You’re feeling pumped up and ready to take your running leap into the working world. Your resume is polished, your interview outfit is cleaned and pressed, and you’re diving into a seemingly endless sea of job applications.
It’s an exciting time for you! And, understandably, the last thing you want to do is think about taking yet another class—particularly if you’re a recent grad who finally managed to escape years of schooling in favor of tackling the real world. The word “course” alone is likely enough to inspire visions of stuffy lecture halls and torturous final exams (full disclosure: a shiver just went down all of our spines).
But, while the idea of taking a course to get you prepped and ready for the working world might seem like your own personal slice of hell, we promise that it can be a particularly rewarding, enriching, and—ultimately—helpful experience.
So, swallow that lump in your throat, read through this list, and get ready to hit the books just one more time. We promise—these courses are quick and painless, and they’re sure to give you a leg up on the job hunt competition, as well as set you up for a happy and successful career.
1. Introduction to Public Speaking
You’ve heard it a million times before—communication is crucial in the workplace. But, unfortunately, effective communication doesn’t come naturally to everybody. Luckily, this course will help you cover all of your bases!
While this course mainly focuses on public speaking, you’ll learn traits of both oral and written communication as well as how to craft a solid argument. Needless to say, all of that will come in handy when you land a great gig.
2. Writing Effective Business Emails
Yes, communication is important. But, today, emails make up a huge chunk of the way we interact with other people in the office. If your messages have the tendency to resemble jumbled messes that recipients have a tough time wading through? Well, you’re going to want to work on those.
This course can help! This quick, 90-minute class will teach you everything you need to know to craft emails that earn you a fast response, improve your professional reputation, and boost your productivity. What could be better than that?
3. Conflict Resolution: In the Workplace and Beyond
Conflict is inevitable in the office—but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s productive. Take this course and you’ll learn how to resolve those issues quickly and respectfully, so that everyone in your workplace can move on (without it snowballing into a larger problem).
From being proactive about preventing conflict in the first place to those pesky consequences of workplace conflict, you’ll learn the ins and outs of professional arguments.
4. Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal and Professional Productivity
All of us want to squeeze as much as we can into any given workday—the more productive, the better. With this course, you’ll be armed with the tools, techniques, and methods you need to kick your productivity up a notch and overcome common time management roadblocks.
From prioritization to goal setting, you’re sure to take your productivity to the next level and foster a reputation as an employee who gets thing done. Trust us, that’s the kind of employee everyone loves.
5. Strategic Leadership and Management
Even if you aren’t starting off in a leadership role, having what it takes to effectively manage and mentor a team is always an admirable quality. That’s where this course comes into play.
You’ll dig into the fundamentals of managing people and organizations, analyzing business situations, and developing strategies—which will be helpful when you grab the reins on a project or start your climb up the ladder. After all, looking like you were born to lead? That’s a surefire way to make a great name for yourself in your new office.
This is just a sampling of the courses you can use to give yourself a boost before entering the working world. From social media to data science, there are plenty of other specific online courses that can add a ton of other useful tools to your belt.
Get started with these five that cover the fundamentals of being successful in the office, and you’re sure to take your career by storm!
