July 2024 marks 10 years since I graduated from a BA in Spanish. Over the years, I’ve learned that our human skills are the most important skills we can build.
Here are 7 pieces of practical advice that I hope will help you as you build your career and your life ❤️
Class of 2024, this is for you.
Congratulations on your graduation!
You did it.
You started university at an uncertain and unsettling time. You put in years of juggling study, paid work, and a side project or two to satisfy a passion or a mere need to get by. You navigated new friendships and relationships. And you’ve likely spent the past few months wondering what on earth you’re going to do next. The important thing is that, despite the challenges, you made it.
My name is Hayley Dawson and I’m the founder of career development company The Blocks Academy. This month marks 10 years since I graduated with a degree in Spanish from the University of Roehampton in London.
I know what it’s like to go through university with the security of having a plan for a few years while you study, and I know what it’s like to be let out into the world with what seems like a thousand paths in front of you and not knowing which one to go down.
And that’s why I want to tell you about something that not many people consider as they move through their careers and lives – and that’s the importance of your human skills.
Since graduating I’ve had 13 jobs and each one has required some level of technical ability. Lesson planning as an English teacher. Command of language as a Spanish translator. Accuracy as a subtitler. Data analysis as a researcher. Strategic planning as a leader. But I’ve rarely been praised on my technical skills. Instead, I’ve been complimented on my confidence, pragmatism, curiosity, empathy, ability to self-reflect, and the way I support others. I call these skills human skills.
Human skills help us to get ahead in our career and create a positive impact. They allow us to be an easy person to work with, to lift other people up, to ask ourselves the right questions, to ensure that humanity is at the forefront of our work, they allow us to get the best out of technology and AI, and to transform the impact that people and organisations have on society. Human skills make us a good person to have as a friend, a mentor, a manager, a leader, and they make us a good person to be.
Think confidence, courage, and self-belief; curiosity and experimentation; emotional intelligence and self-awareness; listening and supporting and celebrating others.
Human skills are quite literally the skills that make us human.
I believe human skills are the foundation of our work and lives – and everyone should be equipped with the tools to build, explore and practise them.
Now I’m not qualified to tell you what to do. Nobody is. Because you are the one and only expert of your own life. But 10 years after graduating I do have some insights into what tends to work and not work.
So, here are 7 pieces of practical advice that I hope will help you as you build your career and your life.
Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
Number 1: Your courage comes before your confidence
Many people focus on building their confidence. But you don’t need confidence to do something big and scary. You need a juicy dollop of courage. Courage is what allows us to feel the fear and do it anyway. Courage allows us to take the first step, to get moving, to get learning. And confidence is what we get as a result of being courageous.
Number 2: Embrace experimentation and curiosity
There was one question we were asked as children that put us into a box: What do you want to be when you grow up? It made us believe that we had to choose one thing, one path. But you don’t. You might feel a little lost right now, but the good news is that feeling lost is an opportunity to get curious, experiment, and find things that you enjoy. The next ten years of your lives are for experimentation and curiosity because they’re the only ways to work out what you like and what you're good at.
Number 3: Elevate your emotional intelligence
Take time to understand your emotions and the emotions of others. Don’t be so quick to react to people and situations – there's no rush. Take a step back, think about the outcome you want, and behave in the most appropriate way. Mastering this will save you from getting dumped, from getting fired, and from wasting a tonne of money.
Number 4: Don't sleep on self-reflection
Regular self-reflection will give you clarity about everything. Document the things you learn, the things you enjoy, the things you don’t like, the things you’re getting better at, the things you doubt about yourself, and the things people say about you and your response to them. Document everything and document regularly so that your thoughts stay front of your mind.
Number 5: Build your self-understanding
Take the time to understand what your values are and why they’re your values. For example, my values are human connection, service, and freedom – they come from what I enjoy now, what I want to give to the world, and my past experiences. Understand your values, strengths, weaknesses, and get clear on your idea of success so that you don’t end up following someone else’s.
Number 6: Listen
Listen to yourself because you are the only person who knows what you truly want and you are the only one who can steer your career and life in the right direction.
Listen to others because you never know how much they need you in any given moment. So, when someone is speaking to you, look them in the eye if you can, take in every word they say, and put your damn phone down.
And, number 7, my favourite: Support and celebrate other people
Everyone is trying to find their way in their career and life, and some people are struggling more than others. So, no matter who you are, where you are in life, or how you feel about yourself, don’t break people down, build them up and celebrate them. Be an encourager because your voice is more powerful than you realise.
Finally, don’t rush out there because life takes a lifetime to figure out.
If you focus on building your human skills, I’m certain that you’ll build an extraordinary career and life, you’ll get to exactly where you want to be, and you’ll help others get there too.
Congratulations class of 2024! You did it!
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