Building new skills is a key part of career development and readiness. Whether you’re preparing for your first job or advancing in your field, developing both technical and transferable skills helps you stand out to employers and succeed in the workplace.
UM’s Career Competencies
At the University of Montana, career readiness means gaining the essential skills and experiences you need to succeed after graduation. These transferable skills are highly valued by employers and predict long-term career success. You can develop them through your UM coursework as well as out-of-class experiences like internships, research, student organizations, on-campus jobs, community involvement, and other opportunities. Every experience, both in and out of the classroom, helps you strengthen this foundation and prepare for your future career.
UM’s Faculty Senate-approved career competencies (see policy) are listed below. Eight of the competencies were defined through research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and two (*) were developed specifically for UM students.
Career & Self Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual learning.
- Show an awareness of your strengths and areas for development.
- Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn new and/or develop existing skills.
- Identify areas and opportunities for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
- Develop plans and goals for your future career.
- Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with your network.
- Advocate for your needs and rights and those of others in the workplace.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives.
- Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
- Understand the importance and impact of verbal/written communication and body language.
- Choose the most effective communication style and messaging for an intended audience.
- Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
- When needed, ask questions to receive specific information and/or guidance from supervisors, specialists, and others.
Community Engagement*
Participate in meaningful and beneficial ways with local and global communities.
- Participate in community-based experiential learning programs (ie. service learning classes, volunteering, internships, practicums, research/field work, & NSE).
- Get involved with international student clubs, volunteer with local international organizations, and attend international events on campus.
- Perform independent study, research, or service learning under the guidance of a faculty member involved in an international or community-based project.
- Engage in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually enriching and beneficial to the community.
- Register to vote and participate in the political process.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context & relevant information.
- Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources to fully understand a problem.
- Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
- Make decisions and solve problems using inclusive reasoning and judgment.
- Present and disseminate information to diverse audiences with unique learning styles and perspectives.
- Effectively prioritize work tasks based on urgency and importance.
Equity & Inclusion
Demonstrate the awareness, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage people from different cultures.
- Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
- Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups.
- 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.
- Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
- Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
Creativity & Innovation*
Identify goals/problems, empathize within context, imagine, and test solutions to convert what you have into what you envision.
- Ask the right questions to recognize and frame primary challenges in useful, workable ways.
- Strategize to make constraints beneficial and remix elements to propose a sustainable solution within those limitations.Â
- Generate an adaptive prototype, draft, sketch, hypothesis, trial or model.
- Test and evaluate designs from multiple perspectives.
- Improve ideas through iteration (cycles of trial, error, and progressively better design).
- Problem-solve in unexpected ways, valuing experimentation and progress through ambiguous early results.
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work toward common goals.
- Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
- Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
- Build effective working relationships with supervisor and coworkers.
- Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
- Interact with and respect diverse personalities.
- Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask clarifying questions.
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
- Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
- Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity.
- Integrate information learned from technology to support effective and timely decision-making.
- Leverage technology to compile and share information with others.
- Be open to learning and adapting to new technologies.
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
- Plan, initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate projects.
- Motivate and inspire self and others to work towards a shared vision.
- Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
- Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods; contribute new ideas and suggestions to build on existing methods.
- Serve as a formal or informal role model to others by modeling your own workplace values and competencies.
Workplace Performance
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
- Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
- Understand and adhere to workplace policies and procedures; request appropriate accommodations if/when needed.
- Prepare appropriately for meetings, projects, and other work responsibilities.
- Demonstrate dependability by being present at work and completing assigned tasks.
- Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
- Take accountability for and learn from mistakes.
- Adapt to change and be open to new ways of doing things.
How to Identify and Develop In-Demand Skills
- Reflect on your goals: Identify what careers or roles interest you and what skills are commonly required for those paths.
- Assess your current strengths and gaps:Â Take stock of what you already know and what you need to do to grow to meet industry expectations.Â
- Read job openings: Explore job descriptions in your field to see what skills employers are looking for—this can help guide your learning priorities.
- Explore learning opportunities: Look into classes, workshops, certifications, or online platforms like Forage, Parker Dewey or Coursera to build targeted skills.Â
- Practice regularly:Â Apply new skills in real-world settings through internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, or personal projects.Â
- Seek feedback and mentorship: Learn from professionals in your field to improve your abilities and stay motivated as you grow.
