Media studies

Skills and qualities - from studying media studies

• Teamwork

  You’ll need to be able to listen to other team members and take on board each other’s opinions and ideas.

• Technical ability

  You may need particular technical skills and specialist knowledge of how things work or need to be designed and built.

• Problem solving

  Some jobs particularly require problem solving skills and creative thinking to recognise problems and their causes, to identify a range of possible solutions and then assess and decide the best way forward.

• Time management

  You’ll need to be able to manage your time efficiently and make deadlines.

• Organisation

  You’ll need to be able to plan and schedule work. This could include being able to prioritise what needs to be done and by when.

• Communication

  If your job requires verbal communication, you may need to write or give speeches and presentations. For jobs which require written communication skills, you will need to write clearly and convincingly – you could be producing or dealing with legal documents or writing articles for a newspaper. You may also require good listening skills, the ability to negotiate, or to be persuasive.

• Creativity

  You may need specific artistic or design skills for a job, or you may need to draw on a good imagination to come up with creative solutions to business challenges.

• Attention to detail

  You'll need to be thorough and focused on details of a task. You'll monitor and check work, information, or plans.

• Discipline

  You need to know and do what is expected of you. This ranges from organising yourself, being on time, to being responsible. Some jobs need particular discipline skills such as being able to persevere with the task and plans until you accomplish them, or following strict procedures.

• Literacy

  You’ll need good reading and writing skills. This could include a good standard of spoken and written English, and good knowledge of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

• IT

  You’ll need to be able to send and receive emails and use the internet effectively in most jobs. There are also a growing number of job roles which require more advanced technical and specialist software skills.

• Interpersonal skills

  You’ll need listening and speaking skills, as well empathy to build friendships and ensure good working relationships.