6 Courses That Will Boost Your Chances of Landing a Job

By Monster Contributor

Taking extra classes, even after you’ve graduated, can make you a stronger job candidate.

By Catherine Conlan
Monster Contributing Writer

If you’re still in college, it doesn’t hurt to look at taking a few electives that can boost your job prospects after graduation. And if you’re already done with school, adding to your education is a great way to get noticed when you’re looking to take the next step in your career. Here are six stand-alone courses that can boost your chances of getting a job.

Professional development
Professional development classes typically cover job search skills, interviewing techniques, and writing cover letters, resumes and thank you notes, says Jodi Rubino Berkshire, assistant director of career services at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. “You can have a fabulous skill set, a rock-star portfolio, even an impressive GPA, but if you don't know how to present yourself to a prospective employer and how to handle those tricky interview questions, you won't get the job.”

Etiquette
Few colleges offer these courses, Berkshire says, but they may be available from community education programs or other local outlets. People aren’t usually taught how how to shake hands, perform an introduction, or when to stand up or offer someone your seat, but they’re all important things to know. "Anyone can learn the skills; it's not like learning Web coding,” Berkshire says. “You improve your chances of landing the job, keeping your job and moving up in your company if you display impeccable manners.”

Social Media
“More than 50 percent of the job orders we see end with this phrase, ‘...and handle our social media marketing,’” says Berkshire. But it’s about more than just posting, sharing and tagging your friends on Facebook. “This sounds like something you can teach yourself, but if you have the opportunity to take a class that is based on good marketing principles, you will do well to take it,” she says. “And make sure you list the skill on your resume, in your cover letter and that you mention it in an interview. And don't forget to clean up your own Facebook page while you're at it.”

Psychology
Taking a psychology course can help you stand out, says Kimberly Ramasawak, founder of Tourism Exposed — and can help you understand human behavior better. “It is important and an often overlooked and underrated skill to be able to learn why people do what they do and why people make decisions and how.” “A big part of standing out among a sea of job seekers is to be able to sell yourself and position yourself as the best person to provide value and offer solutions to potential hiring managers/organizations,” she explains. “A good way to learn to how to do this is by learning about human behavior and psychology.”

Business communication
Getting your ideas across clearly and concisely is vital to succeeding in any career. “There is no more important class for both students and working professionals than business communications,” says Roy Cohen, career coach and author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide.” “I have discovered over many years advising clients on job search that basic communication skills like sentence structure, good grammar, and delivering oral presentations are essential to achieving meaningful and lasting success,” Cohen explains. “In their absence, smart people lose credibility and they miss out on opportunities.”

Statistics
Statistics is a class that can apply to almost any field says Luz Claudio, professor of preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “I know it may sound boring to some, but statistics can be applied in so many fields: biomedical research, business, economics, social sciences and computer sciences. If you don't know what you want to be when you grow up, but you are proficient in statistics, you can get a job in almost any field until you find a path that better suits your passions.”