NACE Career-Readiness Competencies

Career & Self Development: Throughout my internship, I was able to develop myself and my career through personal and professional growth, awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, navigation of my opportunities and building relationships. I was able to do so by accepting and absorbing feedback. I think feedback is so important because not only does it improve your work but it also shows you where you should focus in the future. For example, the first press release I wrote had a lot more feedback than the most recent one because I was able to look back at what I needed to improve and apply that to my most recent writing. Being aware of my strengths and weaknesses was so important because I didn’t take any of the feedback personally, I knew it was only there to help me which it absolutely did. I was also able to build relationships with those around me which I believe is a necessity when developing a career. Being able to talk to people who have a profession in what I’m interested in was a great introduction to the workforce. I plan on continuing the development of myself and my career by keeping an open mind when it comes to feedback, taking advantage of opportunities that will further my career and continuing to build relationships with those who will aid in my success. 

Communication: Communication is such a vital part of any career and I believe I was able to both demonstrate and enhance my communication throughout this internship. Collaboration, asking questions and staying in touch are all things that can help throughout any job. During my internship, I made sure to clarify anything I was unsure about in order to guarantee my work was the best it could be. Whether in person or over email, being able to actively communicate played such an important part in my success. Being an active listener and writing notes down was also something that I valued because being able to look back at a physical copy of what you heard instead of relying on memorization was a great support. I also appreciated how clear all communication was throughout my time at the YMCA because not only did it help me but it also gave me good examples of what clear communication looks like. During my time, I was able to use this communication to build relationships and connections with those around me that can be useful in the future. This experience has prepared me for future opportunities because it gave me an chance to witness professional communication as well as take part in it. Having this experience has improved my skills and I plan to keep developing them through utilizing my skills in both academic and professional settings as well as taking advantage of any opportunities that arise. 

Critical Thinking: Throughout my academic career, critical thinking has always been an important skill to have. Whether it’s a simple two step problem or an intricate research project, critical thinking has helped me in so many situations. During my internship, I was able to use my previous knowledge as well as develop my critical thinking with new kinds of professional research. Writing for an organization like the YMCA requires you to know their language and how the organization aims to present itself. Because of this, I was able to gather and analyze information from their websites, blogs, social media and history in order to plan out my writing for what sounded the best. It also required me to think about the audience that I was aiming for and if I was in their position, what they would want to hear. These experiences will prepare me for the future because I was able to improve my non-academic research skills and use the large sums of information found to help summarize the message I wanted to convey. In order to further develop my career and critical thinking skills, I will take advantage of research and problem solving opportunities as well as actively look for and try other methods that could be of help.