Advice Sheet: What Employers Want

Transcription

1 Advice Sheet: What Emplyers Want What Emplyers Want Skills and Attributes In jb descriptins and persn specificatins emplyers ften talk abut the skills and attributes they are lking fr in applicants. But what d they mean by this? Skills are things that yu can d. Attributes are persnality traits, they represent what kind f persn yu are. Althugh different jbs may require different skills and attributes, there are sme skills and attributes that are cmmn t almst all kinds f jbs. These are smetimes referred t as transferrable skills r emplyability skills and attributes. Develping Emplyability Skills and Attributes Candidates are ften shrtlisted by emplyers n the basis f hw far they demnstrate the skills that the emplyer wants. The emplyer cmmnly lks fr applicants t demnstrate skills and attributes using strng examples frm previus wrk r study. Because there are sme skills and attributes that emplyers cmmnly lk fr, we can cnclude that if we seek t develp these skills and attributes we will als becme mre emplyable. But what are these skills and attributes? What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 1

2 Emplyability Skills Lking at the results f years f natinal emplyer surveys, there seem t be fur brad areas f skills that emplyers are lking fr. These are reprduced belw frm What d Graduates d? (HECSU / AGCAS, 2010) Self-reliance skills Self-awareness e.g. purpseful, fcused, self-belief, realistic Practivity e.g. resurceful, drive, self-reliant Willingness t learn e.g. inquisitive, mtivated, enthusiastic Self-prmtin e.g. psitive, persistent, ambitius Netwrking e.g. initiatr, relatinship-builder, resurceful Planning Actin e.g. decisin-maker, planner, able t priritise Peple skills Team wrking e.g. supprtive, rganised, c-rdinatr, deliverer Interpersnal skills e.g. listener, adviser, c-perative, assertive Oral cmmunicatin e.g. cmmunicatr, presenter, influencer Leadership e.g. mtivatr, energetic, visinary Custmer rientatin e.g. friendly, caring, diplmatic Freign Language e.g. specific language skills General emplyment skills Prblem-slving e.g. practical, lgical, results rientated Flexibility e.g. versatile, willing, multi-skilled Business acumen e.g. entrepreneurial, cmpetitive, risk taker IT / cmputer literacy e.g. ffice skills, keybard skills, sftware packages Numeracy e.g. accurate, quick-thinker, methdical Cmmitment e.g. dedicated, trustwrthy, cnscientius Specialist skills Specific ccupatinal skills e.g. specialist relevant knwledge, eg languages, IT Technical skills e.g. jurnalism, engineering, accunting, sales What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 2

3 Attributes When it cmes t attributes that emplyers are lking fr, a gd reference pint are the graduate attributes drawn up by the University f the Highlands and Islands. These are five brad attributes that the university aims t help students develp while they are studying in rder t help them achieve success after graduatin. Active Challenging and enquiring Analytically critical in appraches t learning and wrk Seeking ut pprtunities fr life-lng learning and CPD Respnsive and Adaptive Reflective Cnfident Able t anticipate a need fr change Able t recgnize what is required in diverse situatins and t use knwledge and skills apprpriately Able t identify and emply IT and web-based tls Able t use initiative and react t changing envirnmental, scietal r emplyment-related demands Able t recgnise and respnd apprpriately t strengths and weaknesses in thers Able t wrk cllabratively Reflect n demands, knwledge and skills Reflect n persnal track-recrd f achievement Able t identify wn strengths t be capitalized n, wn weaknesses t be addressed and pprtunities t be taken Self-cnfident and articulate Aware f wn strengths and weaknesses and able t view weaknesses as an pprtunity fr further develpment rather than a mark f failure Able t recgnise and prmte persnal achievements, learning utcmes and skills acquired Capable f infrmed risk-taking What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 3

4 Rigrus Set high standards fr themselves and ther Rutinely emply evidence-based decisin making Using the Skills and Attributes lists Lists f emplyability skills and attributes can prvide a useful reflective tl by thinking abut hw far yu pssess these skills and attributes and what evidence yu have fr them, yu can identify which skills and attributes are yur strng pints and which nes yu may need t develp further in rder t increase yur emplyment prspects. Exercise: emplyability skills and graduate attributes 1) Using the chart belw, reflect n each skill and attribute individually. Ask yurself, d I d this? Hw d I d this? What evidence d I have? Hw culd I d this better? Identify ne example f a time when yu have demnstrated this skill r attribute.* Recrd yur thughts in the secnd clumn. In the third clumn rank the skill r attribute accrding t yur level f cnfidence. 2) Once the table is cmplete lk at the items yu scred lwest, and cnsider, what culd yu d t build yur skills in this area? Identify tw t three actins yu will take t address these areas. Recrd these thughts at the bttm f the table. 3) Remember that everyne has strengths and weaknesses. It is imprtant t recgnise (and celebrate!) thse areas where yu are really strng, as well as t recgnise and start t address yur weaker areas. *A nte n writing yur examples: Emplyers want t see clear evidence that yu pssess the skills they want. Fr this reasn it is gd practice t get used t describing evidence using the STAR apprach S Situatin: describe the backgrund t yur example. This may invlve talking abut yur jb r yur rle, and / r utlining the situatin r the prblem yu faced. T Task: describe what yur task was. This may invlve talking abut yur duties in yur jb, and / r utlining hw yu understd the prblem yu faced, what yu decided were the tasks yu needed t undertake and hw yu planned them. A Actin: describe what yu did. This may invlve talking abut a sequence f activities r steps. R Result: describe the utcme. This shuld always be psitive, and ideally wuld be backed up by evidence. What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 4

5 Further Help and Resurces Infrmatin n this and ther careers and emplyability tpics can be fund n the UHI Careers and Emplyability Centre website: Yu can als fllw the centre n Facebk: and n Twitter: twitter.cm/uhicareers Free cnfidential advice is available t all UHI students n an HNC curse r abve via telephne, videcnference r . Cntact ur advisers by clicking n speak t an adviser n ur website. This service is als available t graduates within tw years f graduating frm an HNC curse r higher. What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 5

6 Wrksheet: What Emplyers Want Belw yu will find each f the skills and attributes listed in a table. Yur task is t cmplete the Evidence and Cnfidence bxes, an example f hw t cmplete these bxes is given belw. Skill Evidence Cnfidence Self-awareness Practivity Include in this bx: a) A statement abut whether yu feel yu have this skill b) The best example yu can think f when yu have demnstrated this skill. Try t write this example using the STAR apprach: S the situatin: backgrund t the example T the task: what yu had t d A the actins: what yu did R the result f yur actins: the utcme I am very self-aware. Recently a friend asked me fr help with ne f her assignments. I felt that ne f her biggest issues was cnfidence and therefre my task was t build up her cnfidence. Hwever, I was wrried that because I have a tendency t take cntrl and cme acrss as a bit bssy, if I just started t give her advice this might undermine her cnfidence in herself. This self-awareness guided me t make sure that I started by asking her what she felt she needed supprt with rather than jumping straight in with advice. As a result I was able t understand her needs mre fully and tailr my supprt. I smetimes find it hard t be practive because I can lack cnfidence (even thugh peple think I am very cnfident). Hwever, an example f when I ve been practive is in getting wrk experience. My tutr and careers adviser suggested that I gt wrk experience in an ffice. Therefre I realised that I wuld have t g ut and apprach cmpanies and ask fr wrk. I put tgether a CV and cvering letter, and then using the yellw pages I identified places I culd send it ut t. I felt nervus sending it ut, but as a result tw cmpanies respnded and invited me in fr a further chat. Include in this bx: a number frm 1-4 in terms f yur cnfidence in yur abilities 1 nt cnfident 2 think I culd d better 3 quite cnfident 4 - ttally cnfident 3 2 What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 6

7 Skill Evidence Cnfidence Self-awareness Practivity Willingness t learn Self-prmtin Netwrking Planning Actin Team wrking What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 7

8 Interpersnal skills Oral cmmunicatin Leadership Custmer rientatin Freign Language Prblem-slving Flexibility What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 8

9 Business acumen IT / cmputer literacy Numeracy Cmmitment Attributes Evidence Cnfidence Active Respnsive and Adaptive Reflective What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 9

10 Cnfident Rigrus Three areas I culd imprve: Three actins I culd take t imprve these areas: What Emplyers Want Rsie Alexander 14/10/13 10