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Rising Star
During grad school the focus was networking and presentations
Which are helpful but to land a position being able to make idle chat and be “human” is pretty high up on the list I think
I would say being able to communicate well counts for a lot. Let's assume technical knowledge is a given, that's the baseline. So a young person wants to differentiate themselves from everyone else. If you can speak with some clarity and be personable that's a definite plus. Giving some indication that you can work in a team and get along with people matters, companies don't have much patience for lone wolves, no matter how brilliant they may be.
The ability to solve problems without being told the answer. This seems to be a really underrated skill for a lot of new graduates who are used to generative AI just giving them all the answers. Learning how to research and solve problems and figure things out is an incredibly important skill.
Soft skills are probably equally as important, if not more important than technical skills. Technical skills can be learned on the job, but if you can’t speak well and communicate information well then first impressions are tainted. You can absolutely improve soft skills but I think your baseline needs to at least be considered decent