Introduction to employability
skills
What is employability?
Employability has been defined as “the capability for
gaining and maintaining employment.”
What are employability skills?
• Employability skills are the skills you have developed
inside and outside of school that you can transfer to the
workplace
• Knowledge and abilities relating to a particular job
• The ability to identify suitable job opportunities and self
presentation for applications and interviews. You can’t
rely on your academics alone to automatically open
doors for you after school
• Many students already have the employability skills
companies are looking for – but they don’t realise it!
Employability skills are also known as:
• Key behaviours
• Competencies
• Soft skills
• Transferrable skills
• Personal skills
• Generic skills
• Basic skills
Coaching
Time Management
Commercial Awareness
Leader
Driven
Motivation
Team Player
Good Communicator
Honesty
Good sportsmanship Positive personal image
Problem-Solving
Flexibility
Reliable
Resilient
Numeracy
Disciplined
Ambitious
Goal-Orientated
Committed
Patience
Respectful
Prioritising
Literacy
Loyalty
Self-Aware
Wants to learn
Networks and Builds Relationships Guides Others
What are the top skills that employers want?
• Written communication
• Investigating and analysing
• Verbal communication
• Drive
• Flexibility
• Numeracy
• Commercial awareness
• Self awareness
• Teamwork
• Computing
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism
SWOT - Activity
• A SWOT analysis is useful for identifying areas for
development
• You can analyse your strengths and weaknesses as well
as the opportunities and threats that you face
• This helps you focus on your strengths, minimize your
weaknesses, and take the greatest possible advantage of
opportunities available to you
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
I communicate well within in a team.
I am completely committed to my
studies.
Weaknesses
Presenting makes me feel very nervous.
I focus too much on the detail and
sometimes this effects how I manage
my time.
I’m doing a presentation as part of an
assignment. This will help to start to
build my confidence public speaking.
Apply for a part time job. This will help
develop my customer service skills.
Opportunities
September 2011
Stronger candidates applying for the job
Threats
8
The outcome you want from the SWOT analysis:
Strengths
What strengths you should consider
making stronger to further enhance
your ability to pursue your goals
What opportunities are best for you to
pursue
What internal strengths you can use to
enhance your pursuit of these
opportunities
Opportunities
September 2011
Weaknesses
What weaknesses you need to improve
on, or manage, so that they don’t
impede your goal setting
What threats you need to eliminate/
minimise
What internal strengths you can use to
overcome these threats
Threats
9
Sports clubs / Team Sports / Societies
• Positions of responsibility, motivation, relationships
• Think of teams you play in or clubs you are in involved
with. You may have developed skills such as:
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Time management / organisation
• Leadership
Work Experience
• Work experience, even part time work at a restaurant, as
a customer assistant as a shop, in a call centre or at a
hairdressers would have helped you develop a number of
skills employers look for:
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Planning and organising
Ask yourself some questions…
• What skills are required for the position?
• Do I have these skills?
• How have I developed the skills that are required?
• What do I need to do in the future to develop these
skills?
• If I’m interested in the profession I want to join , what do I
know about the profession commercially?
Is this the career for you? Then start to research how you
might apply…
What employers look for?
• Can you do the job?
• Are you motivated?
• Do you fit with the organisation?
What to do when at school
• Get actively involved in school life
• Develop personal skills
• Build up your work experience
• Find out about the careers open to you
• Research careers that interest you
• Prepare and keep your CV up-to-date
• Practice filling out application forms
Reflection Activity
• Reflect on what things you have done and achieved that
make you a good employee of the future.
• Write down 3 things you have done that you can put on
your CV.
• After this session, complete the SWOT analysis and try to
identify 3 things that you will do going forward to
develop.
Summary - Top Tips
• Find out about the careers open to you and the skills you
need
• Assess your own employability skill level
• Start to develop personal skills – get involved!