A lot of students come to Centennial College to give themselves the tools they need to succeed in their career, like practical skills, work experience and industry connections. But often, students miss their chance to mention one very valuable tool in their job-hunting arsenal: Communication skills.
What do we mean by communication skills? According to Indeed, these skills can be grouped into writing, speaking and listening abilities. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something a lot of people neglect. Communication skills are more important than you think, and here’s why.
They’re important for school
You might think, for example, that you didn’t come to Centennial College to learn to write better, you came here to learn job skills. But in fact, communication skills are important for your academic success, both when it comes to understanding what’s being taught, and letting your teachers know that you understand.
They’re important for your career
You might think that if you’re not going into a career that involves a lot of customer service, you don’t really need communication skills. In fact, basically every job requires you to have good communication skills at work. You need to be able to understand what’s asked of you and communicate with others, no matter what you’re doing. Plus, working well with others is tied to communication skills, and teamwork is always going to come in handy.
You’ll need to be skilled at writing for when you create reports or even to send clear, concise emails. You’ll need to be skilled at speaking when interacting with customers, or when you manage or work in teams, or just sharing ideas. You’ll need to be skilled at presenting to contribute in meetings or persuade groups of people. And you’ll need active listening skills, not just for customers, but to make your co-workers feel understood and valued.
Communication skills are the difference that’ll get you hired
There’s an even more important angle to this, too. Employers see communication skills as a strength, and are looking to hire people that have them. Essential Life Skills pegs good communication skills as the one quality in new hires that’s most desired by companies. According to mba.com, having communication skills on your resume will be what separates you from other applicants, and get you hired. If you have both the job skills and the communication skills, it’ll put you ahead of the competition.
They’re important for life, not just work
Not being able to communicate well will hold you back, in both work and in life. In fact, Skills You Need calls good communication the single most important life skill. Over the course of your life, you’ll need to communicate with plenty of businesses, organizations and people. If you can’t communicate well, you invite misunderstanding, frustration, mistakes, or worse, no matter what you’re doing.
You need to test your communication skills when you start school
Here’s where Centennial College comes in: At the start of your time here, there’s an English Skills assessment you need to take before you begin the first semester. Once you’re admitted to Centennial, you’ll get an email instructing you how to register to take this free assessment. You can take it in person at our Assessment Centre or online. The test is called Accuplacer, and it involves listening, reading and writing, and usually takes two to three hours to complete. It’s important you take it as soon as possible, otherwise you’re missing essential support for communication skills development in the form of a communications course.
You also need to take your communications class seriously
Every student at Centennial College takes a communications course, unless you’ve taken one at another college and apply transfer credits. The purpose of the English Skills Assessment is to figure out which one you go into. There are communication courses for every level of skill, and the assessment will place you in the correct one. It’s important to invest the time in the course, because it will ensure you have the essential communications skills to succeed in school, your career and life. And if you’re looking for more support, the English Tutoring Centre can help, with free one-on-one English tutoring, for up to two sessions a week. Come ready to study and learn, and we’ll set you on the path to success.
Written by: Anthony Geremia