Skill Seeker

The Sydney Morning Herald

In today's cut-throat employment market, academic qualifications aren’t always at the top of the employers’ must-have list. When it comes to getting the best jobs, graduates need to be highly skilled, well-rounded individuals.
Graduate Careers Australia’s 2007 survey of graduate employers indicates that the top three selection criteria for recruiting graduates are interpersonal and communication skills, critical reasoning and problem solving, and passion combined with industry knowledge.

Inta Heimanis, manager of Graduate Careers Australia at the University of Sydney, says students need to begin acquiring these skills from the moment they start their undergraduate degree.

“Students should really start preparing for their job search well before their final year,” Heimanis says. “Start the self-assessment process, think about what your values are and what you can do to add value in terms of experience.”
Engaging with the university by participating in skills-building events and activities is one way of getting ahead of the pack, says Sheila Mylvaganam, head of Macquarie University’s career development office.

“Students from year one need to be committing to developing these employable skills throughout the course – they should look at being mentors for their peers, they could become student ambassadors and they can also get involved in things like a global leadership program.”

Most universities have a careers centre which runs courses and expos aimed at assisting graduates with employment. Courses cover time management, negotiating, résumé writing and presentation skills.

“We offer a range of short skills courses and they are not confined to the final year. We strongly encourage all students to come along and start planning early,” Heimanis says. “If students are in their final year, they need to get cracking now, because activity starts as soon as the year begins.”
Mylvaganam says that career expos provide a good opportunity to meet with prospective employers. “Networking is not extraneous to the degree; it is so valuable.”

University websites also offer a wealth of information, from preparing for job interviews to tips on writing cover letters.
Getting involved with university societies is also useful, according to career experts.

“Involvement in clubs, societies, industry bodies or community activities also shows that you are an active, well-rounded person and can give you valuable skills,” says Taye Morris, manager of UNSW Careers and Employment.

Work experience is always looked upon favourably. Morris says many students only focus on seeking paid work experience. But potential employers will consider any and all experience you may have had, whether it’s full-time, part-time, temporary, vacation work or volunteer experience, she says.

“Even if your work experience is unrelated to your intended career, you can still develop skills that you can bring with you and that can be transferred,” Morris says. “For example, working in retail and hospitality can provide
you with customer service, team work, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.”

Skills aside, says Morris, employers are also seeking to hire people who are enthusiastic, motivated, reliable, have high levels of personal presentation, can work well under pressure and can adapt well to a fast-paced, fast-changing environment.

Being able to demonstrate that you have all of these skills and attributes is crucial to being successful in the recruitment process and to future success, she says.

Achievements, and not necessarily official awards, can also help graduates stand out from the crowd. “Companies want to hire graduates who don’t just plod along and do the bare minimum. They want people who are able to think of new and better ways of doing things,” Morris says. “They want to hire people who can make money for their company, improve efficiency or somehow save them time or money.”

According to Cindy Tilbrook, executive director of Graduate Careers Australia, when it comes to applying for jobs, researching the organisation is crucial. “Make sure that you have done some background research on the company, and can talk about why you want to work for that particular company.”

Heimanis agrees. “Do your research and check with prospective employers. You should take advantage of every opportunity to talk about what the workplace is like, what skills they look for and what kind of work is available.”

Top 10 employable skills
- Interpersonal and communication (written and oral)
- Critical reasoning and analytical skills (ie, problem solving)
- Passion and knowledge of the industry
- Cultural alignment — the value fit
- Academic qualifications
- Teamwork skills
- Emotional intelligence (ie, self-awareness, motivation)
- Work experience
- Activities (both intra- and extracurricular).
- Leadership