One of the most important qualities and skill sets that are required now, and will be required in the future, regardless of the level or position, are effective leadership skills. It will not matter whether jobs are entry-level, mid-management, or even CEO level positions. Every facet of our world is changing, and society demands new leadership.
During the summer I was interviewing for positions outside of education simply for the experience. I thought I should expose myself to the interview process and array of questioning that comes when applying for a new position. I applied for over a hundred jobs and interviewed for ten positions. One of the jobs was for a large insurance company. The first round of interviews was done with a large group of people in a type of professional development setting (remotely). There they should us videos and talked about the company and what they were looking for, while randomly asking questions to people in the call. One of the hiring managers asked some standard questions such as, “why do you want this job” or “what type of skills do you bring to our company?” Many interviewees had a difficult time answering basic questions. They were obviously there because they want to make money. I was there for the experience. Prior to the first-round interview, we had to fill out a long questionnaire with a variety of questions. I do not remember all the questions, but for one of the questions I wrote that the most important thing in education or in business, no matter what position you hold, is relationships. The same can be said for content creation, social media and podcast growth. You want engagement? Focus on the relationships.
