Rufus Bobcat wears a suit at a career fair
Building Bobcat Success

Building Bobcat Success: Competencies for Career Development

On-campus jobs offer more than just a paycheck—they're a valuable stepping stone toward future career success. 

Building Bobcat Success is an interactive module created to help empower students to make the most of their on-campus employment experience. As student employees, you will gain access to Building Bobcat Success: Competencies for Career Development in your Canvas course list. While this is not a “traditional course” in the sense that there are no grades, assignments guide students through development and articulation of the top skills employers seek.  

If you are a student employee and do not see Building Bobcat Success: Competencies for Career Development in your Canvas Course list or are not a student employee but would like access to the module, please email signatureacademicexperiences@ohio.edu.

Coming Fall 2025 

Building Bobcat Success: Competencies for Career Development Module

Coming in Fall 2025

Through collaboration with Career Services , this module will help you to evaluate your current areas of preparedness so you can identify target areas that you want to develop. The core competency areas follow.

Career & Self-Development

Sample behaviors include:

  • Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
  • Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
  • Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
  • Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
  • Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.
  • Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
  • Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
  • Seek and embrace development opportunities.
  • Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.

Communication

Sample behaviors include:

  • Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
  • Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
  • Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
  • Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
  • Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
  • Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks.

Critical Thinking

Sample behaviors include:

  • Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment.
  • Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
  • Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
  • Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
  • Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders.
  • Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.

Leadership

Sample behaviors include:

  • Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
  • Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
  • Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
  • Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
  • Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
  • Plan, initiate, manage, complete and evaluate projects.

Professionalism

Sample behaviors include:

  • Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
  • Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
  • Be present and prepared.
  • Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
  • Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
  • Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
  • Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
  • Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.

Teamwork

Sample behaviors include:

  • Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
  • Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
  • Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
  • Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
  • Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
  • Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
  • Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.


Technology

Sample behaviors include:

  • Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
  • Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
  • Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
  • Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
  • Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
  • Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.

Looking for Employment?

  • On-Campus Student Jobs

    Visit the Ohio University Jobs website and use the Student Jobs tab.

  • Federal Work Study

    A program for students who received Federal Work Study as part of their Financial Aid package.

  • PACE (Program to Aid Career Exploration)

    An OHIO-based program that supports internship-like work. A separate application for this program is required and eligibility information is on the website.

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