ADD ADVICE TO FAVWhat career skills do I have?
Before you start hunting for jobs, it’s a good idea to work out what you have to offer potential employees. It’s worth taking time to do this now as it will give you the basic outline of any future application.
Recruiters want well-rounded candidates who can clearly articulate the skills they have developed from their degree, work experience and extra-curricular activities.
1. Identify your skills
Many potential employers will be looking at your paper qualifications – the degree you’ll be getting, your UCAS points and your A-levels or Highers. If you aren’t sure how many UCAS points you have, you can find out at www.ucas.com.
This is a competitive world and employers will also be looking out for skills and talents that show you have potential. There are two key questions to ask yourself:
- What are these skills?
- Do you have them or how can you get them?
Success in the world of work means identifying what skills employers are really looking for. The more you know about what they are looking for, the more likely you are to fit the bill.
2. Think about your experiences
The starting point is to know what skills and talents you already have. Begin by putting together your own skills portfolio which brings together all the experience you have gained in holiday and gap-year jobs, running clubs and societies, developing hobbies, organising trips and taking on responsibilities.
You can work out your key skills by thinking about your achievements and experiences. This also gives you a ready-made list of examples to demonstrate these skills to employers.
GMC – business-simulation competition
Make yourself more employable by taking part in the Global Management Challenge, the virtual-business game for students. It’s free to enter, and there are great prizes and opportunities on offer. Register now at www.gmc.hobsons.co.uk.
3. Decide what you need
Once you have completed this skills audit, the next stage is to analyse what skills a potential employer is looking for. For this you need to carry out some careful investigation.
Study some job advertisements on the internet, in newspapers and magazines. Find out as much as you can from your careers adviser about the skills that employers value. Typically they will include:
- problem-solving skills
- good organisation
- time-management skills
- foreign languages
- communication and interpersonal skills
- leadership potential.
4. Providing the evidence
Make a list of all these skills and experience potential employers are looking for. Next, make a list of all the skills you need but currently do not have.
It is also important to reflect on what you have learnt from your experiences and consider what you might do differently next time.
Make sure your list of examples is as comprehensive as possible. Recruiters are likely to ask for two or three occasions when you have demonstrated each of the desired skills.
You might have presented to a group of students or led a seminar discussion. Maybe you have planned a complex travel itinerary or helped school children to develop their confidence by volunteering in their school. All these things count and help to show you have a range of highly desirable skills, which go beyond academic life.
5. Where to gain work experience
Don’t be put off if this all sounds rather time-consuming. You are building the base for all your graduate applications, so it will save you time in the long term.
Also, you are likely to have more skills than you think, and you have time to pick up those you still need.
Keep an eye open for opportunities that will give you some vital experience. These may include work placement schemes, extra courses or voluntary work.
