It may have seemed like a candidate with technology skills was an added bonus for an employer, but in a world that is adapting to remote, in office, and hybrid models – every job is now a technology job. While there are assumptions that younger generations are the great “digital natives” that help older generations adapt, this simply isn’t true. Adapting to the new technology includes all positions, at all levels, in order to thrive in the changing work landscape.
The Technology competency for career readiness is defined as being able to understand and leverage digital technologies ethically and efficiently to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
New college graduates should be able to:
- Navigate change and learn new digital solutions
- Enhance organizational, professional, and personal efficiencies through the use of technologies
- Recognize impact of personal/professional brand and engage responsibly across social platforms and technologies
- Use technology to synthesize information and data to improve performance
There are many ways to highlight your technology skills whether you are an English or Mathematical Economics major. Here are some examples of technology to highlight to employers, regardless of what your major is at Hampden-Sydney College.
- R
- Python, Java, C++
- Certifications in Excel
- Adobe Creative Products
- Film / Audio Editing Software
- Social Media Analytics / Hubspot
- Customer Relationship Software (CRMs)
- Research Databases in Bortz Library (EBSCO, WorldCat)
For some students creating a personal website with Wix or Squarespace highlighting their media, writing, and visual artwork is the best way to present employers with examples of their work. For more technical students it might be managing projects on GitHub to show their coding aptitude or completing a case study through Powerpoint using a variety of data visualizations to communicate your recommendations.
Are you ready for a common question you might face in an interview?
Tell me about a time you wanted to learn something new. How did you go about it?
“Like a lot of people, my 2020 plans changed when I wasn’t able to study abroad for the summer. Since I was stuck at home like a lot of people, I was a bit restless and wanted to do something really creative. I started mixing some of my own music, and then I would go out for walks in the woods and capture some video and photograph whatever appealed to me. I had been wanting to play around with Adobe Creative Cloud after learning a little bit about it in our Rhetoric Center, so I downloaded the student version. I spent the summer playing around with Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, and then created a music video with the music I had been creating during the shutdown. Now I’m building my own website to house the video, and plan to promote it with TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.”
Competencies Highlighted: Technology, Self-Awareness