Employability: learn to earn
Employability: learn
to earn
8.1 INTRODUCTION
Bring on the competition! When you started university you might have been told, or indeed realised yourself, that you are not necessarily competing against your fellow classmates. That said, when it comes to the job market, you are certainly competing against each other and you’ll need to demonstrate why you should be selected for a particular position as opposed to your competitor. If you have studied the same course and you have almost the same results, how on earth is an employer going to decide who to select? The employer must look beyond your results to what other skills and/or experiences you have. In other words, employers have to decide if you have the ‘X’ factor for them to consider taking you on.
8.2 JUGGLE IT!
So getting good grades is just a part of what you need to do in university life. How are you going to set yourself apart from the crowd and gain these extra skills? You basically need to perform a juggling act and keep a lot of balls in the air. You’ll need to focus on your academic development while simultaneously concentrating on your personal and professional development. Since so many students achieve good grades, employers look at what else you can bring to the table and whether this fits in with their work environment. These extras make you more ‘employable’. These other things are less prescribed and employers do not really tell you what exactly they are looking for, they know it when they see it. Fear not though – this is a good thing. You then have control over what skills you are going to develop so you can be more original than the next candidate.
8.3 OWN IT!
Wow . . . studying is hard enough! Is this extra stuff just not too much extra pressure? It is very tough to secure that all-elusive training contract, pupillage, graduate scheme or whatever other role you are thinking about, so if you want it you have to take ownership of your employability.
Most universities have a department dedicated to helping students develop their career paths and their employability level. You will find that there is an abundant array of tools and apps out there that will help you manage your personal development which includes monitoring your employability skills. Do not forget however, that your degree may already incorporate personal development planning within your studies directly. A law degree in itself equips you with many skills that employers look for but you need to be adept at translating them into skills that employers value and using a personal development tool can help you do just that.
There is not one particular characteristic that employers are looking for and that is the key thing to remember. Employers will remember you for being different.
THINKING POINT
Put yourself in the position of an employer who is looking to hire someone new. You and your fellow classmate apply for the position. You and your classmate have both studied the same course and achieved almost the same results. You are both confident and interview really well. How is the employer going to decide who to select? The candidate with something ‘extra’ will no doubt stand ahead of the candidate without. Your classmate has travelled in their summer holidays, undertaken charity work and started to learn Mandarin. You have undertaken some charity work for a portion of your summer holidays. Who would you hire and why?
8.4 LOST IN TRANSLATION?
Have you ever felt that application forms and employers at interviews speak gobbledygook? What is that you’re expected to say? Do they speak in a language that you cannot understand? If so, then you need to learn how to speak the employment lingo, developing skills that speak to potential employers in a language that they understand so that they can recognise the value that you can bring to their company.
Remember, employers pay for skills and talent that employees bring to the company and if they cannot see these in you they are unlikely to consider you for a position. These are skills that you take with you from your education environment to your work environment. These skills are sometimes referred to as transferable skills.
| Transferable skill | Translation |
| Good time management | Manages responsibilities well, balances conflicting demands on time and prioritises work |
| Meet deadlines | Punctual, takes work seriously and has the ability to manage workload and time |
| Problem solving | Unfazed by challenges, logical thinker and resourceful |
| Organise projects | Has leadership skills, anticipates problems, forward thinking, good time-management skills, good administration skills and can manage/work within a team |
| Organisation skills | Manages and co-ordinates tasks and others as appropriate, can prioritise and delegate work using own judgment |
| Work independently | Plans time and workload well, thinks through work objectives, meets targets without supervision, performs delegated tasks and is responsible |
| Delegate tasks | Prioritises responsibilities, manages time well and recognises strengths in team members |
| Team player | Appreciates the efficiency of working in a team to achieve common goals, recognises strengths in others, good communication skills, listens well, contributes to achieving targets and is reliable |
| Effective communicator | Conveys ideas clearly and accurately in a variety of situations both verbally and in writing to own team and external colleagues |
| Decision making |