What Are Career Readiness Competencies and Why are They so Valuable for High School Students?

July 29, 2024 byMartin Schneider

4 min to read

A young woman dressed in formal attire and smiling and shaking hands with a man

Let’s say you’re a hiring manager at a company. Maybe it’s a local business, maybe it’s a huge multinational corporation. And let’s say you’re looking through resumes of candidates for summer jobs or internships—maybe dozens of them, probably more.

How will you differentiate one candidate from the next? How will you choose who to even bring in for an interview? How can you be confident that a student is prepared to make the leap to the workforce?

In other words, how can a hiring manager be sure that a student is career-ready? If you are a student, how can you be sure that you are career-ready?

What are Career-Readiness Competencies?

Career Readiness Competencies are specific types of soft skills that can show employers that a candidate is proficient in the kinds of skills and capabilities that are critical for success in the professional world.

Since these Career Readiness Competencies are not explicitly taught in high school—or even college—students can turn to digital credentialing services like Credly, the leading platform for earning and managing all kinds of digital credentials, to assure employers that they have what it takes to thrive in the workplace. These digital assessments can help students earn badges and assess where they stand when it comes to overall career readiness and can help students stand out as a candidate for jobs or internships, or as an applicant to colleges or work-study programs.

What are the Eight Career Readiness Competencies?

Career & Self Development

Professional self-development begins with a realistic assessment of a student’s strengths areas for growth. It isn’t always easy. Even a student acknowledging that they have weaknesses shows a level of maturity and humility that hiring managers admire since this skill is something that is developed continuously throughout a person’s career.

This competency also includes: developing long-term career plans; proactively getting and applying feedback; advocating for others as well as oneself; taking on responsibilities that will lead to career growth; and more.

Communication

Clear communication is the lifeblood of every business. Information must be exchanged effectively—between individuals, among departments and divisions, with customers, with partner companies and regulatory organizations.

This competency includes: demonstrating strong verbal and written communication; understanding non-verbal cues such as body language; listening actively; asking appropriate questions; knowing when to seek guidance; and more.

Critical Thinking

Decision-making is fundamental to virtually every professional role. The more a person is able to analyze a situation and identify the right course of action, the more responsibility they are likely to earn.

This competency also includes: understanding context; using sound reasoning and judgment; anticipating needs proactively; prioritizing action steps; accurately interpreting data; being aware of personal biases; and more.

Equity & Inclusion

Creating a working environment that is both equitable and inclusive—even contributing to such an environment—starts with an awareness that people from different cultures and backgrounds may see things from different perspectives.

This competency includes: asking for and incorporating feedback from diverse points of view; contributing actively to practices that foster positive change; advocating for those in historically marginalized communities; and more.

Leadership

Teams are the building blocks of organizations, and every team requires leadership. Even for entry-level professionals, the ability to inspire, persuade, and motivate others is a significant driver of workplace effectiveness.

This competency includes: seeking out and leveraging a variety of resources; serving as a role model to others; building mutual trust with other individuals; initiating, managing, completing, and evaluating projects; and more.

Professionalism

Skills that improve a student’s situational awareness can help them learn how to work towards team goals and carefully consider how their actions are perceived by others.

This competency includes: acting with integrity and accountability; being present and prepared; prioritizing tasks needed to accomplish organizational goals; showing a high level of dedication; and more.

Teamwork

Productive, collaborative professional relationships don’t happen by accident. They require establishing shared goals and responsibilities, while appreciating (and accommodating) diverse points of view and different approaches to work.

This competency includes: taking the time to listen to others; learning how to effectively manage conflict; finding and reaching compromise: being accountable for both individual and team deliverables; and more.

Technology

Technology improves the productivity of companies of all sizes across all industries. Every employee must understand how best to incorporate new technologies to accomplish company goals—and to understand how to do so ethically.

This competency includes: embracing change; identifying appropriate technology for completing specific tasks; using technology to integrate information in order to make more effective and more timely decisions; and more.

Prove Your Career Readiness with Credly

Credly, a Pearson company, is a free tool for earning digital credentials. Connections Academy students can earn Career Readiness Competency badges that can help students boost their resume, college applications, or self-assess where they are when preparing for future jobs.

If you are not enrolled in Connections Academy, sign up to receive our free eGuide to learn more about how online school could be the right fit for your family.