Employability - Employ-Ability

 
Employability is a word you’ve probably heard quite a few times over the past couple of years, especially in the realm of Higher Education. It’s easy to assume that we know what employability is; being able to find, get and keep a job.

But what if there’s more to it than that?

Employability refers to your ability to gain initial employment, maintain employment, and obtain new employment if required.
Is about being capable of getting and keeping fulfilling work. “Employability is having a set of skills, knowledge, understanding and personal attributes that make a person more likely to choose and secure occupations in which they can be satisfied and successful.
In short Employability is a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual more employable.

Your employability depends on:

• Your Knowledge (what you know)
• Your Skills (what you do with what you know)
• Your Attitudes (how you approach things)
• The way you use your knowledge and skills and present them to employers, and the context.

(e.g. personal circumstances and work sector within which you seek work.).

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Employers are demanding skills from graduates which are outside the subject area of study in Higher Education. Indeed, some employers have placed less importance on graduates’ actual degree discipline in favor of the more generic skills which they have acquired.

Employers generally see a graduate’s achievements related to the subject discipline as necessary but not sufficient for them to be recruited. Achievements outside the boundaries of the discipline extracurricular activities such as work experience, volunteering, and involvement in clubs and societies are seen as having equal importance in this context as the knowledge and experience acquired through academic study.

Generic employability skills are important because the labour market is intensely competitive, and employers are looking for people who are flexible, take the initiative and have the ability to undertake a variety of tasks in different environments.

Employability skills are not as narrowly prescribed and defined as in the past and generally, they are more ‘service oriented’, making information and social skills increasingly important.
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Skills that make you Employable - Personal Development – “Getting the most from yourself and others”

• All employers will want to know that you’re committed to your own self-development. There are many ways to demonstrate this. It might be that you’ve overcome a difficult obstacle or you could have gone out of your way to learn a new skill. What is important is that you have pushed yourself.

Ethics - "A set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct." for me one of the most important personal skill you can have.

• Ethics is a broad category that refers to an employee’s principles. Companies want employees who understand and follow company rules, are honest and trustworthy and act professionally and responsibly.

Communication – “Listening actively as well making yourself heard”

• Employer look for people who know how to get their point across clearly, articulately and professionally. Just as importantly, you should be a good listener – you’ll take other people’s opinions on board and actively seek out feedback. You’ll also be comfortable in talking to groups.

Creativity and Innovation – “Seeing newer and better ways forward”

• Successful organisations are fueled by good ideas. Employers will want to know that you can come up with interesting suggestions and that you’re always looking for better ways of doing things. Good ideas come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – and the best ideas aren’t necessarily the biggest.

Teamwork – “Supporting other people to achieve success”

• Teamwork is important in almost any work setting. If an employee works on a number of group projects, she needs to be able to get along well with others, sharing the workload with colleagues to complete a goal. Even if an employee does not do a lot of team projects, he still needs to be able to get along with his colleagues, working hard to achieve the company goals.

Professionalism – “Taking pride in everything you do” (tricky and sometimes misunderstood)

• Employers will expect you to be committed to delivering the best standards, adopting the right procedures and maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality. This means staying motivated and for all talks and upholding complete professionalism, even in conflicts or difficult conversations.

Problem solving/analyzing – “Looking at issues from a different angle”

• In the world of work, things don’t always go according to plan. That is why employers need to know that you can analyse information, identify any potential issues and come up with effective solutions
• Initiative – “Thinking ahead and on your feet” In any job, you’ll need to be able to take the initiative. Although it’s important that you follow the right rules and regulations, you should also be confident when it comes to suggesting new or different ways of doing things, or anticipating problems or issues before they arise.

Organisational skills – “Juggling priorities and preparing for the unexpected”

• In most jobs, you’ll be expected to take responsibility for your own workload. Employers will want to know how you manage your course work and used your initiative to deal with the unexpected.

And many others can be added too, but it depends on many factors, such as:

What business you will be involved in; Information Technology (IT) Knowledge "Ability to use new technologies"; Commercial Awareness  “Knowing how to add value”; Flexibility – “Being adaptable”; Driver's licence "yes this is a plus as well";  Important things to know about employability for your career; Career ownership - only you are responsible for your career development and management (no one else can do it for you); Continuous (life-long) learning and development of skills are expected by employers and clients; Security lies in employability (that is, your ability to obtain and maintain employment) rather than in employment (that is, a specific job).

How do I get these skills?

You will have many of these skills already. The good news is that these skills can be learned in daily life.
You can develop employability skills by:

• doing work experience or volunteer work
• playing sport or doing music and performing arts
• helping your family
• taking part in a hobby or interest

Now that you know what it is, get a degree in ethics, professionalism and empower yourself with your daily tasks and take them to your workplace, yes to your workplace. That impersonal place is more personal than you think, since you will spend more time there than anywhere else.