Is reading an employability skill? We asked Susannah from our Careers & Enterprise Hub why reading matters for your career. Read on to find out more…

It was seven minutes to midnight, and as everyone else moved from cocktails indoors to gathering round the firepit outside ready for the countdown. I threw my book up in the air and shrieked ‘I’ve done it!’ 

A round of applause ensued, and my merry band of cheerleading friends including our hosts welcomed me in for a hearty version of Auld Lang Syne, albeit somewhat muffled (does anyone know all the words?!) 

I had spent the previous hour or so reading. In the middle of a party. I would grab a drink, appease my new bestie toddler with one of her stories, then as she curled up on my lap for a snooze, I pushed on with the final pages.  

But this is quite clearly the end of a story, so I’ll take you back to where this one started, and explain what on earth my New Years Eve has to do with careers… 

I’ve always been conscious that knowledge is power so to ignore current affairs and general knowledge is to allow ignorance, and to do ones self a disservice. But, probably like most of the world, 2020 gave me a knowledge overload. I was watching daily briefings, I’d have my social media on constantly to find out if somewhere there was someone having more fun than me in lockdown. Screens were throwing information at me from the moment I woke until I went to sleep and I felt bombarded. I had a few reasons why keeping an eye on the health and restrictions were important for me, but I finished 2020 exhausted. I was ready for some change.  

So I decided in 2021 I wanted to read more – but not on my phone, and not the news. I wanted to consume books like I did as a teenager and so enjoyed. I decided to deliberately replace my phone with a book. So, my phone stayed in a drawer (more than it did, I wasn’t always great at this, but I tried) and a book would be my beside, sofa-side companion. I put a lock on my apps – everything would go off after 1 hours use a day. I could unlock it, but it took an extra step which did make me stop and think rather than mindlessly scrolling.  

I started with novels, and I decided that there were some books that I’d listen to as audiobooks rather than read paperbacks of (if you don’t know about the Libby App, click on this link and have your life changed – it’s entirely free). This helped expand gently the types of books I’d read. I had one rule; whatever books you start, you have to finish.  

There were a few things I noticed along this journey.  

1. It grew community and conversation. This is one that I expected, but not to the extent it happened. In the further lockdowns at the start of 2021, when not much was changing, I was able to update others with something new; the content of my books. I asked them about what they were reading, or the topics in my book threw up subsequent conversations. I found little pockets of other readers, and like a secret society we’d send each other messages about what we were enjoying, or send little paperback packages of completed books. Most of the books I read were passed to me with the message of ‘just pass it on when you’ve finished’! I’m not a book hoarder, so loved this idea, and when I acquired books I’d do the same thing for others.  
2. It aided creativity. Less time on my phone = more time for my brain to think. I read somewhere that the lack of boredom we now have starves our creativity. We should endeavour to occasionally be bored! This school of thought stopped me grabbing for my phone in a waiting room, or in between tasks. Instead, I actively sought out boredom. It gave my brain a breather, and I had so many lovely thoughts. I was more effective and efficient with work and had new ideas, and I built a paper to-do list of people to contact, even writing a few old-fashioned letters. Want to think more about creativity in careers? Read James’ great blog about it here. 
3. Starting and finishing helps focus the mind and avoids complacency. The rule about having to finish every book I started really helped. It refined two skills; being deliberate and decisive in what I chose (not just saying yes to anything) and perseverance when things got tough. There were a couple of books that started well, but took a real push to finish. It also stopped me doing that thing where I’m a chapter in to 50 books. I couldn’t keep up like that and it felt greedy, so it was out with multi-tasking, and in with single-tasking. One book at a time, one thing at a time, and done really well. Sounds like a great way to time manage at work too, hey? One task at a time, one step at a time. 
4. I didn’t need my phone. I’d convinced myself I needed my phone to stay connected. Someone might need me. What if something happened in the night? I’d probably be better placed to deal with it after a good night of sleep. Someone said to me ‘would you invite all the people into your bedroom who you interact with on your phone?’ after that, keeping my phone away at night wasn’t so tough. All my work-related stuff came off my personal phone, and I was able to actually focus better and be more efficient in work because I wasn’t flitting between different devices and platforms for contacting. 
5. I am free. I called this blog 36 books to freedom, and that’s what it was. It’s really hard to break away from things you’re reliant on. I’d go so far as to say I was probably addicted to my phone. I think we all are to a point. But now, I deliberately go for a walk phone-free, or spend a few hours with it back in the drawer. My mind feels freer to think, my hands feel more free to move.  

So, is reading an employability skill? Well, working in careers, some of the books I read did relate to the topic, but each of the five things in bold above have helped my career, my role, my work life balance, and my future. I share my story because I hope it can help you. I hope for you it can open conversations and connections, it can be a mutual hobby for you and your interviewer, it can be an example of a time you’ve persevered with something difficult… and it can be a joy-bringer. It can be the switch off on your lunch break, and the chat at the photocopier.