As a graduate on OPT, you are probably aware that you need to learn specific skills that will convince a company to hire you. Your primary focus should be improving employability so you can distinguish yourself from all the other candidates, even if you all share similar credentials and experience.
And the only way you can do so is by understanding what employers look for in candidates. Employers highly value effective time and task management skills in addition to strong communication, adaptability, and a willingness to learn.
Luckily for you, learning how to manage your business activities and time has never been easier, as dozens of project management tools are available and accessible. One of them is Asana, a powerful work management platform that organizes tasks and tracks project progress, driving productivity in even the most complex workflows.
In this article, we’ll cover what Asana is, how you can leverage it to your advantage, and how mastering it can make a strong impression on potential employers, ultimately enhancing your employability.
What does it mean to “boost employability”?
In simple words, employability means having the skills and abilities that will attract recruiters. It combines your academic success, credentials, and soft skills.
Nowadays, when qualifications for entry-level positions are so broad, you must ensure you meet employers’ requirements and expectations. One of the ways you can do so is by improving your employability, which you can do through the following five steps:
- Identify which skills you need to improve. While technical knowledge and hard skills are important, don’t overlook soft skills like teamwork and curiosity—they’re always in demand.
- Polish your resume. When applying for a position, study the job description to discover which skills employers are looking for. Then, highlight your relevant skills and experience to match their requirements.
- Talk to an Employment Counsellor. Counselors are there to provide clarification for your career path and assist you in improving your employability by updating your CV and preparing you for interviews.
- Develop an impressive portfolio. If you are a photographer, designer, or freelance writer, you’ll need to craft a compelling portfolio showcasing your best work (even from volunteer projects) so employers can recognize your potential and skills.
- Adopt a “never a failure, always a lesson” mindset. This approach to your behavior and career will make you more motivated and perceptive to learn from your experiences (and even setbacks). Employers tend to find such a mentality enticing, as it shows you are extremely adaptable, resilient, and willing to face challenges head-on.
What does learning to use Asana have to do with improving employability?
Great question.
Well, Asana, a thirteen-year-old project management app, is one of the most widely used tools globally, alongside competitors like Trello, Monday.com, and Jira.
It consistently ranks in the top five in tool comparisons and was recognized as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Collaborative Work Management in 2023.
With users in over 190 countries and over 75,000 organizations, Asana has become a go-to for managing teams and projects. It’s a favorite across various industries, such as tech, marketing, education, and nonprofits, due to its ability to help remote and hybrid teams stay organized and productive. Moreover, the fact that Asana integrates well with other widely used software enhances its adoption across companies.
That all being said, learning to use Asana as a graduate can significantly improve employability by equipping you with the organizational skills required in modern workplaces. Many companies across various sectors use Asana to coordinate teams, track progress, and meet deadlines efficiently. Understanding how to navigate Asana demonstrates you are collaborative, know how to manage time, and adapt well to digital tools and workflows.
If you want to stand out as a top candidate with strong coordination skills, now’s the perfect time to explore the five must-know Asana features.
Asana features you must know about
Here are some top tips to help you get the most out of Asana. These will make you a power user and an even stronger candidate.
1. Categorize tasks using tags
Categorizing tasks with tags makes it easier to find them quickly using Asana’s search feature. To do so, select any task, click on the ellipses icon and click on “add tags.” Doing this step helps keep your projects organized and accessible.
2. Use Dashboard to monitor project progress
Asana’s Dashboard allows you to monitor any project’s progress, displaying the status of each task. If the company assigns you multiple projects, you can easily keep track of them (including completed tasks), ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
3. Make the most of integrations
The great thing about Asana is that it offers multiple integrations with other apps and tools, all to help you save time and streamline your workflow. For example, you can connect Asana to your Slack account and receive notifications on Slack when tasks are updated.
Similarly, you can also enhance Asana’s features by connecting automation tools, e.g., an automatic time tracker, like Memtime. This tool runs in the background 24/7 and records your time in all programs, giving you 100% accuracy for creating time entries synced directly into Asana. The way you do this is you import your Asana projects and tasks to Memtime and export time entries back to this project software.
4.Communicate with team members
For urgent tasks and matters, you can reach out directly to your teammates through Asana’s messaging feature. Just use the inbox option in the menu bar or the “messages” tab within your projects. It’s that simple.
5. Receive email notifications
If you wish to receive activity updates, set up email notifications for mentions and messages. Just click on your profile icon and then on “My Settings” so you can navigate to the “Notifications” tab. Enter your email and define which activities you want to trigger emails.
To conclude
Mastering Asana as a graduate can significantly enhance your employability by allowing you to demonstrate project management and organizational skills that employers value.
When you showcase your ability to navigate a widely-used tool like Asana, you’re not only demonstrating technical expertise but also key soft skills like teamwork, collaboration, and time management—all the qualities employers value in today’s job market. Asana offers you a platform to excel and demonstrate your wide range of skills, making you a standout candidate for potential employers across various industries.