What is employability?

It is your skills set, what you have to offer an employer or company and whatever it is about you that will make you stand out in a pile of CVs.

What are employers looking for?

The skills that employers are looking for will differ slightly dependant on your career aspirations but to have a good basis to work from you may want to consider how you would demonstrate the below skills if asked in interview:

1.       Communication

This doesn’t just mean verbal or written communication but your ability to listen and absorb information. Being able to communicate confidently, clearly and with expression is a good trait to show prospective employers.

2.       Teamwork

This is vital for many roles as it demonstrate your ability to contribute to an overall goal but even if you will be fairly independent in your chosen role you will always have colleagues or clients that you will need to work with.

3.       Commercial Awareness

What are the issues affecting your career path and the organisation you are applying to work for? Having a basic understanding of this can give you confidence and shows your interest in the work you will be doing.

4.       Initiative and problem solving

You will need to demonstrate your ability to work independently as well as having the confidence to put ideas forward.

5.       Leadership

Although you may not be applying for a managerial position straight away you will need to demonstrate that you can motivate a team or even the person sat next to you. It’s about setting a good example and delegating effectively.

6.       Organisation and planning

Being organised shows a lot about your potential as an employee, you will need to be able to clearly demonstrate that you can plan ahead but also see your plan through to the end.

Buzzwords for applications and interviews:

How you can boost your CV whilst studying:

Many of you will be working a part time job around your study, which is already a fantastic way to improve your CV beyond the degree you study. Even if your current job is unrelated to your chosen career you will still be able to find those all-important ‘transferable skills’. For example, a job in retail will give you skills in teamwork, presentation, time management, conflict resolution and verbal communication.

You can find more specific experience through many other channels such as volunteering, work experience and internships. All of these options have the potential to give you skills specifically for your career sector and are targeted at students and graduates making them the ideal CV boosters.

You can find details of current opportunities through the UCSU website in the volunteering section as well as paid work with the union through jobshop.

Using your Degree:

Although your study is going to be a major part of your CV credentials you can also find more specific ways to sell your skills if you look at your course Handbook. In here you will find details of the skills you will gain as a result of completing your chosen subject, you may also like to pick out specific modules you have completed to help you show your knowledge.

The nitty gritty!

Don’t forget that applying for a job is not a one page deal. You will need to send a cover letter with your CV and possibly an application form or portfolio depending on what the advert requests.

If you haven’t written a cover letter before there are plenty of examples and templates to use online, however we have rounded up our 5 top tips for this below:

1.       Expand on your experience

Keep your CV concise so you can expand on certain key experiences in your cover letter but be careful; this is your chance to highlight your personality and enthusiasm not to re-write your CV.

2.       Be selective

Don’t give your potential employer your life story, instead pick out job specific areas (3 to 5 max.) and give them centre stage. You will also need to keep your cover letter brief so your potential employer isn’t tempted to skim over it.

3.       Be professional

This doesn’t just mean starting with ‘Dear’ and ending with ‘Yours Sincerely’ but is about the tone of your writing. Be confident, be positive and show enthusiasm for the role but don’t gush.

4.       The layout

Make sure that you double check you have laid out your letter in the official way with addresses and dates in the correct places. Putting our signature at the bottom is also important for authenticity; don’t let the little things bring you down.

5.       Talk about the company

Show that you are interested in them and not just the job role or salary. Do a little research and tell them what impressed you.