What you should have learned in college (but probably didn’t)

Master these skills, dear intern, and you’ll move to the front of the hiring queue.

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You aced “Writing for Public Relations,” and “Organizational Communication” was a breeze. You’ve learned everything there is to know about the history of media. You could discuss the Internet’s impact on newspapers until you’re blue in the face. But do you know how to answer the phone properly?

It may seem like a no-brainer, but this is just one of the many crucial workplace skills you won’t learn in school. Master these skills, and those unpaid internships will start turning into job offers.

1. Hone your telephone etiquette.

Thanks to the texting takeover, phone manners have become exceptionally rare. “Hey, girl” may be appropriate for your personal calls (actually, it still probably isn’t), but if you answer the phone like that at work, prepare to be embarrassed and/or chewed out.

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