Theory and technical knowledge might get you onto the shortlist, but in this competitive labour market it’s the skills gained outside the classroom that will separate you from the crowd, according to recruiters and educators.

For Clayton Weins, a second-year arts degree student at the University of British Columbia, it meant pursuing an unpaid summer internship recently for the B.C. SPCA to differentiate himself from the competition.

The 19-year-old says he’ll likely major in English with a minor in commerce. The internship was a chance to get some real-world experience and to help define his future career path.

“The best way to figure out what I want to do is to get some hands-on experience,” says Weins, who has a passion for the non-profit sector. “It was definitely a learning experience. There was kind of some shock because I had some weaknesses that I never knew about going into it.”

Making phone calls to sponsors and sending business emails were tasks he didn’t predict would be so challenging. In high school, Weins had only worked in fast food restaurants and as a stock boy.

Even though it was eight to 12 hours a week, the job also helped him land an administrative job to earn some money for school. “It helped me a ton, it definitely did,” he says.

The so-called “soft skills” are what recruiters hone in on. The ability to lead, to manage teams and your own projects efficiently, as well as the ability to creatively solve problems are more practical attributes than grades or previous job titles.

“Communication is so essential,” says Glenn Tibbles, with Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions. Employers aren’t as concerned with technical ability — it’s considered a prerequisite — as they are with a worker’s ability to innovate and drive performance for the company, he adds.

Carol Naylor, associate director of career development for UBC Career Services, says there is increasing demand for skills that can only be gained through experience.

“They’re looking for students who come with a pattern of consistently seeking out experiences outside the classroom,” says Naylor. “That’s when they’re developing their communication and teamwork skills.”

Whether job seekers are recent grads or have several years of experience, she encourages them to take on volunteer roles and get involved in challenging experiences that initially might be out of their comfort zone.

Demonstrating a solid technical knowledge of a job only gets you so far: “The ones who are actually getting the jobs are the ones who have additional skills,” says Naylor. Applicants should be prepared to cite several examples of how they have developed these skills, she adds.

UBC recently launched a new program called Place and Promise, in part to make a commitment to provide students with at least two “enriched educational experiences” during their education. The point is to get students outside the classroom and involved in situations where they can apply theory in the real world, making them more attractive to employers upon graduation.

“We’re not just doing that so our students will get jobs,” she says, “but also because we believe it’s a university’s job to provide a transformative experience.”

Internships, co-op placements or work terms are all valuable ways for post-secondary students to gain the experience. Weins spent time sitting in on meetings and got to see first-hand how professionals interact. He also worked on advocacy projects and an annual fundraiser.

It’s exactly the kind of experience that he believes will help him land a job when he graduates.

“If I had not done the internship and just gone through with my bachelor’s degree and looked for a job after that, I would have run into so many problems,” says Weins.