Graduate Careers Australia
Graduate Skills: What Employers Want
Matching Graduate Skills to Organisational Requirements
Current Australian employer views regarding 'employability skills' appear in Employability Skills for the Future. This 2002 report identifies a 'framework of employability skills' for all new employees. The framework includes: personal attributes; communication and teamwork; problem solving; initiative and enterprise; planning and organising; self-management; and learning and technology. Comparisons between Organisational Skills and Self-reliant Skills
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Organisational Skills
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Self-reliant Graduate Skills
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communication skills
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self-awareness, networking
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analytical skills
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action planning
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creative thinking
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exploring and creating opportunities
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problem-solving
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transfer skills, coping with uncertainty
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interpersonal skills
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networking, self-confidence
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ability to negotiate and influence
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negotiation, political awareness
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self-management
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coping with uncertainty, self-confidence
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Narrowing the Gap Between Employers and Graduates in Work Skills Awareness
So, how can you become more competent in the right set of skills? Here are three suggestions.
- Research employers, organisations and industry members who commonly employ graduates from your academic discipline. A useful employer database to help you is in Graduate Opportunities
. Ask the listed contact people questions about expected skills. Write out your questions before you make your inquiries. Using the list, build up an expected skills profile and then compare that with your personal skills list.
- If you are still studying, try to get some work experience or work placements with employers in your industry. Your university Careers Service could help you identify such employers.
- Where possible, attend the workshops put on by your university Careers Service to help you identify and develop your employability skills. Graduate employers operate within business environments of increasing competition. They are more demanding in their skill requirements of new graduate employees than in the past. Your goal is to be part of their solution!
References and Useful Resources
References for Ron Kelly's article, many of which are useful resources in their own right, are detailed in the full version of this article; to view, download from the link directly below:
This article is taken from the 2003 edition of Graduate Careers Australia's employer directory Graduate Opportunities
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Author: Ron Kelly, School of Management, College of Law and Business, University of Western Sydney
© 2001-03 Graduate Careers Australia
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