Employability and myths uncovered

Employability and myths uncovered

Leaving university with a good degree is a pre-requisite in the graduate employment market, but this alone is not enough to secure your first graduate job.
How does an employer choose the right person from hundreds of applicants all with the same class of degree? The skills you develop whilst at school/college and university and the experiences you gain will all help to give you the edge over the next candidate. This means it is essential not just to bury your head in a book all the time while you are at university, but to continue with your interests and work experience, which help to enrich your life and your CV.
» So what do employers want?
Analysis of years of national employer surveys suggests the desired skills for graduates fall into four broad areas. Table 1 lists some of these skills, along with examples of how you can develop them. Take a look at the examples given and take time to review your own skills. You may have already started this process if you have a Record of Achievement/Progress File. 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 (UCAS) website (www.ucas.com) to find out what they are looking for. You can also check out the graduate profiles section on www.universityoptions.co.uk to get top tips from recent graduates.
Table 1. Skills that employers want and how they can be developed.
Type of skill
“Buzz” words
Examples of how the skills can be developed through interests, work experience and education
Self-reliance skills
Self-awareness – purposeful, focused, self-belief, realistic
Duke of Edinburgh Award; Young Enterprise Award; music band (play regularly at local venues); participate in competitive sport; public speaking/debating society; amateur dramatics.

Proactivity – resourceful, drive, self-reliant


Willingness to learn – inquisitive, motivated, enthusiastic


Self-promotion – positive, persistent, ambitious


Networking – initiator, relationship-builder, resourceful


Planning action – decision-maker, planner, able to prioritise

People skills
Team working – supportive, organised, co-ordinator, deliverer
Working in a shop/supermarket/restaurant; fundraising for charity; voluntary work; member of orchestra; play sport for team; guide/scout leader; air training corps.

Interpersonal skills – listener, adviser, co-operative, assertive


Oral communication – communicator, presenter, influencer


Leadership – motivator, energetic, visionary


Customer orientation – friendly, caring, diplomatic


Foreign language – specific language skills

General employment skills
Problem-solving – practical, logical, results orientated
Young Enterprise Award; project work through studies; Mensa membership; book club; member of local club/society; music grades.

Flexibility – versatile, willing, multi-skilled


Business acumen – entrepreneurial, competitive, risk taker


IT/computer literacy – office skills, keyboard skills, software packages


Numeracy – accurate, quick-thinker, methodical


Commitment – dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious

Specialist skills
Specific occupational skills – specialist relevant knowledge, eg languages, IT
European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL); language skills; web design skills; writing for school/college newspaper; first aid at work qualification; NVQ qualification.

Technical skills – eg journalism, engineering, accounting, sales

» The importance of work experience
According to the Pay and Progression for Graduates 2005 survey of 96 employers from the Incomes Data Services (IDS), over a third (37.4%) of students who did a sandwich placement went on to accept a position with the employer they did their placement with. The equivalent figure for those who did vacation work was even higher at 47%. A further pointer to the advantage of work experience in gaining a graduate position has been revealed through research of some 66 graduate employers by the University of Manchester Careers Service in 2004. Their research shows that an average of 70% of work experience summer or year long placements led to a graduate job offer.
» ‘A degree’s not worth the paper it’s written on’
Research evidence in recent years shows that this is certainly not true. A study of graduates seven years after leaving university in 1995 ('Seven Years On; Graduate Careers in a Changing Labour Market') concluded that the value of having a degree is still considerable despite the ever growing numbers entering higher education each year. A further report by the same authors, The Class of ’99, also confirmed this. According to the latter report, 71% of men and 70.4% of women were working in a job related to their long-term career plans just three and a half years after leaving university. More than half of all graduates said that the reason they took their current job was that “It was exactly the type of work I wanted”, and over 80% stated that they were satisfied with their career progress to date. In addition, over four in five graduates were in what could be termed ‘graduate jobs’. Many graduates also reported the advantages a degree brought to the workplace, in terms of writing, analysis, problem-solving and presentation skills, and these were skills most commonly felt to be used in graduate employment.
It is important to note that there is not always a correlation between the level of graduate skills or qualifications required in a job and the salary. As The Class of ‘99 noted, some of the lowest-paid graduates were the most highly qualified, in areas such as academic research, librarianship and journalism.
» Widening participation in higher education and the labour market
The widening participation agenda, which encourages people from different backgrounds to enter higher education, provides both challenges and opportunities. However, it remains to be seen how this agenda within higher education will translate into a more diverse and better representative labour market in years to come. The following examples highlight some of the issues.
According to the report 'What happens Next? A Report on the Destinations of 2004 Graduates with Disabilities', although non-disabled and disabled graduates overall had parity in the type of industry sectors entered and in terms of the quality of graduate opportunities, graduates with disabilities were more likely to be unemployed or found in part-time or voluntary work.
Similarly, a study of the graduate destinations of students from ethnic minority backgrounds reported in Graduate Market Trends found that initial labour market attainment amongst minority ethnic graduates overall was not as good as that for White graduates, although some specific minorities (eg Indian graduates) fared rather better than others. Another study, 'Why the Difference? A Closer Look at Higher Education Minority Ethnic Students and Graduates', reported that Indian and Chinese students were more likely to enter higher education with higher qualifications, but did not appear to be doing as well as might be expected in employment outcomes. Minority ethnic graduates were also found to have less chance of getting through each of the stages in the graduate recruitment process of large organisations than White graduates.
Although these findings do seem negative, employers and institutions are working hard to improve matters, and there is good reason to be confident that the labour market will evolve to be more equal.
Other studies have also exposed difficulties faced by older graduates and graduates from lower social economic backgrounds on entering the labour market. The good news is that legislation outlawing age discrimination in employment and vocational training has begun to take effect from 1 October 2006. Employers who do not seek or accept an age diverse workforce will, therefore, not only miss out on valuable talents, but are also liable to be prosecuted.
» The university experience
According to the Student Experience Report 2006, 96% of the over 1,000 students surveyed reported that ‘going to university is a worthwhile experience’. Looking beyond financial considerations, the process of obtaining a degree and taking part in the whole university experience is often life changing – a time when knowledge, skills and personality are developed and values and networks are established. Obtaining a good degree along with some work experience will be of great benefit to your graduate job search, and probably financially lucrative too!
» References
Pay and Progression for Graduates 2005, IDS.
Work Experience Recruitment Survey, University of Manchester Careers Service, 2004.
Seven Years On: Graduate Careers in a Changing Labour Market, Kate Purcell and Peter Elias, June 2004.
The Class of ’99: A study of the early labour market experiences of recent graduates, Peter Ellias, Kate Purcell, Rhys Davies and Nick Wilton, October 2005. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/research/class99/
What Happens Next? A Report on the Destinations of 2004 Graduates with Disabilities, AGCAS Disability Task Group, 2006.
Ethnicity and graduates’ early outcomes, Graduate Market Trends, Winter 2005/06, The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).
Why the Difference? A Closer Look at Higher Education Minority Ethnic Students and Graduates, Helen Connor, Claire Tyers (Institute for Employment Studies), Tariq Modood (University of Bristol) and Jim Hillage (Institute for Employment Studies), 2004. www.employment-studies.co.uk
The Student Experience Report 2006, UNITE/Ipsos MORI. www.unite-group.co.uk
» Useful Websites
University Options – expert, impartial advice on higher education and beyond.
Volunteering England –England’s volunteer development agency.
Do-it – for local volunteering opportunities.
WorldWide Volunteering (WWV) – for international volunteering opportunities.