Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?

This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

Can I just enroll in a single course?

Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Can I take the course for free?

No, you cannot take this course for free. When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.

Professional Skills for the Workplace Specialization

Improve Your Interpersonal Business Skills. Practice and master strategies that will improve your professional relationships and help you excel within an organization.

Instructors: Lisa Montanaro

Included with Coursera Plus

Learn more

4 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

4.7

(1,258 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 month at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Earn a career credential

Share your expertise with employers

4 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

4.7

(1,258 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 month at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Earn a career credential

Share your expertise with employers

What you'll learn

This Specialization is intended for working professionals early in their career and for organizations who look to improve interpersonal relationship skills among their employees, clients, and customers.

Through four courses, you will explore the use of emotional and social intelligence, practice a formula for problem solving, cultivate a growth mindset, and build skills related to adaptability and resilience in an ever-changing environment. These skills show up in business relationships and communication and ultimately impact professional effectiveness. You will be able to demonstrate sound judgment by engaging in critical thinking to reach decisions and solve problems independently. You will be able to develop a competitive advantage by learning, adapting, and harnessing insights from past endeavors. You will assess your own expectations in your current or anticipated work roles and settings, and how those may align with or differ from what is required by employers and other stakeholders now and in the future.

What’s included

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Taught in English

40 practice exercises

Advance your subject-matter expertise

Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
Earn a career certificate from University of California, Davis

Specialization - 4 course series

Emotional and Social Intelligence

Course 112 hours4.7 (1,594 ratings)View course

What you'll learn

"We are wired to connect. Neuroscience has discovered that our brains very design makes it sociable, inexorably drawn into an intimate brain to brain linkup whenever we engage with another person." Daniel Goleman – Prologue – Social Intelligence

Emotional and Social Intelligence (ESI) is defined as a set of competencies demonstrating the ability one has to recognize their behaviors, moods, and impulses, and to manage them best according to the situation. This course will give you the tools you need to be emotionally and socially intelligent in your workplace. Having the ability to master ESI gives employees a distinct advantage in their positions. It allows them to access their emotional center while managing their relationships with their team members. Competencies associated with emotional and social intelligence are often what separates an average performer from a great one. And, unlike our overall intelligence, emotional intelligence can be learned and improved over time. In this course, we will explain the value of emotional and social intelligence for professional success. We'll assess current emotional and social intelligence skills and you will discover the Foundational 4 Quadrants of Emotional and Social Intelligence (ESI) to understand, use and manage emotions. We will explain how stress can impact application of emotional and social intelligence skills, and reflect upon needed actions to take to create connections and build relationships for greater professional effectiveness.

Skills you'll gain

Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Self-Discipline, Relationship Management, Stress Management, Communication Strategies, Mindfulness, Active Listening, Relationship Building, Personal Development, Interpersonal Communications, Professional Development, and Adaptability

Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional

Course 29 hours4.8 (1,229 ratings)View course

What you'll learn

Apply critical thinking skills to complex problems.
Apply a model for solving problems and pose questions to further understanding of specific problems.

Skills you'll gain

Problem Solving, Constructive Feedback, Brainstorming, Self-Awareness, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Analysis, Decision Making, Cognitive flexibility, and Creative Thinking

The Growth Mindset

Course 310 hours4.8 (1,311 ratings)View course

What you'll learn

Analyze beliefs and actions that contribute to a growth mindset within an organization.
Evaluate opportunites to increasingly develop a growth mindset.
Apply practices that foster growth mindset within an organization.

Skills you'll gain

Growth Mindedness, Constructive Feedback, Self-Awareness, Resilience, Adaptability, Positivity, Growth Strategies, Leadership Development, Professional Development, Organizational Change, Lifelong Learning, Overcoming Obstacles, Employee Engagement, Collaboration, and Personal Development

Adaptability and Resiliency

Course 410 hours4.7 (713 ratings)View course

What you'll learn

To survive in today’s constantly changing business landscape requires being comfortable in uncertainty. Adaptability is what allows people and businesses to solve problems, overcome challenges and move back from the edge of attrition to the more stable ground of relevance. Adaptability is everything. — Jeff Boss, Forbes

Adaptability refers to your ability change your actions, course, or approach in order to suit different conditions or environments. Adaptability implies a sense of personal choice, of purposefully navigating—rather than being driven by—changing circumstances. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Resilience gives you the ability to bounce forward with new insights and learning you can carry into the future. Both adaptability and resilience include the ability to assess an evolving situation from multiple perspectives, to shift thinking and viewpoint, and to choose the best response. Adaptable people flourish amidst chaos while inflexible people flounder. Adapters find openings in situations where others only see closure. This 4-module course will give you knowledge and tools to become more adaptable and resilient in your workplace and in your life.

Skills you'll gain

Resilience, Self-Awareness, Planning, Behavioral Management, Action Oriented, Adaptability, Positivity, Relationship Building, Cognitive flexibility, Personal Attributes, Overcoming Obstacles, Professional Development, Composure, Personal Development, Productivity, Plan Execution, Optimism, and Growth Mindedness