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It’s no secret that the job market can be challenging for recent liberal arts grads. After all, they don’t walk out of school with a job-specific skill set like their friends in accounting or engineering do.

But they do have something else that employers say they need: “soft skills” such as the ability to communicate clearly in writing.

Here’s some ways you can leverage the skills you have and increase your chances of landing a job no matter your major.

Know the industry you’re trying to break into. Getting hired is about a lot more than your degree.
“You have to know, and love the industry you’re going into,” says career expert and Modern Manners Guy advice columnist Richie Frieman.

Show employers you’re looking for a career, not just a paycheck. “Track the news, track the trends, know the players, know the faults and successes, and be able to bring that to the interview, says Frieman. “Employers want to know that you are aware of their field. They want to see passion! They don’t want to feel like they’re just one more person you’re interviewing with that week.”

Use social media for more than check-ins and cat gifs. College students and recent grads tend to be savvy about social media, but many only use it to connect with friends, socialize and share fun stuff. If you’re serious about starting a career, you need to start using social media for professional networking too, says Tom Armour, co-founder of HighReturnSelectionTI. Social media sites are great vehicles for making professional connections, finding information about your industry and sharing professional information that makes you look smart.

Take advantage of your research and writing skills. Believe it or not, you are well-suited for several industries. “There are many ways a graduate with a liberal arts degree can leverage their skill set into jobs in technology, marketing or business operations,” says Legal Marketing Pages CEO Matthew Reischer.

As a liberal arts major, you’ve learned to think critically, research thoroughly and write well. “A recent graduate would be well qualified to perform Google keyword research at a marketing firm, write content for a public relations company or coordinate a project among co-workers.”

Emphasize your people skills and willingness to learn. Niagra University Director of Career Sciences Robert Swanson, recounts a conversation he had with a manufacturing executive friend of his who said “liberal arts majors are able to think critically, communicate complex ideas in understandable terms, imagine possibilities, and adapt to changing priorities.”

Sometimes getting the job is a matter of showing how willing you are to learn. “He said that quite often he could teach a psychology major what they needed to know about business more easily than trying to teach a business major what they needed to know about people,” Swanson says. “That in my opinion is the value of the liberal arts and that is where the earning power of majors like psychology, art, or health care administration rests.”

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