NACE Competencies
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified eight (8) career readiness competencies that are valuable for a college student as they transition into the workforce. Through my time at DeepSales, and as an International Scholar, I was able to develop and further hone some of these competencies which are discussed below!
01
Professionalism
Through my time at DeepSales, I developed and applied professional work habits in a real work environment. I placed a heavy emphasis on punctuality throughout my work and held myself accountable to complete my work through a weekly logbook of my assignments. As a result, I was never late to the office and frequently made it to work before my co-workers despite any mishaps with transportation or alarms.
02
Career and Self-Development
I found areas of my work that fit my strong suits. My curiosity and focus on a topic supported my work in cosmetics industry research which itself furthered my drive to learn more. In addition, I focused on the writing and communication skills valuable to my future career through my work on the company's English Newsletters. The company published these weekly, adding a human element to their communications, and granting me the opportunity to apply my skills in a real-world context.
03
Global and Cultural Intelligence
It goes without saying that my work in South Korea helped me develop my global and cultural intelligence. I spent my summer exploring and working in another country, learning to communicate in a language with which I lacked familiarity and adapt to the lack of direct instruction that is generally held in Korean workplaces. I also found my own assignments using my own drive to determine impactful projects here. I am now more familiar interacting with those of a different culture than myself, and happily create relationships with people from all over the world.
04
Leadership
A major part of my time in the International Scholars Program and my time at the University of Florida has been spent with the Korean Undergraduate Student Association as its President. Not only did I grow more familiar with the cultural aspect of the organization, I also became a stronger leader. While the organization is on a small scale compared to my career goals, my experiences here taught me how to lead a group. The ability to inspire and motivate a team through budget restrictions was a major turning point for me. I was able to enhance the organization's capabilities due to the engagement I created as its leader.
In addition, while I was working and studying in Korea, I became a leader in my own group. I utilized my own strengths (in this case, the Korean Language) to get the group around and served as the leading communicator.
