Leiden University Career Zone
Societal awareness
Societal awareness means that you are well informed about developments within society, a field of study, and the community you are part of. In doing so, you understand how these relate to your own background and activities. This allows you to place information and ideas in a broader context.
Societal awareness means you are familiar with current issues and how you might be able to contribute to solutions.
Behavioural indicators:
- Is well-informed about the current news issues relevant to the professional field or discipline.
- Keeps up-to-date with economic, societal, discipline-related and other developments.
- Is up-to-date with important developments in disciplines that have interfaces with own discipline.
- Handles cultural differences correctly.
- Recognises own cultural and societal background and how this relates to the surrounding community.
- Relates developments in society to own professional field.
- Recognises and takes account of the interests, opinions and sensitivities that are present in society.
- Maintains a variety of contacts to keep informed about societal trends and developments relevant to own professional field or discipline.
- Uses existing contacts effectively.
- Is able to make new contacts.
Nowadays we have regular contact with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Many organizations deal with international customers, products or services on a daily basis. Having intercultural skills means that you can communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations. Click here for more information on intercultural skills and competences.
Intercultural skills:
Communicating effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations.
Intercultural competences consist of several components:
- Cultural self-knowledge: Having knowledge of your own frame of reference and your own world view, and being able to relate this to other views.
- Cultural flexibility: if necessary, adapting your behaviour and communication style in intercultural situations.
- Cultural resilience: dealing constructively with the difficulties and negative feelings that can occur in intercultural encounters.
- Cultural receptivity: listening to the other person's vision and expertise and also accepting the relativity of one's own vision and ideas.
- Cultural knowledge: acquiring knowledge of other cultures and using this knowledge in an appropriate way while respecting the uniqueness of each individual.
- Cultural relational competence: building a working relationship with colleagues, clients and other stakeholders in intercultural situations and contributing to an atmosphere of trust.
- Cultural communicative competence: exploring the specific characteristics of your own communication style, adapting it if necessary, and exploring the other person's communication style.
- Cultural conflict management: considering intercultural conflicts as learning opportunities and being aware of your own conflict management style.
- Multiperspectivity: approaching and understanding a situation, issue or problem from multiple cultural perspectives.
Skills in prospectus
Skills in prospectus
See for each course in the prospectus what transferable skills you develop.