For Students

Making yourself more employable

Why your degree is not enough

The number of graduates competing for graduate positions is increasing. This means that despite skill shortages in many areas, it is not always easy to get a job. You need to set yourself apart from others.

The types of work opportunities available are different from the past. No longer can you expect a job for life with built-in promotional opportunities and training provided by the company. You need to be more flexible and manage your own career development to ensure you can respond to these changes.

Job advertisements call for employability skills

Professional jobs advertised on the internet or in newspapers often list employability skills as well as the technical or discipline-specific skills required to undertake the job.

Phrases commonly used in job advertisements
Excellent written and oral communication skills Strong team player who is also capable of working independently Ability to work with minimal supervision Ability to adapt to change Energetic self-starter Strong people management skills Computer literate Excellent time management and organisational skills Ability to prioritise tasks and work to deadlines Ability to multitask Strong attention to detail Strong problem solving skills

Phrases commonly used in job advertisements

Excellent written and oral communication skills
Strong team player who is also capable of working independently
Ability to work with minimal supervision
Ability to adapt to change
Energetic self-starter
Strong people management skills
Computer literate
Excellent time management and organisational skills
Ability to prioritise tasks and work to deadlines
Ability to multitask
Strong attention to detail
Strong problem solving skills

Employability skills are the skills that are required in the workplace regardless of the job or the degree that you have gained. They are sometimes referred to as 'transferable', 'generic' or 'soft' skills. They are developed through the subjects you study, enrichment programs and other life experiences. It is often these skills that form the basis for people to obtain employment, to progress within their job or organisation, or even to change career completely!

A set of eight employability skills has been defined in Australia after research by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia.

Employability skill	Description
Communication	Contributes to productive and harmonious relations between employees and between staff and customers.
Teamwork	Contributes to productive working relationships and outcomes.
Problem Solving	Contributes to productive outcomes.
Initiative and Enterprise	Contributes to innovative outcomes.
Planning and Organising	Contributes to long-term and short-term planning.
Self - Management	Contributes to satisfaction and personal growth.
Learning	Enables the individual to monitor and improve their skills and contribute to the learning environment of the company.
Technology	Contributes to the effective execution of tasks.
Source: DEST, 2002

Ideally you should start developing your employability skills in your first year of university study. Not only will the acquisition of these skills set you apart from other job applicants, but you will also be able to provide evidence in your resumé and at interview of situations in which you have demonstrated those skills.

Employability skill levels

You will be provided with many situations that will require the use of employability skills. On some occasions you will be challenged and need to use the skills at higher levels. As a general principle the employability skill levels are:

Level 1 - ability to undertake tasks effectively
Level 2 - ability to manage tasks
Level 3 - ability to evaluate and reshape tasks

(DEST, 2006)

The following example illustrates how you can differentiate between the levels.

If you are asked to prepare biscuits for morning tea and are provided with the recipe you are working at level 1, as you are following standard guidelines and your inputs are limited. If you are asked to prepare a morning tea as a celebratory function and can choose the food to be served and are involved in the organisation of the function, you are working at the next level. In this situation you have greater input and control over how you go about reaching the goal. If you decide an event needs to be organised as a celebration, you are working at performance level 3 as you have the opportunity to shape the task and implement a creative approach to reach the goal.

It is an advantage to be able to perform at all levels as this will increase your flexibility and the contribution you can make. Generally speaking, as you obtain promotions the level of self-directedness will increase and the proportion of time you spend in being directed will decrease. However even the head of a large company will at times use a skill at level 1 and performing at level 3 does not necessarily mean you can perform at the other levels.

Think of occasions when you use each employability skill and determine at which level you are operating. Remember in different situations you may be using your skills at different levels. At which level are you operating most of the time? This may vary from skill to skill.

How good are your skills?

If you are aware of the employability skills and when you have used them you have taken the first steps towards communicating effectively with employers. Developing employability skills is a lifelong journey but if you can articulate them to an employer and provide examples of occasions when you used them you have begun to prepare yourself for your first professional interview and have laid the ground work for a successful career path.

References

Department or Education Science and Training, 2006, Employability Skills from Framework to Practice.
Department of Education Science and Training, 2002, Employability Skills for the Future, Canberra ACT.