Marketing Your Major: How your degree can help prepare you for the job market
In pursuing your degree at Samford, you have gained knowledge not only about your subject matter, but
your coursework and co- and extra- curricular activities have provided you the opportunity to develop
transferrable skills that potential employers will find valuable. Below is a list of skills valued by
employers regardless of industry. As you think about these skills, consider how your coursework, papers,
presentations, special research projects, etc., may demonstrate your ability and experience to a
prospective employer. Please use the lines under each skill to list specific activities and achievements for
your reference when creating your resume or preparing for an interview.
Transferrable Skills & Abilities Highly Valued by Employers Across Industries and Settings
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Writing Skills – to express oneself clearly through written words (e.g. successful papers you have written)
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Interpersonal/Social Skills – to get along well with others (e.g. list activities or projects which demonstrate
abilities such as being a good listener, empathic, effective at conflict resolution, etc.)
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Problem-Solving Ability – to identify the source of a problem and provide a solution (when were you faced with a
class related problem and how did you solve it?)
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Global Awareness – to possess an understanding of other cultures/ Multicultural Skills- to relate to people from
diverse cultures (what study abroad experiences do you have? Have you volunteered or worked with people from
other cultures?)
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Foreign Language Skills – to communicate in multiple languages (what level of ability do you have to write or
speak in another language?)
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Creativity – to bring a fresh perspective to a situation (describe a project that demanded you have a fresh take on a
familiar topic or previous approach)
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Organizational Skills – to manage multiple projects or aspects of a project effectively (describe a project where
you had to manage your time, energy, resources, etc., to accomplish your goal or how you managed multiple tasks
well)
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Self-Starter – to work efficiently without supervision (describe a project or class related experience when you showed initiative
or had to direct yourself within broad guidelines)
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Teamwork Ability – to work well with others and put personal interests aside for the good of the group (describe a project
where you worked collaboratively to achieve success)
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Oral Communication Skills – to express oneself clearly through the spoken word (e.g. have you taught, tutored,
explained complex information successfully?)
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Flexibility – to adapt to new and different situations (describe a project where you may have had to change direction, but
it was completed successfully)
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Leadership Skills – to guide the activities of a group and influence the opinions of others (leadership roles you have had
in class or in clubs/organizations)
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Presentation Skills – to deliver a message to an audience effectively (any presentation you have done well)
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Computer Skills – to be knowledgeable about various types of computers and software (list all the computer programs
you use)
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Critical Thinking Skills – to sift through a large amount of information and make decisions about what is most useful
(how has your coursework enabled you to look at issues objectively and arrive at rational decisions?)
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Analytical Skills – to examine in detail or to separate data, ideas, or objects into their parts (how has your coursework
trained you to evaluate or break down an issue or problem, understand it, solve it and then articulate it to others?)
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Ability to Synthesize – to combine separate elements to form a new whole (how has your major enabled you to look at
data to see connections and to produce a new concept or product?)
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