Going the extra mile

A lot of surveys have asked employers what they want from their graduate recruits. Undoubtedly they want a good degree, but they also want employees who are enthusiastic, who can plan and organise their own work, and who can interact with others well. Some of these skills will be developed through your academic work, but others will be enhanced outside your studies through work experience and extracurricular interests. It is no surprise that employers are most impressed by students who can show a well-rounded CV including academic achievements, work experiences and other interests. This article is a beginner’s guide to the skills crucial to landing a perfect job in the future, and we try to untangle all the fuss about skills by answering some common questions. Many of you will already have begun to develop many of these qualities employers want, so keep it up!

So what do employers really want?

A graduate should measure him/herself against the following: (from Skills for Graduates in the 21st century)

Self-awareness - Understanding fully your own skills and weaknesses, your own work values and what you want out of working life.

Self-promotion - Being assertive with others, speaking out when appropriate, arguing your case.

Research skills for ideas and opportunities - Being patient and methodical in researching the choices open to you, identifying new opportunities, digging around for information.

Decisiveness and action planning skills- Identifying options, assessing their suitability, choosing the best option, planning action, making decisions.

Adaptability and flexibility - Changing or modifying your behaviour in response to changing circumstances or the needs/wishes of others, taking on new challenges/responsibilities without much notice.

Negotiation skills- Holding discussions with others in order to reach a mutually satisfactory outcome, getting your arguments across without losing your temper, protecting your position but knowing when to compromise.

Networking skills - Speaking to strangers, establishing a rapport, feeling confident when meeting strangers, getting them to help you.

Teamworking skills - Being a constructive team member, contributing practically to the success of a team.

Written communication skills - Expressing yourself well on paper, being persuasive, having a reasonable grasp of grammar and spelling, understanding what is required by the reader and structuring your content accordingly.

Oral communication skills - Using speech to express ideas, give information and get your ideas across to another person.

Presentation skills - Presenting ideas or information to a group of people effectively, using visual aids confidently, keeping their attention.

Are some skills more important than others?

A 2002 survey from the Association of Graduate Recruiters prioritised some of the skills asked for by employers. The most important were:

• Motivation and enthusiasm
• Team working
• Oral communication
• Flexibility
• Initiative

Employers saw the largest shortfall in:

• Interpersonal skills
• Initiative
• Managing own development
• Business awareness
• Oral communication
• Problem solving

No one is ever going to have all these skills to an equal extent, but it is certainly worth considering these lists of skills and deciding if there are any weaknesses that you could work on or any strengths that you could build upon. Ask someone who really knows you to help.

What do all these skills really involve?

The following list gives you some ideas as to what typical students do at university, which allow them to develop crucial skills. It also offers an insight into certain skills. Many of these examples could also apply to your pre-university experiences.

Written communication

• Essays, dissertations, project reports
• Secretary of a student society
• Publicity materials for a voluntary organisation
• Letters to raise sponsorship for an event

Planning and organisation

• Managing and prioritising your personal workload (time management)
• Project work
• Revision timetable
• Organising social/sporting/charity events
• Arranging travel itinerary, eg inter-railing

Adaptability and flexibility

• Year abroad/independent travel abroad
• Working part-time whilst studying
• Successfully changing courses
• Combining study with family commitments
• Shift work, working at short notice

Problem solving

• Creative solutions to coursework problems
• Leisure activities such as chess, logic games, computing, role-playing
• Overcoming obstacles to achieve an ambition

Interpersonal communication

• Work experience, eg market research, telesales, bar work
• Course or hall representative
• Students union work
• Being a mentor, eg in schools or your department

Initiative

• Suggesting changes to course as a student representative
• Getting relevant work experience/project work/sponsorship
• Starting your own business, eg club night
• Starting a new group or resurrecting an old one
• Creating your own web site
• Coping well with a sudden crisis

Numeracy

• Work experience in a job involving significant use of numbers
• Treasurer of a committee
• Reading the financial press (tip: track a company or industry that interests you)

Teamwork

• Opting for group project work
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• Team sports/outdoor pursuits

Networking

• Employer events/careers fairs - asking questions
• Speculative approaches for work experience and advice

Computer literacy

• Word process reports and essays
• Produce graphs on spreadsheets
• Part-time evening course
• Teach yourself and design a web page
• Using PowerPoint for a presentation

What can I do now to get these skills?

It’s as easy as ABC

Act Now

Many university courses may require certain skills, especially vocational ones like medicine or law. Look carefully at prospectuses and entry profiles on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)) website to find out what they are looking for. Make the most of school/college organised work experience/work shadowing to get relevant experience. Take all opportunities open to you and be proactive. If specific experience or skills are required for a degree course, make your own contacts, eg with a local hospital or law firm. Remember your work experience doesn’t have to be all-singing and all-dancing. Showing that you have had the initiative to get into the right environment can be key.

Be positive

Get involved in school/college activities

Why not get involved in your student council, and if you have not got one, suggest that one is started. Offer to help when you can, whether it is fund-raising for the school, or helping out at open evenings or with younger children. Watch out for sixth form conferences, eg Model United Nations conferences. And take any chances to attend taster days at universities or organised by professional bodies. Take advantage of schemes like Young Enterprise, which are an excellent way to develop teamwork and business skills.

Care about what you do

Volunteering

Volunteering can help you develop skills, can be fun, and you can do it in the vacations and weekends. It is also a really good way to mix with people outside of your school and show your interpersonal skills. There are loads of local organisations, but if you are stuck try Volunteering England, or for local opportunities YouthNet, and for international volunteering check out WorldWide Volunteering (WWV).

Part-time work

Never underestimate the importance of this. Communication, teamwork, drive and energy are all essential in many jobs, whether they are fairly mundane or not.

Don’t forget – record it

Record all your activities, paid or voluntary, in or out of school. It makes for much easier CV writing, not to mention UCAS form filling.

Further Reading

Skills for Graduates in the 21st Century, Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), 1995.

2002 Annual Graduate Salaries and Vacancies Review, Association of Graduate Recruiters. Website as above.