Central Careers Session

What do UK employers want?

Practical examples

How employable are you

How graduate employers recruit

What employers are looking for on top of our degree?

All job-seekers possess these skills to some extent:

Discussed in pairs:	Suggested:
Communication skills	Good communication
Search skills	Effective leadership and management
Time management	Planning and research skills
Organisational skills	Relevant work experience
Flexibility	Self-management
Team player	Teamwork and interpersonal skills
Open mindedness
To be innovative

Good communication:

• How clearly you convey your ideas
• Ability to listen to others
• Build rapport
• Persuade and negotiate

Effective leadership and management:

• The potential to motivate and direct others in order to achieve common objectives

Planning and research skills:

• Come up with a suitable strategy and plan of action
• Seek out relevant information from various sources
• Analyze, interpret and report these findings

Teamwork and interpersonal skills:

• Your individual contribution towards achieving common goals

Self-management:

• Successfully directing your work towards objectives
• Prioritising your duties
• Working well under pressure
• Managing your time effectively
• Flexible, resilient and can be trusted
• Taking on new learning and challenges
• Reflective

Relevant work experience:

• Be resourceful in gaining the type of experience that employers are after
• In some sectors, such as media and the arts, it is necessary to network and make speculative job appearance

Benefits:

• Develop skills
• Make contacts
• Build a portfolio of evidence to support application

What employers want:

• Business sense – helping the property to make profit
• And understanding of business is one of the main skills that students underestimate
• 71% of employer expect to need more staff with leadership and management skills
• The all-round employability is more important than the subject studied
• 15% are not satisfied with the standards of literacy and English in graduates

The top things:

1. Organised
2. Communication skills
3. Motivated (show evidence in your CV, do not just say you are motivated and give examples)

Check prospects.ac.uk

How employable are you?

Competency	Where gained (course, work, placement, volunteering, societies)	Evidence – how did I demonstrate this
Good communication	Different jobs – working with people from different backgrounds
Teamwork and interpersonal skills	Volunteering to build an art centre in mountain village
Effective leadership and management	Current PG course
Planning and research skills	Undergraduate course (having two radio talk shows)
Self-management	Current PG course
Business sense	Societies (handcrafters)

Trends to watch

Enhancing your blog:

• Prepare examples as evidence of your skills
• Show you can reflect on your personal and professional development
• Close your skills gap
• Watch your digital footprint
• Research roles and organizations very carefully
• A positive attitude is essential. Employers often say they hire for attitude and train for skill.

Demonstrating your skills:

• CV: personal profile
• Your blog
• CV: key skills/key strengths/core skills
• Cover letter
• LinkedIn
• Interview

LinkedIn:

• How to give yourself the best chance of success
• Identity: Who you are
• Network: Who you know
• Knowledge: What you know

Food for thought – workshops every Thursdays, Webinars