NACE Career Readiness Competencies
What is Career Readiness?
Career readiness, as defined by NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, is the foundation of key skills and competencies. These competencies, when aligned with BGSU's core values, prepare students for success in the workplace and long-term career growth. Career readiness plays a vital role in post-graduation success, particularly when securing the first job after college.
Each job description will include one or more of the below career readiness skills you will build while in the role:
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Sample Behaviors:
- Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
- Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Sample Behaviors:
- Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
- Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Sample Behaviors:
- Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.
- Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills needed to respectfully engage individuals of different backgrounds and perspectives.
Sample Behaviors:
- Keep an open mind to a variety of ideas and new ways of thinking.
- Contribute to creating opportunities that allow all individuals to participate and succeed.
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Sample Behaviors:
- Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
- Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Sample Behaviors:
- Act with fairness, integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
- Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Sample Behaviors:
- Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
- Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Sample Behaviors:
- Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
- Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
Updated: 08/28/2025 08:40AM