A competency can be considered as a set of skills, knowledge, attitudes and values. Competencies can be acquired through a particular field of study and are therefore inherent to that field.

Competencies can also be disconnected from a field of study and are then considered general, not specific to a given content. They are thus transferable from one context to another and are commonly called transversal skills.

These cross-cutting skills are acquired through experience (personal and professional) and training, and they are evolving. They allow us to learn, to interact with others harmoniously and, more generally, to adapt to different life situations.

Their classification

It is difficult to list all the cross-cutting skills because there are many of them and their classification depends on the research conducted on the subject or the institutions that describe them.

Hind (1989) developed a list of highly pertinent competencies that remains highly relevant today:

• Thinking skills
• Personal skills
• Interview skills
• Group work skills
• Consultancy skills
• Presentation skills
• Learning and study skills
• Information gathering skills
• Verbal communication skills
• Selling and negociation skills
• Written communication skills
• Social handling and presentation skills.

These skills are generally divided into two categories: cognitive skills and skills for personal development and social integration (Langouche, Petit, Philippe & Romainville, 1996).

"Their impact is multifaceted; links have been shown between mastery of certain skills and academic success as well as labor market insertion."

The impact of cross-cutting skills on academic success can be direct, as some authors have shown that they help develop study skills, but it can also be indirect, through extra-curricular activities such as sports or certain cultural activities that allow for general personal development. Work experience, including student jobs, as well as community involvement, for example, are also conducive to the development of your cross-cutting skills.

Direct impact

Information processing and time management

• Study skills such as assimilation, organization, memorization, recall, and use of information, used consciously and flexibly in a learning situation, allow for efficient processing of information, which facilitates comprehension and retention of information (Pressley & Afflerbach as cited in Gettinger & Seibert, 2002).
• The skill of time management also shows a link to success. Conversely, disorganization leads to lower grades and greater difficulties in work life (Powell, 2013).

You can learn all of these study skills by participating in our workshops on note-taking, time management and exam preparation.

Motivation

• Maintaining attention and effort is also related to academic success (Berger & Rinaldi, 2008).
• Sense of efficacy, motivation to succeed, academic goals (Lotkowski et al. as cited in Powell, 2013), and engagement (Gettinger & Seibert, 2002) are also predictors of performance.

All of these aspects are more generally related to motivation and are addressed in the "Successful Studies" workshops of the Teaching and Learning (SEA) department devoted to this theme.

Stress management

• The skill of stress management, which includes adjusting to college life, sleep deprivation, procrastination, financial worries, loneliness, living alone, lifestyle (health and nutrition), and emotional control is also related to success (Powell, 2013).

At the UNIGE, there are stress management workshops (Health and Psychological Service) and this theme is also addressed by the workshops we provide.

Indirect impact

The link between interpersonal transversal skills and success was also addressed indirectly, through the positive impact of extracurricular activities on success and mainly among college students. That said, the results are interesting and suggest that they can be transferred to the situation of university students. For example:

• Forneris, Camiré, and Williamson (2015) concluded that participation in sports and other extracurricular activities leads to greater empowerment, more engagement in learning, greater sharing of values, positive identity, good social skills, as well as the development of values such as fairness, integrity, honesty, responsibility, motivation, enjoyment, and engagement in academic tasks.
• According to McCracken (2015), cultural activities represent a way to develop cross-curricular skills related to success. Art develops skills in critical thinking, communication, understanding ideas, collaboration, as well as leadership and speaking in front of an audience. She mentions the ability to focus on a subject, especially through long hours of training or practice as in dance or graphic arts. She adds visualization and interpretation, especially through attention to detail.

The UNIGE's sports and cultural activities offer a wide range of activities that will enable the development of the skills mentioned above.

Mastering cross-cutting skills also has an impact on employability.

Examples include:

• Valuation in job interviews of: ability to manage uncertainty, ability to work under pressure, ability to plan, communication skills, technological skills, ability to work in a group, ability to explore and create new opportunities, self-confidence, ability to manage oneself, and willingness to learn (Knight, as cited in Raybould and Sheedy, 2005).
• Andrews and Higson (2008) also show the value of skills such as adaptability, goal setting, presentation skills, application of theoretical knowledge to "real life" and interpersonal skills. The employer also values the ability to convey a message in writing (writing skills) and a good oral presentation (presentation skills) as well as the ability to work in a group.

The UNIGE Career Center team will help you enhance your skills to increase your chances of entering the job market individually and through a program dedicated to soft skills. This practice-oriented program will allow you to recognize and list the competencies acquired during your studies, extracurricular activities and professional experiences and to explain them to an employer using the CAR/STAR methodology. Awareness will be raised on the importance of skills most in demand by employers such as communication, negotiation, teamwork, personal organization, etc.

Given the importance of cross-curricular skills, many programs have been developed to implement or optimize them in students. Research has shown that explicit strategy training improves academic performance, knowledge of strategies, and affective behavior.

• The Teaching and Learning (SEA) department offers a large number of workshops that will allow you to acquire or refine your transversal skills: note taking, time management and exam preparation.
• The Health and Psychology Department offers stress management workshops.
• The Career Center offers a practice-oriented program to raise awareness of the specific soft skills most in demand by employers (communication, negotiation, teamwork, etc.).
• We now know that cross-cutting skills can also be acquired indirectly, through extracurricular activities. The University of Geneva offers a wide range of sports and cultural activities.
• The UNIGE Library offers workshops on information skills that are integrated into the academic curriculum or by registration. In addition, it provides InfoTrack, a platform for (self)training in information skills.