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what soft skills helped you succeed in your first job?

I'm a senior student majoring in finance, I'm getting ready to for the Carrer path, started looking for job opportunities and i would like some advice.

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Thank you comment icon Exciting times ahead! I wish I had known about all the junior-level rotational programs available at big companies. I encourage you to explore these programs. They offer a great chance to learn about all areas of finance and help you discover what you enjoy and what you don't as you build your career! Lily Clark
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Andreea-Raluca’s Answer

Active listening is a great skill to have, especially when you're new to your career. It helps you gather valuable information to do your job well.
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Katrina’s Answer

Hi Faisa,

What an exciting time for you! My daughter just graduated in Economics and started her first job recently. Here are some friendly tips to help you succeed in your career:

- Always be on time and prepared for work and meetings.
- Be dependable; if you promise to do something, make sure you do it on time.
- Try to solve problems on your own first, but don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed.
- When bringing up issues, also suggest a few solutions.
- Keep learning and trying new things, even if they're not part of your job. It makes you more valuable.
- In the beginning, focus on learning and doing your tasks well. After some months, you can suggest improvements.
- Be proactive and volunteer for tasks without being asked.
- Take on challenging tasks that others avoid. It shows you're a team player and helps you learn.
- Avoid gossip and negative talk about coworkers or bosses. Building trust is important.
- Be polite to everyone, even if you don’t like them.
- Accept feedback gracefully and ask for clarification if needed.
- Stay calm and professional in tough situations. Respond with understanding, even if you don’t agree.
- Leave jobs on good terms because future employers will check with your past ones.
- Show genuine interest in your coworkers. You don't have to be best friends, but show you care.
- Take responsibility for mistakes and avoid blaming others.
- Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is.
- Address problems directly and quickly with the people involved.
- Don’t assume you’re always right. Ask for feedback and help when necessary.
- As a young woman, you might have to work harder to get the recognition and pay you deserve. Ask for what you want and show why you deserve it. Things are changing, but it’s still important to advocate for yourself.

Good luck!

Best wishes,
Katrina
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Citi’s Answer

- Connecting with people - whether through facing challenges at work together or helping them get something done. It's a good way to build trust.

- Networking and talking to as much people as you can while building authentic relationships and connections.

- Ask questions and learn to be proactive! Be the one to send meeting notes, set up follow-up calls and take ownership of next steps! Instead of asking your manager, “how can I help?” - be more pointed with your ask. Instead ask, “can I please help you with XYZ?”
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Citi’s Answer

- Communication (verbal and written) skills is most important skill to survive in corporate. For college students I'd advise them to take classes in communications.

- When I first started working, I wanted to he taken seriously so I was an active listener in meetings or even in one on one meetings. Hearing people's perspective is a good way to better understand the culture, the work and your coworkers.

- I tried to make connections with my colleagues whenever possible. I joined a hockey team with some colleagues and a toastmasters club to work on public speaking and also expand my network.
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Citi’s Answer

1) Being a team member willing to do any task even if it was a lower level job.
2) Take all opportunities you can to learn. All opportunities will help advance your career.
3) Communicate professionally and appropriately
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Shawndra’s Answer

Hi - In a first job, people do not expect you to know everything. What helps you stand out is being someone who listens carefully, asks thoughtful questions, meets deadlines, and follows through. In finance especially, it also helps to be organized, pay attention to detail, and stay calm under pressure, because people need to trust your work.

One of the biggest strengths you can have early on is being coachable. If a manager gives feedback and you apply it quickly, that leaves a strong impression. Another important skill is professional communication; for example being able to write clear emails, speak confidently, and explain your thinking in a simple way.

Since you are starting to look for opportunities, my advice is to focus on showing employers that you are not only capable, but also dependable and easy to work with. Those qualities often matter just as much as technical knowledge in a first role. Hope this helps!
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Nadia’s Answer

Hi Faisa, when I started my first job, my curiosity and eagerness to use what I learned in university really helped me. I focused on making my daily tasks easier and faster, sometimes even creating tools to help with my work. Being open and communicating well with others in the company also made a big difference. It helped people get to know me and see how I could contribute. I wish you the best of luck!
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Stephen’s Answer

Congratulations on getting close to graduation and starting your career journey! The fact that you're already thinking about how to prepare yourself puts you ahead of many others. The softs skills that helped me the most early in my career weren't technical skills, rather they were being dependable, having a willingness to learn, being coachable, and always having a positive attitude. Employers can teach you many job-specific skills, but they highly value people who show up prepared, ask thoughtful questions, accept feedback, and work well with others.

Keep being curious, stay confident in what you've learned, and don't be afraid to take on new challenges. You don't have to know everything on day one, just be willing to learn and grow. Wishing you all the best as you begin this exciting next chapter!
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Citi’s Answer

- In my early career the skills that helped me most are curiosity and eagerness to learn. Being a good listener, observing and seeking help are critical for learning and development.

- Relationship management and the ability to build a network. The knowledge with get you the visibility, but the way you build your brand and market yourself is what will set you apart. Make sure you can easily share your accomplishments in a meaningful and natural way during conversations with professionals. Also, come prepared to any kind of conversation regarding careers. Don’t be afraid to look up the people you are meeting with on LinkedIn to find commonalities and curate questions that can help you build a relationship.

- Executive presence - being able to build a personal brand and present yourself and your ideas in ways that speak to those around you.
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Margarita’s Answer

Hey Faisa! I would say that one of the most important skills for me was being proactive, showing initiative and thinking a few steps ahead.
It can be a little bit scary in the beginning, but I noticed that most of my managers really appreciated and encourages 'owning it' working style!
I would also suggest not being afraid to ask questions - it's better to clarify something in the beginning, than waste your time and then discover that you misunderstood the task...
Good luck!
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Laura’s Answer

Hello Faisa,

Soft skills like communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, and time management were very important in helping me succeed in my first job. If I had to choose one especially important skill, I would say being open-minded and eager to learn made the biggest difference. When I was given a new task by my supervisor, I tried to approach it with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. That showed my team that I was dependable, motivated, and ready to take on more responsibility.
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Citi’s Answer

- I thought success would mostly come from being good with numbers, but I quickly learned that communication was just as important. I had to work with people across different teams and explain financial results in a way that made sense to them. Attention to detail, time management, and building strong relationships were probably the soft skills that helped me the most in my first job

- I would say it’s my attitude to the work. I was showing my manager, team and stakeholders that I’m willing and eager to learn, and ready to pick up my work as fast as I can. And I’m always ready to help others whenever they need and whenever I can.

- I brought a smile to everything I did :) Be kind and patience. Good leaders are not with higher titles but someone who let us make mistakes and help us succeed.
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Teklemuz’s Answer

Starting a first job in finance can be exciting, and developing key soft skills will help you succeed. Focus on communication, teamwork, adaptability, time management, organization, analytical thinking, and attention to detail. Good communication and teamwork mean sharing ideas clearly and working well with others, even when things get busy. Being adaptable helps you handle changes, while managing your time and staying organized ensures you meet deadlines.

Analytical thinking and attention to detail are important for solving problems and reducing mistakes. Being open to feedback helps you grow and meet expectations. You can build these skills through group projects, volunteering, internships, and community activities, which offer great practice for real job situations.
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Citi’s Answer

- In my view most important skills are communication and collaboration skills. One needs to work with all types of people, with different abilities or ideas, many of which you may agree or may not agree with, but you need to continually communicate and find common ground harnessing the collective wisdom to achieve the desired outcomes.

- There are many qualities it is important to have when starting your first job. Being curious, asking questions and willing to learn new concepts are crucial. Building relationships and getting on with people in your team are important. Working hard and being committed will get you far.
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Citi’s Answer

- I was hired into my first job in part because i knew nothing and i could be taught everything from the ground up. That meant i needed to be eager, open minded, and ready to learn anything. Having that start from scratch mindset really helped me and shaped how I interacted with everyone in that role

- A good attitude will take you pretty far. There will be a good amount of times where a task may be meticulous, antiquated, or just straight up boring, but approaching them with positivity and enthusiasm will not only be appreciated by coworkers/management, but will help propel your young career.

- Soft skills are also important as well as other technical or academical skill. We can say soft skills are kind of responsibility, taking ownership, relationship and so on. I’d like to focus on taking ownership. Whenever you receive a project or assignment, you should be its main owner. When a manager asks anything about the project, you should be able to answer and be responsible. a manager will get a huge impression about your responsibility.
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Alejandra’s Answer

Congratulations on getting ready for heading out to your first job. Success can be pretty subjective and it mostly depends on your definition of what it is. While focusing on soft skills, and having basically a 20 year career with 16 of the same company, I dare say the greatest items you can lean in to be successful would be:
*Flexibility and Tolerance: Both towards others and yourself and to frustration, one of the most important skills form my experience is being able to "bend" under pressure and "never take personal" what happens at work, we are all humans and even the best Managers may have bad days. However, it isn't only about the others, it's also about yourself. No one knows everything and we are set up to learn something new everyday; understand that you will make mistakes which you will need to correct, be kind to yourself and give yourself grace when that happens.
*Accountability and Collaboration: Been able to "take ownership" of a project and been responsible for it, goes hand in hand with being a good collaborator. When your team can trust what when you say you will do something you absolutely do, that is been accountable and it's reassuring because knowing I've people who will get things done allows others to focus on their own task. And collaboration is beyond this, is saying okay, I'm done with my part, do you need help with yours? Is there something else I could do help this getting complete successfully or sooner than later?
*Willingness to learn and positive communication: If you are willing to learn and are able to communicate properly in the sense of asking questions and not being afraid will be your ace under the sleeve. Asking questions shows both you are willing to learn and are interested on the task, and two, you can clearly communicate when something isn't clear avoiding having to re-work on something because you didn't understand how it was supposed to be done. And even when that happens you can say, this is what I got, is this correct or do I need to do it differently? It's a reflection of I'm confident enough I did my best and I'm willing to receive feedback to improve.
Best of luck!
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Citi’s Answer

- Being a good listener and soaking everything up helped me tremendously in my first job.

- I relied a lot of my personal communication style and willingness to learn. Early in your career, you may not have all of the technical skills for a given job, and that is often okay. It is more important to show a willingness to learn and take advice from managers and mentors, and responding to feedback. If you show up every day enthusiastic to learn and grow professionally. With that, it is important to be yourself and make connections with those around you. I had a lot of success early in my career by taking risks to reach out to people and build relationships purposefully. Building relationships and actually getting to know your managers, colleagues, and mentors can help not only with feeling more invested in your job, but can also be a great resource when you face challenges, have questions, or just need to bounce things off others.
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Frank’s Answer

Communicate clearly and professionally – Be able to explain financial information in a simple, structured way to avoid confusion.
Pay close attention to detail – Double‑check numbers, data, and assumptions to reduce errors and build trust.
Take ownership of your work – Be responsible for assigned tasks and follow through without needing constant reminders.
Manage time effectively – Learn to prioritize tasks, especially during busy periods like month‑end close or audits.
Ask questions when unsure – Clarify expectations early to avoid mistakes and show willingness to learn.
Stay professional under pressure – Remain calm, focused, and respectful when facing tight deadlines or urgent issues.
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Citi’s Answer

- Some of the most important soft skills I developed in my first finance role were communication, adaptability, and attention to detail. Finance often involves working with large amounts of data, but success depends on being able to clearly explain findings and recommendations to others. I also learned the importance of being adaptable, as priorities and business conditions can change quickly. Finally, attention to detail was critical because even small errors can have a significant impact. These skills helped me build trust with colleagues, solve problems effectively, and continue growing throughout my career.

- In my first job, I found that being personable is arguably one of the most important soft skills you can master. In addition to building my skillset, I found it very important to have exposure to the highest performing individuals within the organization. These are the decision makers who can recruit you to an incredible career boosting project or an amazing role. So, make it a point to network!
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Gail’s Answer

Congratulations on moving closer to your first job! It's great that you're focusing on emotional intelligence skills like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. I didn't pay much attention to these skills when I started my first job, and I wish I had. They're often called "soft" skills, but they're really important and require effort to develop.

It's easy to get caught up in daily tasks, but working well with others and managing conflicts through good communication is crucial. Make time to listen to yourself and others. Even in fields like finance, where numbers are key, developing these skills is essential for success.
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Meghna’s Answer

Great question - things that has helped me and still helping are

1. Asking questions
2. Eagerness to learn
3. Mentoring juniors
4. Show positive attitude towards work
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Citi’s Answer

- I think a positive attitude and willingness to volunteer, help or jump into a project or topic can’t be understated. Being proactive is so important and really goes a long way showing your manager, team and colleagues what you are capable of!

- Being aware of the big environment helps. I am keen on following economic trends, tech trends, industry trends, and the changes within my company and my team. This information helps me make better decisions, which is very important (and maybe more important than working hard).

- Relationship building, communication skills, ability to learn quickly and independently.
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Sangeeta’s Answer

Clear communication: Practice by presenting your project or paper results in a 2‑minute “story” (problem, numbers, conclusion) without jargon.
Active listening and empathy: Finance isn’t just about spreadsheets; it’s about understanding what clients, teammates, or managers actually need
Critical thinking and problem‑solving: Employers want people who can find patterns, spot red flags, and propose solutions, not just run numbers.
Time management and reliability: In your first job, showing up on time, meeting deadlines, and organizing your work (even if it’s small tasks) builds trust quickly.
Teamwork and collaboration and Adaptability and learning mindset
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Citi’s Answer

- The ability to communicate! It seems simple, but effectively communicating your work, as well as having a good working relationship with your teammates is essential to success. Be someone who’s enjoyable to work with and gets it done! Also - be curious and always talk to people. Go out of your way to learn about what others are doing, even if it’s a cold LinkedIn outreach to someone you think has a cool job. You never know what it could lead to, and if nothing else you learn something new. Connections will help you so much as you progress in your career.

- Always trying to understand others perspective is something that helps me navigate work challenges

- Being friendly, always offering to help or volunteer when possible and always asking questions to learn as much as possible
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