UALR counselors recently shared the best advice they’ve received — words of wisdom that can benefit recent graduates or those planning to enter the job market.

‘It’s all about other people’

Jesse Mason, director of the UALR Cooperative Education Internship and Placement Office 

The best piece of career advice I ever received, starting out with that first postgraduate job, was from my father.

I remember him saying to me: “A man is born with all the wisdom he needs to gain respect. He does not need a college degree to show human compassion. Respect should not be based upon what a man knows, but rather upon the quality of life he lives.”

His advice to me was that once you’re in the real world, it’s all about other people. Giving is more important than your point of view, and learning how to get along and work together, work in a team, is the difference between managers and leaders. He used to say to me, “There is always a way; you have just got to find what that way is.”

Don’t neglect those soft skills

Aresh Assadi, UALR counselor

The best career advice I can share with graduates looking to start their career is to work on improving their soft skills.

My mentor once shared with me that technical skills may help get you an interview, but soft skills are what get you the job — and help you keep it.

Relationship building, communication, adaptability and conflict resolution are a few examples of soft skills. When being considered for a job opening, most of your fellow candidates will have the minimum technical and academic requirements necessary for the position. The soft skills that you have developed in your professional and academic experiences will help set you apart from the crowd.

Another bit of advice I learned while surveying and interviewing local Human Resources personnel revolves around having the right attitude during an interview.

When you go in for the interview, remember that you are not asking the company for a job and to pay you money. Instead, state what you can offer the company.

Let’s say the job pays around $40,000. Instead of looking at the job in terms of the company paying you 40k a year, use your soft skills to show your potential employers how you will bring them $40,000 worth of value for the year.

In this way, you present yourself as an asset that brings value instead of just another cost. Many prospective employees make the mistake of talking about how the company can benefit them. You can set yourself apart by speaking in terms of how you will help the company with its mission.

Always be yourself

Eric F. Walker, assistant dean for career services, UALR William H. Bowen School of Law

There is a natural tendency to adjust your behaviors, interview style, and career documents to fit a particular employer. While some level of that is fine, at the end of the day, the purpose of a job interview is to determine if there is an appropriate fit.

The applicant needs to be able to fit in the organizational culture. At the same time, the organization needs to be able to fit in with the applicant as well.

An applicant who may not be a great fit for an organization who conforms to what they believe will get him/her the job will not likely be happy in the position in the long run. Being yourself ensures that the employer has a strong sense of the overall applicant to determine a good fit into the organizational culture which ultimately leads to employee satisfaction over the long run.