In this post, we share 6 key employability skills ALL graduates must know. Regardless of what degree you studied or what career field you want to go into, graduate recruiters will be looking for evidence of these key skills.
It is vital that you demonstrate these 6 key employability skills in your CV, cover letters and interviews.
Even if you haven’t gained work experience yet, you should be able to demonstrate these skills. You’ll have gained these skills from your academics, extracurricular activities or voluntary experiences.
1: Communication
Graduate recruiters are looking for graduates with excellent communication skills.
Communication is defined as: “the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing or other mediums.”
You’ll need to demonstrate your ability to communicate throughout the entire application process.
How graduate recruiters will assess your communication skills:
- By the examples that you give on your CV and in your cover letters.
- How you answer your interview questions (your verbal communication skills).
- Your body language/non-verbal communication during job interviews.
- How you interact with other candidates during group assessment centre tasks.
- How you answer competency-based questions relating to communication.
- Your active listening skills.
You can show your ability to effectively communicate in the following ways:
- Public speaking
- Written work/creative writing
- Working in a public-facing or customer service role
- Taking part in a group presentation at university
2: Teamwork
Teamwork is a fundamental employability skill for graduates.
You’ll need to prove that you are a team player.
In the workplace, you’ll need to be able to work effectively as part of a team.
Graduate employers will be looking for your ability to share your ideas, listen to others, and contribute to the overall success of the team.
How graduate recruiters will assess your teamwork skills:
- Evidence of your ability to work as part of a team on your CV and cover letters.
- Situational judgement tests
- Working as part of a team during group tasks in assessment centres.
- Competency-based questions during interviews.
You can demonstrate your teamwork skills in the following ways:
- Working as part of a team during group assignments at university.
- Being a part of a sports team.
- Internships or work experience.
➡️ How to answer job interview questions about teamwork
3: Organising and planning
Next up is organising and planning skills.
This involves showing your ability to prioritise your work efficiently and manage your time productively.
Organising and planning skills may be referred to as time management or prioritisation skills on graduate job descriptions.
Your time management skills will be assessed throughout the entire graduate recruitment process.
Ways you can improve and demonstrate your organising and planning skills:
- Make sure that you send off your application well before the deadline.
- Take on extra-curricular activities and part-time jobs to demonstrate your ability to balance your academics with other responsibilities.
- Get an internship in a fast-paced environment.
4: Problem-solving
The ability to solve problems is highly desireable by graduuate recruiters.
You’ll be expected to be able to take a logical, analytical and creative approach to solve problems.
Problem-solving is all about making sense of a situation to come to an intelligent solution.
In the workplace, you’ll be continuously solving problems and resolving issues.
Therefore, graduate recruiters will be keen to assess problem-solving skills in candidates.
How will graduate employers assess your problem-solving skills?
- Competency-based questions in interviews.
- Asking hypothetical interview questions.
- Psychometric testing.
- Game-based recruitment assessments.
- In-tray exercises.
The IDEAL problem-solving technique
IDEAL is an acronym for breaking down what you need to do to solve a problem.
- Identify the problem/issue
- Define the challenges
- Examine your possible solutions
- Act on an agreed course of action
- Look at the outcomes of the actions
5: Professionalism
You’ll be expected to behave professionally in the workplace.
Potential employers will be looking for your ability to:
- Manage your own learning.
- Pay attention to detail.
- Accept responsibility.
- Demonstrate commercial awareness.
- Respect others.
- Show integrity.
Your level of professionalism will be assessed throughout the application process.
6: Working on your own initiative
Using your own initiative is vital in the workplace.
When you are asked interview questions about using your initiative, recruiters will be assessing:
- If you can work independently
- Your ability to understand problems and create a plan to resolve it.
- If you can come up with new ideas
During your graduate job interviews, you may be asked: “Give me an example of when you showed initiative”.
Here’s a post on how to answer interview questions about using your initiative.
You should be able to draw upon an example from your work experience, academics or your extracurricular activities, to demonstrate your ability to show initiative.
Final thoughts: Demonstrate your employability skills
Showcasing key employability skills such as communication, teamwork, organising and planning, problem-solving, professionalism, and using initiative is essential for standing out in a competitive job market.
These skills are often what employers look for in candidates, regardless of the industry or role. For example, communication and teamwork are fundamental in almost every position, whether you’re working remotely or collaborating in an office. Strong organising and planning abilities will help you manage multiple tasks effectively, while problem-solving is crucial when navigating challenges in any job. Professionalism and initiative can show employers that you’re capable of thriving in independent or leadership roles, which are key to unlocking leadership potential in your career.
These skills are especially valuable when applying for traditional or off-cycle internships, placement years or graduate schemes, as they demonstrate to employers that you’re proactive and ready to succeed. With 48% of graduates never getting jobs, showcasing these abilities can make you more competitive.
If you’re considering starting a business post-graduation, these skills will be indispensable as they help you manage and lead effectively. Seeking mentorship and guidance from professionals in your field can help you further hone these skills, while resources like a free CV review can ensure you’re presenting them in the best light. As you learn how to search for jobs on LinkedIn, you’ll notice that these key employability skills are often the deciding factor in landing your ideal role.
Summary
To summarise, the 6 key employability skills graduates mst demonstrate on their CV are:
- Communication
- Team Work
- Organising and planning
- Problem-solving
- Professionalism
- Working on your own initiative
These are all transferable skills that all graduates should be able to demonstrate throughout the graduate recruitment process and in the workplace.
The skills listed in this post are soft skills. Some graduate schemes/jobs will be looking for specific hard skills in addition to these.
These specific skills will be listed in the job description.
Put together an employability skills portfolio to demonstrate the value that you can bring to an organisation.
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Featured photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels
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