Employability Skills and Graduate Attributes Skills and Attributes ‘Skills’ are things that you can do and that you can demonstrate that you can do. Having the appropriate ‘employability skills’ is really important for entering the working world. This is because employers normally recruit people on the basis that they have the skills to do the job. Employers will often list the skills they are looking for in a person specification for a job. When you apply for a job you will need to show that you have all the skills they are looking for. There are certain very common skills that employers look for, and while you are studying it is a good idea to prepare for the working world by making sure that you are developing these skills. ‘Attributes’ are personality traits and are equally important when applying for jobs. Although employers will often primarily look to see that you have the skills to do a job, when it comes to selecting the right person for the job the element that often sets a candidate aside are their personality attributes. Indeed it is common for employers to say that they are often willing to recruit someone who doesn’t have exactly the right skills as long as they have the right attributes. Personality attributes are also sometimes called the ‘motivational component’ to skills – by this we mean that we don’t just ‘collect’ skills like we would stamps for a stamp collection, skills are developed and in order to develop skills we need to develop the right personality attributes. So, for example, if we are able to respond positively when we are under pressure we are more likely to learn from our experiences.
Employability Skills We use our skills in every area of our life – we use research and writing skills in our studies, we use cleaning and financial skills in our day-to-day lives, we use social and communication skills in our social lives. Jobs are no different, and every job requires skills. When we apply for jobs it is really important that we are able to identify the kinds of skills an employer is looking for and then demonstrate that we have these skills. We can make ourselves more employable by making sure that we develop a range of skills and that we have examples of times when we have used these skills. A particularly good way to start is by looking at the ‘top skills’ employers ask for and identifying which skills we are particularly strong at and which ones we could develop further.
Top Employment Skills Analysis of years of national employer surveys suggests the desired skills for graduates fall into four broad areas. These are reproduced below from What do Graduates do? (HECSU / AGCAS, 2010)
Self-reliance skills Self-awareness – purposeful, focused, self-belief, realistic Proactivity – resourceful, drive, self-reliant Willingness to learn – inquisitive, motivated, enthusiastic Self-promotion – positive, persistent, ambitious Networking – initiator, relationship-builder, resourceful Planning Action – decision-maker, planner, able to prioritise
People skills Team working – supportive, organised, co-ordinator, deliverer Interpersonal skills – listener, adviser, co-operative, assertive Oral communication – communicator, presenter, influencer Leadership – motivator, energetic, visionary Customer orientation – friendly, caring, diplomatic Foreign Language – specific language skills
General employment skills Problem-solving – practical, logical, results orientated Flexibility – versatile, willing, multi-skilled Business acumen – entrepreneurial, competitive, risk taker IT / computer literacy – office skills, keyboard skills, software packages Numeracy – accurate, quick-thinker, methodical Commitment – dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious
Specialist skills Specific occupational skills – specialist relevant knowledge, eg languages, IT Technical skills – eg journalism, engineering, accounting, sales
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Graduate Attributes What are Graduate Attributes? Graduate attributes are a list of five kinds of attribute that the University of the Highlands and Islands aspires to help develop in its students and graduates. If you are a student then you should find that through your studies and other activities that you are involved in at University that you are developing these attributes. Being able to identify how you are developing and being able to demonstrate your achievements in these areas is important for when you progress into work. This is because employers like to see that you are ready to enter the working world and have all the appropriate skills and personality attributes. You will need to talk about who you are and what you can do on application forms and in interviews, so UHI’s graduate attributes are designed to help you think about your skills and attributes and prepare you for when you start applying for jobs.
Active o
Challenging and enquiring
o
Analytically critical in approaches to learning and work
o
Seeking out opportunities for life-long learning and CPD
Responsive and Adaptive o
Able to anticipate a need for change
o
Able to recognize what is required in diverse situations and to use knowledge and skills appropriately
o
Able to identify and employ IT and web-based tools
o
Able to use initiative and react to changing environmental, societal or employment-related demands
o
Able to recognize and respond appropriately to strengths and weaknesses in others
o
Able to work collaboratively
Reflective o
Reflect on demands, knowledge and skills
o
Reflect on personal track-record of achievement
o
Able to identify own strengths to be capitalized on, own weaknesses to be addressed and opportunities to be taken
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Confident o
Self confident and articulate
o
Aware of own strengths and weaknesses and able to view weaknesses as an opportunity for further development rather than a mark of failure
o
Able to recognise and promote personal achievements, learning outcomes and skills acquired
o
Capable of informed risk-taking
Rigorous o
Set high standards for themselves and other
o
Routinely employ evidence-based decision making
Using the Employment Skills and Graduate Attributes The lists that we have looked at of employment skills and graduate attributes offer you a reflective tool. They are designed to get you thinking about your personality and your skills and help you to identify areas of strength and weakness and areas that you could develop.
Exercise: employability skills and graduate attributes 1) Draw a chart listing each of the employability skills and graduate attributes in the left hand column. 2) Reflect on each skill and attribute individually. Ask yourself, do I do this? How do I do this? What evidence do I have? How could I do this better? 3) Jot some notes next to each skill and attribute that lists your evidence. Rank each one out of 10 showing how confident you are that you can demonstrate this skill or attribute. 4) Look at the items you scored lowest, and consider, what could you do to build your skills in this area? Identify two to three actions you will take to address these areas. 5) Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It is important to recognise (and celebrate!) those areas where you are really strong, as well as to recognise and start to address your weaker areas.
Using this sheet as part of your Personal Development Planning This sheet is the third in a suite of resources that can be used to help with Personal Development Planning (PDP). PDP is a structured process of reflection and personal development which any UHI student can engage in and is supported by a personalised online space. Check our website for more details: http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/students/career-centre/while-youre-studying/pdp
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