In 2015, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) launched its Career Readiness Initiative, with the goal of providing a shared, foundational understanding of what is needed to begin and develop a successful career. What emerged were eight career readiness competencies — a framework for addressing career-related goals and outcomes of curricular and extracurricular experiences, regardless of a student’s field of study. At the intersection of educational and professional development, NACE’s Career Readiness Initiative is an optimization of the importance of transferable skills – from how a student or recent graduate promotes their qualifications, to an employer’s role in sourcing talent. Simply put: career readiness is the new career currency (NACE, 2024).
Therefore, it stands to reason that you obtain a coveted set of skills through a variety of experiences that can be leveraged into your next opportunity. Maybe you had a summer retail job, were a part-time server, or have done volunteer service — you’ve utilized communication, self-development and equity & inclusion, among other competencies. You might be currently engaged in research, athletics or pre-professional clubs — you’re actively developing critical thinking, professionalism, teamwork… even leadership for all you team captains and club presidents. What’s important to remember here is that experiences come in “all shapes and sizes”, and the transferable skills & competencies that stem from them; it’s not limited to a binary system of job or internship that make you a qualified candidate. So, when it comes to how you market these sought after competencies, there is so much more that may be relevant to an open position than you first realize, not just what is related to a particular industry or role.
Aside from career readiness outside of the classroom, these skills & competencies often begin to materialize in the classroom. Your assigned papers, group projects, presentations and more serve as a vehicle for professional skill-building, like effective communication, critical thinking, and use of technology. We know that the eight core competencies are presumed to be the skills most in-demand by employers, that can be used across a broad range of industries, and regardless of a student’s major; so, academic foundations in areas such as Engineering, Nursing, Design and Business often share these transferable skills, despite having very different curriculums and “professional lanes”. Take it from Will Ferrell — the foundations and skills within his Sports Information major undoubtedly transferred well into the Entertainment industry (…I think Ricky Bobby & Jackie Moon would agree).
This is the value of transferable skills — a career currency that you obtain, deposit into your bank of experiences, and withdraw when necessary to showcase them. This is also the benefit of the NACE Career Readiness Initiative — a framework to help students, educators and employers understand the most fundamental competencies to support, achieve & sustain success in the workforce, preparing entry-level and seasoned professionals alike for lifelong career management.
You can learn more about the NACE Career Readiness Initiative here: https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined
Also, schedule an appointment with your Career Advisor to learn more about how to market these skills & competencies on your resume, in a cover letter, interview responses and more: https://upenn.joinhandshake.com/stu/appointments
