DEVELOPING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

Firstly, we need to know that what are employability skills?

Employability skills are those skills necessary for getting, keeping and being successful in a
job.
They are the skills and attitudes that enable employees to get along with their colleagues, to
make critical decisions, solve problems, develop respect and ultimately become strong
ambassadors for the organisation.
Employability are the foundation of ones career building blocks. Organisations spend a lot of
time and money training staff, not in job specific areas but in general and basic skills.
Employability skills include hard skills (technical or discipline-specific) and generic or soft
skills, such as:

Communication
Knowing how to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally with
colleagues of all levels, external contacts, clients and customers is a skill employers
value highly.

Time Management
Prioritising workload and using time management techniques are key to working
effectively and efficiently. Gaining experience in the workplace of balancing
workload and meeting deadlines strengthens a students CV and can have a
significantly positive impact on any graduate job application.

Professionalism
Knowing how to dress appropriately for a role, the importance of punctuality and
abiding to professional etiquette are all essential in the workplace.

Confidentiality
Being able to provide examples of respecting the confidentiality of information and
adherence to data protection laws reassures a prospective employer of a graduates
professional integrity.

Team Work
Working in a real world, workplace environment requires being able to work as part
of a team. Employers need people that can demonstrate that they have worked in a
team and contributed to the overall aims and objectives of that team.

Problem identification and solution

Researching and selecting relevant information to solve a problem. Working within a

customer service environment and dealing with complaints.

Every stage of your career requires that you are able to identify, analyse, prioritise and
convincingly describe your skills.
You need these when you are:

career planning

applying for jobs using a resume, cover letter or response to selection criteria

being interviewed for a job

requesting new duties and responsibilities

selecting future professional development.

Developing employability skills can also be done through

Extra curricular activities. For e.g. Lateral Thinking (Thinking of ways to raise
money during rag week).
Home Life Organizing and Planning
Work Shadowing Investigating (Talking to people about their work).

Here are few skills that one might gain from shop, bar or restaurant work:

Dealing with customers (courtesy, social confidence).

Handling money (numeracy, integrity).
Working under Pressure
Organisation & Planning (to meet peak demand)

Simply put, more and more research suggests that getting a degree, and putting a few letters
after your name is just not enough to land you that plum job, or to launch your career. What
you need is a portfolio of employability skills. Employers like to recruit graduates who have
gone the extra mile, 'joined in', can work both individually and in a team, shown a capacity
for leadership, and demonstrated a willingness to take risks by spending time travelling, and
experiencing new situations and cultures. The success of individuals in a knowledge-based
economy will increasingly depend upon skills, creativity and imagination. This is why
employability skills are more and more important !!