl Finance wants to help you transform your money mindset by teaching you how to become confident regarding organizing your finances, goal setting, and budgeting.

      We’ve been fans of Emily Henderson’s amazing design skills for years, and can see why over 27,000 students have enrolled in her digital interior design course. This course has 57 projects you can complete, which means you’ll be on your way to expert status in no time too. 

      This course offers a deep dive into women’s health and human rights issues from infancy through old age. You’ll learn about positive interventions relating to those issues, as well as have the ability to chat with other classmates through interactive discussions. Through Coursera’s financial aid program, you also can apply to take this course for free.

      Most of us have been cooking at home for months on end now and probably need to mix things up a bit. That’s why we’re extremely tempted to sign up for chef Gabriela Cámara’s online cooking class that focuses on modern Mexican cuisine!

      If you’ve ever come up with the perfect app idea—which we know you have—now is your chance to learn from a literal expert, Dr. Angela Yu, how to build any app you want. She began programming at the age of 12 and she’s whipped up over 70 apps and video games in her day. Your app will be at the top of the charts any day now!

      If you’ve ever been curious how bloggers and media brands make money off affiliate links, this course will break down everything you’ve been dying to know. The course comes from the designer and creative mind Salma Sheriff and will teach you the basics on how to make money off affiliate marketing. Basically, this course will end up paying for itself. 

      In all relationships (family, friends, partners, and coworkers) communication is key. Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts knows a thing or two about communication and is sharing her best tips for fostering unforgettable moments through human connection in this online course. 

      Source: Gabby in the City

      Founder and creative director of the popular lifestyle brand Wit & Delight, Kate Arends is an expert on leveraging a social following into a creative business. If you’re looking to build an online community, develop content channels, or identify worthwhile opportunities, this course is for you. 

      YouTube beauty gurus are great, but if you’re looking to learn from one of the original makeup masters, you’ll love Bobbi Brown’s new online course. She’ll walk you through step-by-step makeup tutorials on models with a variety of skin tones and will answer some major makeup questions that you probably want answers to.

      If you want to master the culinary basics, chef Alice Waters is the perfect teacher. Known for starting the farm-to-table movement, Waters is the perfect person to instruct in the art of home cooking. Deep dive into essential kitchen tools, properly stocking a pantry, and cooking delicious, healthy food.

      Best-selling Author Roxane Gay’s online creative writing course aims to help students find their story, craft their truth, and learn how to write to make a difference. No matter what type of writing you want to undertake, this course will teach you to develop your craft.

      Any Gilmore Girls fan will likely jump at the chance to take a Yale course for free! Over two million people have taken this course from professor Laurie Santos, which presents a series of challenges designed to increase happiness and build more productive habits. It’s not too late to join them!

      WordPress is an exceptionally popular blogging platform, which means WordPress developers who can customize the design and functionality of these websites are in hot demand. Whether you want to make WordPress development a professional goal or simply want to learn more about how to customize your own website, this course can help lead the way. 

      Considering Diane Von Furstenberg built one of the most iconic fashion brands of all time, we’re looking forward to learning a thing or two about branding from her. Whether you work in fashion or not, her tips can’t be missed. 

      Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without highlighting a few of our own online courses! This course gives you all the resources you need to land your dream job. Alongside guided worksheets, insight from career experts, and a comprehensive resource list, you’ll gain access to super helpful resume, cover letter, and email templates. 

      It seems fair to say that we could all use a little extra self-care right about now! This online course is formatted as a fun six week challenge that comes with over 100 pages of guidance, tips, and worksheets. 
        More

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      The Most Valuable Skills I Didn’t Learn in the Classroom

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      For all of you who are career go-getters, have you ever considered what makes you valuable in the workplace? What about the skills that you weren’t necessarily taught in a traditional classroom setting?Throughout my academic career, I’ve learned and gained a lot from being inside the classroom. The structured learning environment of a classroom taught me hard skills in math and science and how to follow instructions, but these are totally different from the skills I gained outside of it. And although many Americans believe our schools should be doing a better job of teaching soft skills, most schools don’t.
      If you’re in the job market, you’ve probably heard more and more that “soft skills,” and interpersonal skills are heavily sought after by employers. Upon reflection, I’ve discovered that many of these skills I developed through my experiences in extracurriculars and other opportunities outside the classroom.
      In response to this, I’ve compiled a list of eight of the most valuable soft skills I’ve gained throughout the years that I didn’t learn from simply sitting in a classroom. 

      Source: Rawpixel

       
      1. Managing conflict and collaboration
      In any position, being able to work with people in a productive, collaborative manner and manage conflict with others is an invaluable asset. This is something that I learned through more exposure to working with different groups of people in various positions, and only through doing that did I understand the actions of this skill may look different in every position you take. Many of these skills I acquired as part of a student-run public relations firm and as a teaching assistant where I frequently ran into many differing opinions, attitudes, and conflicts that I had to manage and resolve.
      In the PR firm, I got to see both sides of the roles of being the supporting general member, and as the account executive, a.k.a. the leader. In these roles, I had to work with everyone on my team in order to do something for our client. I not only had to collaborate and manage conflict within my own team, but as an account executive, I also had to communicate with my client and manage conflict with them. Whether it was adapting a graphic they didn’t like or changing our phrasing in an ad, I had to help find the best solution. This experience taught me what productive collaboration truly is: working with others to achieve a common goal.
      In my position as a teaching assistant, I had to work with the rest of the teaching staff to come up with the best solutions to problems students dealt with, any scheduling issues, and how to best teach course material. I had 22 of my own students to teach and mentor in break-out sessions, and it was this position that best taught me how to manage conflict. In both of these positions, I found that in managing conflict and collaboration, patience, open-mindedness, and adaptability were always key.
       
      2. Networking
      As I began dipping my toe into the professional world, professionals and my professors alike kept repeating that students like myself need to go out and network. I nodded my head and smiled as if I knew what that meant. 
      In my sophomore year of college, I joined a pre-professional organization for my major, and in my first meeting, I walked into a room full of people I didn’t recognize, and the members of the executive board talked about professional development. I was terrified. I felt so out of place and in over my head. They kept saying the word “networking” over and over and horror washed over me when I realized I honestly didn’t even entirely understand what that looked like or how to do it. 
      I began to understand that networking is making meaningful connections with people professionally. Though petrified, I decided that this was something that I had to figure out on my own, and realized my classroom experience wasn’t going to be the place to truly learn this. I had to just do it.
      As an introvert, it can be nerve-wracking for me to start conversations with people and market myself, but I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to become more familiar with the unfamiliar. I kept doing these things until I felt significantly more comfortable sticking my hand out for a handshake and giving an elevator pitch. This was a skill I could’ve only attained from just going out there and physically doing it and practicing until it became second nature. 

      Source: @alainakaz

       
      3. Creativity 
      Do you ever feel like maybe you’re not creative enough? Me too. The good news is that there’s a creative in everyone—it may just be in hiding. There are ways that we can find our inner creativity.
      How do you learn creativity? A lot of my creativity had to be honed in my free time, where I put energy into things like reading, writing, watching TED Talks, and teaching myself new skills. After joining the high school yearbook staff, I ended up getting really into photography and graphic design. My brother gave me a hand-me-down DSLR and I ran around everywhere with it, practicing framing and composition. The world seemed so much more fascinating through a camera lens; I saw minute details that I used to miss because I became more aware of detail. I tried my hand at designing things. I came up with some of my best writing ideas, projects, and even videos I made with a friend.
      I think one of the keys to creativity is finding something that inspires you and makes you happy, and giving yourself the freedom and space to allow it. When you surround yourself with things that inspire you and you give yourself permission to consider the thoughts you usually push away as ridiculous or unimportant, you free yourself from limitations, and in this, you may find some of your creativity. 
       
      4. Leadership
      Being tasked with leading a group of my peers was daunting at first. I wondered why they trusted me with that task when I felt in over my head, but soon it became clear. My advisors saw something in me that indicated I could handle seeing the full picture while directing people and also collaborating. But I only realized that because I was in that situation to begin with; otherwise, I would’ve never discovered my leadership skills. It also taught me what my idea of leadership even is. In leading a team, I always consider what each member’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests are, so that I can best delegate tasks.
      Perhaps gaining leadership skills means running for leadership positions in organizations you’re in, or asking your manager for more responsibilities where you would be leading. Perhaps volunteering for a nonprofit could help you gain some leadership experience. Even just working on a personal project for fun with family and friends could give you some experience in delegating. 

      Source: @stilclassics

       
      5. Project management
      People always talk about time management, but I don’t think project management gets enough attention. Project management has been defined in multiple ways, but to me, it encompasses the acts of organizing, managing, monitoring a project with a certain goal in mind, and typically also includes managing a team. This is a skill that requires a detail-oriented eye to check for quality and an understanding of time and budget constraints while also being able to see the big picture.
      I don’t know about you, but I definitely did not learn this from a class. Perhaps there are business classes out there that teach these skills that I haven’t taken, but I learned this from taking the lead in ongoing projects. I learned from taking on opportunities where I got to take the lead on projects and had to implement the tactics that make up project management such as creating my own website, creating content and PR plans for clients, or my projects making videos. These experiences have taught me how to boost team morale, best use our skills, and how to communicate with clients to meet their wants and needs, as well as providing them work on schedule. 
      If you don’t have much project management experience yet, you could start small by running your own projects. See how much time and money you could save in a project for work or on a personal project and figure out the best way to achieve efficiency and quality. 
       
      6. Emotional intelligence
      Do you keep hearing people say “read the room?” That’s an aspect of emotional intelligence, which I define as being how you handle interpersonal relationships and generally, just having empathy. It allows us to truly relate to others and understand their experiences and feel their emotions, both of which help us to communicate more effectively and make us kinder people. Personally, I think it’s just important for being a solid person. 
      Employers want workers with high emotional intelligence because it means they’re more self-aware, better at problem-solving, and are empathetic. This translates into being employees that people want in their office.
      Personally, I genuinely think I gained a lot of emotional intelligence early on in life from reading so much as a child. I was able to put myself in the characters’ shoes and experience what they saw and felt. As I got older, I met more people who broadened my view and challenged me, and I always made an effort to see from their perspective. I also spent some time doing CBT—cognitive behavioral therapy—which really helped with learning self-awareness. If you feel like maybe you could use some work on learning how to be more empathetic or increase your emotional intelligence, it’s been shown that we can always practice increasing our emotional intelligence. 

      Source: Social Squares

       
      7. Communication skills
      Small talk is such an underrated skill. Have you ever sat in the chair at the hairdressers or at a doctor’s appointment and it’s just… silent? Like there’s this weird tension because neither of you knows what to say? It’s uncomfortable, to say the least. I had quite a few of those experiences as a self-proclaimed extremely shy, awkward child, and I only got better and more sociable with increased exposure to talking to others (and the help of some extroverted friends at first). Communication is a skill that can always be improved. 
      If you’re like me and breaking the ice sometimes makes you nervous, remember: people love talking about themselves. If you don’t know what to say and don’t want to use the old weather small talk, ask them a question about themselves! Even paying someone a compliment like, “Hey, I love your top,” can go such a long way. If you’re going to an event where you know you’ll be mingling with people, you could even rehearse some icebreakers to help you feel more comfortable.
      Another skill I think people don’t practice enough in conversation is active listening. Do you ever find yourself in conversations half-listening to someone and spending their time talking, crafting what you’re trying to say next in your head? We’re all guilty of it from time to time, I think. Rather than listening to respond, you should instead listen to understand, while paying attention to others’ body language as well. Your responses will likely be much more thoughtful and heartfelt and this will really help in communicating with others.

      8. Public speaking
      The dreaded public speaking. Clammy hands, a racing heart, and aggressively fast speech rate are my personal symptoms. 
      I don’t think I actually even got remotely comfortable being able to stand in front of even a small group of people to say anything until I became a TA. Getting the attention of college underclassmen who don’t care about a class they might’ve been taking to fulfill a general education requirement was sometimes a feat, and getting a laugh out of them was impressive. But this experience forced me to become more confident with an act that originally terrified me and left my knees shaking and voice wobbling. 
      Public speaking is a skill that requires lots of practice and exposure, and something I found to be incredibly helpful is recording a video of yourself presenting something, and then critiquing it. You could set up your phone and give a little presentation by yourself, or if you have a friend or family member do it (even better). By doing this, you get a grasp on how you look, some habits you might not even be aware that you have, and your presentation style. It’s amazing how many filler words we humans use when we’re nervous and not paying attention to it. It’s also a good idea to go in with a clear idea of what you’re presenting; every presentation is like a story. And every story requires a beginning, middle, and end to help guide the audience. With public speaking, practice is key and it’s never too late to learn! More