|
| Employability |
Employability |
 |
|
What
is Employability?
Briefly: Your preparedness for work, your ability
to work, and your willingness to learn
Having a good degree in a fascinating subject may not
be enough to get you the job you want when you graduate.
The fact is that only a minority of students gain employment
which directly uses the academic knowledge of their
degree programme, and many employers do not mind what
subject you have studied
Employers like to recruit graduates who have ‘joined
in’, worked as a team, shown leadership, or spent
time travelling and experiencing new situations and
cultures – so long as you have learnt something
from it! |
|
How
Does Employability Help My Career?
When you apply for jobs at the end of your degree, graduate
application forms will require you to identify, describe
and provide evidence for all of your qualities and skills.
It may be that there are gaps in your personal profile
Key Skills
The deliberate development of Personal and Key Skills
is essential for gaining initial employment. Key skills
are not specifically related to the subject that you
are studying, but are transferable between all subjects
and, hopefully, between many different situations. You
may already have gained accreditation in key skills
from school or college and this will give you a good
foundation. But it won’t matter if you haven’t.
Think about what skills you have and if there are any
gaps that need filling.
This is a list of Personal & Key Skills considered
to suit degree studies:
• Self-management
• Management of learning
• Communication: Team/group work/ management of
others
• Problem-solving
• Data-handling |
|
Excel
Employability Programs?
Excel Employability programs are designed to enhance
your Key Skills, promote your Personal Development,
and present you with unique situations and opportunities
to stand out from the crowd
Let us ask you an ordinary question, and let you choose
which reply is more interesting:
What did you do during the summer holidays?
i. I got a part-time job stacking shelves at the local
supermarket
ii. I hung out with the guys and went surfing
iii. I met this gorgeous girl/boy and we spent all our
time together
iv. I went to Disney world in Paris
v. I looked after my sick Aunt, allowing my Uncle a
few weeks rest
vi. I took a vocational course in 'xyz', which will
really help my studies next semester
vii. I volunteered for an archaeological dig of Roman
ruins at ' local zyx'
viii. I went to Summer Camp in France - it was really
cool
ix. I went to Summer Camp in China - it was really hot
x. I Volunteered with Excel to help install a water
pipe over 10 miles of rough foothills in Nepal. We had
a great time and good laughs, even though there was
no running water or electricity most of the time
Think about this as a potential employer would
For those of you looking to maximise your employability
after completing your Degree, you should consider the
summer break as an opportunity to enhance your Key Skills
and Personal Development. These things do count when
it comes to being offered 'The job you really want'
We suggest you now read our Questions
from Employers section, and then look again at these
answers. Ask yourself, which of these summer vacation
options gives me enhanced Employability when I complete
my Degree?
Now try and answer this question again, this time considering
what a prospective employer will make of each answer,
and also make assumptions about you in the process
Now let us see what Employers thought about these answers...
click when you are ready |
|
Related
Pages: Employability, Questions
from Employers
See Also: Placements,
Gap Year, Life
Experiences, Volunteering
You can greatly increase your Employability by taking
a 1-year Excel Placement or Gap Year. Excel Life Experiences
or Volunteering are also very useful, as these show
a greater depth of personality, and will engender greater
interest from potential employees - making you stand
out from the crowd |
|
|
