How to Market a Liberal Arts Degree

If you're tired of friends and family questioning your judgment in choosing a liberal arts major, it is time to become career savvy and assess what marketable skills you developed in the academic world. As a liberal arts major, you already have the tools to enter many business fields, you just need familiarize yourself with what employers call them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Understand the business demand for new hires with your skills. Employers are increasingly in need of applicants who are able to learn and adapt rather than those who have outdated skill sets. As a liberal arts major, you have the ability to acquire new skills and synthesize new information, which are both highly marketable.
2. Adapt your resume to your liberal arts skill set. You are able to analyze data, organize information and communicate both in written and oral forms. You can deal with abstract and ambiguous concepts, understand cultural nuances and may have global experiences that others do not. All of these things can appear on your resume. Use key skill words when describing your responsibilities in college clubs and leadership positions, as well as research coursework.
3. Supplement skills with experience. Start getting real work experience early as a liberal arts student. If your major is English or History, you can still start exploring career options with semester and summer internships for a salary or course credit. If there is a career path you want to explore and gain experience in, research companies that interest you and their internship opportunities.
4. Consider graduate school as one of many options. Graduate school is certainly not the only option you have as a liberal arts major, but narrowing the focus of your degree may help you secure more job skills, so be willing to consider an additional degree and if it would be beneficial.
5. Diversify with a minor academic concentration. If you have multiple interests, explore them with a minor, or even a second major if you can fit it into your curriculum. A minor can help you broaden your skill set even more and expose you to additional career paths.

Tips & Warnings

• Building a resume that reflects your skills and knowing what to say about your skill set in an interview make you just as marketable as any business major.
• Even if an organization doesn't have formal internship opportunities, they may be willing to set up an internship for you if you ask, especially if it is for course credit (which can be arranged with your college or university) rather than pay.