While Baylor’s University Writing Center welcomes undergraduates of any major to apply for a consulting position, it should come as no surprise that the most populous group of consultants are majors in the humanities. Because their degree plans more often focus on writing assignments and rhetorical education, this makes sense. But it is my hope that more STEM and business majors will consider becoming consultants at the writing center, as tutoring writing not only supplements lack-luster writing qualifications, but it also develops invaluable interdisciplinary communication skills.
The following are skills I have developed through my work at the writing center:
- Problem identification and critical thinking
- Directive and indirective instruction styles
- A flexible, quick-witted approach to problem solving
- The ability to quickly build rapport and trust with a client
- Goal-based gap analysis
- The ability to develop quick summary and synthesis
- Concision when speaking
- Agenda negotiation
- Helpful, relevant questioning
- Big-picture thinking, reduced to actionable, client-friendly steps
- Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse array of people
You’ll notice that these skills would look great on anyone’s resume, and with examples of your work at the writing center to back them up, you can quickly become a stand-out candidate in any job interview. Further, because writing center work is fairly niche, especially outside of the humanities, you’ll find that just by listing “Writing Consultant” on your resume you immediately stand out.
As a business major, I was able to draw upon my experience as a writing consultant to inform my preparation for business consulting interviews, as well. In business consulting, the interviewer presents you with a business “case” problem, and you as the interviewee lead the interviewer through how you would solve that problem. Most consulting applicants spend weeks/months preparing for these interviews since many applicants weren’t completely comfortable in the client-consultant position. But because of my experience at the writing center, I was. While the topic material had changed from writing-based to business-based, I still had consulting experience in that one-on-one environment, and was able to transfer the skills I had learned. I felt comfortable taking on that consulting role. And because I was able to highlight this unique experience on my resume, as well, I believe that I received more interview requests than I otherwise would have.
For STEM and business majors, writing center work also improves your collaborative abilities with a diverse array of people. At the writing center, I have worked with people that do not speak English as their first language, people who had very little writing experience, graduate students, first-semester freshmen, athletes, passionate writers, and everyone in between. The point? These people were my peers, and I learned how to effectively communicate and collaborate with them, just like you will have to do every day in your career. Since I began my work at the writing center, my fear of and stress over group projects decreased to almost nothing. I became confident in my ability to work with all types of people.
If you’re in STEM or business and looking to expand on your written and soft skills, I highly recommend applying for work at Baylor’s University Writing Center. The UWC values diversity among its staff and hires students from all degree paths. Please click the button below to learn more.
