Transferable Skills Developed On-Campus: Analytical/Critical Thinking

Did you realize that you can gain analytical and critical thinking skills from campus jobs?

Employers want candidates that can think critically. You’ve gained analytical skills in the classroom, but did you realize that you’ve also gained them through on-campus employment? Here are some examples of resumes phrases describing analytical skills gained through common campus jobs.

ANALYTICAL/CRITICAL THINKING

Library worker

• Offered suggestion for creating Facebook group for library workers, helping to encourage community-building
• Helped problem solve solution for scheduling conflicts among student staff

Food service/catering worker

• Determined most efficient and effective procedures for setting up large-scale events, such as eliminating redundant steps to improve speed of room setup
• Identified error in equipment calibration; communicated problem with supervisor immediately, resulting in savings of over $200 in wasted product

Tutor/educator

• Worked with students on analytical reasoning
• Helped students identify problems in their writing, such as circular or faulty reasoning

Office worker/desk clerk

• Implemented new process for lending out equipment to ensure timely return, resulting in first time in three years that residence hall did not lose equipment
• Developed full communication plan for department’s annual _____ event with minimal supervision

Residence advisor

• Mediated frequently between residents to resolve disputes and conflicts
• Proposed and implemented revised procedures for organizing ________

Research/lab assistant

• Helped students identify and analyze _________
• Worked closely with Dr. _______ to design research projects and labs

IT help desk/computer lab assistant

• Helped students troubleshoot hardware, software, and networking problems
• Diagnosed and resolved technical hardware and software issues

Greek or student organization officer

• Re-evaluated recruitment policies and implemented revisions resulting in 90% increase in recruitment
• Determined allocation of funds based on budget needs, group interests, and examination of last 5 years of spending

Campus newspaper/magazine worker

• Identified and pursued stories of interest for readership of over 22, 000 undergrads, graduate students and alumni
• Determined hierarchy of stories and photos for each page

Admissions staff worker

• Determined which campus organizations, buildings and departments to highlight to prospective students, based on their interests
• Researched five different social media tools to propose which option would be best for reaching prospective students and their families

Keep in mind that the phrases above are just examples. Revise, edit and tailor the phrases as your needs require.

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