Connecting You with YOUR Career Competencies
Connect U! Connecting You with Career Competencies will help you to connect and apply your individual strengths, knowledge, skills, experiences, and faith to your chosen profession, academic endeavor, or life path after graduation.
Why Connect U? The career competencies were identified by a task force convened by The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The task force which consisted of career services and HR/recruiting professionals, identified eight competencies required to launch a successful career. Reflecting our Christian foundation and heritage, Milligan University added faith as a ninth crucial building block to a career-ready student.
Employers, graduate, and professional schools expect candidates to articulate and demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to pursue success in their respective environments. Through your experiences inside and outside the classroom, you are developing the knowledge and skills to master the career competencies. You will need to explore additional resources and opportunities through service, internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, on/off campus employment, capstone projects, and portfolio development to polish your skills.
How? Begin by understanding the definition of the career competencies, examine expected behaviors of individuals well-versed in the skills associated with the competency, and use meaningful action words to translate those experiences on your resume and cover letters. Delve into suggested resources to help you build each competency and Connect U to your future calling and career.
Competencies
Career and Self Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships inside and outside one’s organization.
Sample Behaviors
- Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
- Identify areas for continued growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
- Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
- Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
- Display curiosity, seek out opportunities to learn.
- Assume duties or positions that will help on progress professionally.
- Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
- Seek and take advantage of development opportunities.
- Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Intro to College and Service, MLGN 100
- Intro to Calling and Career, MLGN 200
- Center for Calling and Career Development
- Talk with you academic advisor, professors, coaches, mentors, and employers
- Milligan Counseling Center (pursue counseling for professional growth and development)
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Sample Behaviors
- Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
- Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
- Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
- Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
- Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
- Promptly inform appropriate people when needing guidance with assigned tasks.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- DISC Assessment
- Speech Communications, COMM 102
- Intro to Storytelling, COMM 180
- Rhetorical Composition, COMP 111
- Foundational Analytical Composition, COMP 211
- All writing intensive academic courses
- Participating in student organizations
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Sample Behaviors
- Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning, and judgement.
- Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
- Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
- Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
- Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders.
- Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Humanities, HUMN 101, 102, 201, 202
- All upper-level academic courses
- Participating in student organizations
- Pursuing internships, undergraduate research, on/off campus employment, service projects, capstone projects, and portfolio development
Global and Intercultural Fluency
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures.
Sample Behaviors
- Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
- Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
- Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
- Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
- Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Study Abroad
- Christ and Culture, BIBL 471
- Participating in student organizations
- Ethnic studies courses
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on both personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Sample Behaviors
- Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
- Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
- Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
- To serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
- Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and building mutual trust.
- Plan, initiate, manage, complete, evaluate, and improve projects.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Intro to Leadership in Organizations, BADM 301
- Leadership and Ethics, CRCJ 350
- Ministry Leadership Seminar, CMIN 260
- Nursing Leadership and Management, NURS 420, 420P
- Nursing Leadership, Management and Professional Role Integration, NURS 421M, 421P-M
- The Certificate in Leadership
- Participating in student organizations
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Sample Behaviors
- Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
- Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
- Be present and prepared.
- Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
- Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
- Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
- Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
- Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- The Center for Calling and Career Development
- Intro to Calling and Career, MLGN 200
- On-Campus and Part-time Employment
- Internship/Student Teaching/Clinicals
- MU Connect, Milligan’s online mentoring community
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Sample Behaviors
- Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
- Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
- Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
- Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
- Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
- Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
- Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Undergraduate Research
- Capstone projects
- Athletic teams
- Participating in student organizations
- Community service events
- Being a part of a musical ensemble, a theatre production, an academic team such as Model U.N, Debate Team
Technology
Understand and ethically leverage technologies to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Sample Behaviors
- Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
- Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of ones’ work.
- Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
- Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
- Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
- Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Computer Application, IS 175M
- Advanced Excel, IS 285M
Faith
Understand how our Christian faith informs and influences our career choice, path, and the execution of that career.
Sample Behaviors
- Reflects on how faith intersects and interacts with your chosen major
- Understands ways being a Christian informs and inspires the other career competencies
- Considers how following Jesus impacts future career (as an accountant, a historian, a writer, a teacher, a nurse, a social worker, an engineer, etc.)
- Displays characteristics of Christ in internship and/or work study position
- Relates to other students, faculty, and staff in a manner consistent with Christian faith
Skills Examples
Action-words that describe this skill
Resources
- Old Testament Survey, BIBL 123
- New Testament Survey, BIBL 124
- Christ and Culture, BIBLE 471
- Humanities, HUMN 101, 102, 201, 202
- Campus Ministry