Discuss some of the things that you could do to enhance your employability when you

graduate from University?

According to the University of Kent, employability skills have been defined as "A set of achievements,
understandings and personal attributes that make individuals more likely to gain employment and to
be successful in their chosen occupations". Upon the completion of university, undergraduates and
postgraduate students face the significant issue of finding employment which, in most cases, conflicts
with the misperception that a degree magnetises you to a job almost immediately. While gaining the
qualifications, skills and experience from university which are thought to be sought for in an
individuals field of study, those aspects are viewed to be not inadequate enough by many
organisations and firms (Tomlinson, M 2008). As this shows that having work experience in your
respective discipline is a powerful aspect in gaining a competitive advantage, there are also certain
skills, such as generic competencies and your personal capabilities that can be improved through self-
awareness and self-assessment.

Although a degree alone can limit your professional image, the collaboration of both studying and
work experience has been viewed as one of the most effective methods in enhancing your
employability. This involves universities placing proactive graduates in an industry related to their field
of study for either a short or long interval in the academic year. This is method is known as a
sandwich placement, which incorporates work-based learning to a graduates course of study. Such
examples include internships, project works with companies and volunteer work which are methods
that help elevate a graduates employability through university. Graduates can also join associations
for networking purposes to find employment opportunities within their university. Despite having
academic degrees which are awarded to successful students to strengthen their professional image,
students must independently take the initiative to put themselves in a position of being placed in a
workplace setting. It not only equips a graduate with work-based knowledge and skills but also
develops student self-efficacy in the form of confidence in abilities and skills.

Secondly, the aspect of personal reflection is an important way for graduates and students to enhance
their employability by recognising their own strengths and areas of improvement. In saying so, this
allows individuals to plan their own development on a personal and professional level through
verbalising both their strengths and weaknesses and by indicating how people view them. Through
this self-awareness process, this can unleash an individuals potential and their skillset which is an
ultimate difference maker in the competitive labour market. Such skills can be categorised as
baseline assets (Vidya, 2015), which are simply basic skills and key personal capabilities. This is a
very important component of developing your employability as these baseline assets can be
characterised as the elementary fulfilment of requirement at workplace.

In summation, undergraduate and postgraduate students have a multitude of ways of improving their
employability in the event of their graduation. Simply put, students gain skills and workplace
knowledge through job or internship placements in their respective industries through their university,
and by developing their general competencies and personal capabilities through self-assessments. As
a result, students can be competitive in a turbulent and unpredictable job market, and increase their
opportunities and possibilities.

References
Brooks, R., & Kay, J. (2014). Enhancing employability through placements in
higher education. Higher Education, Skills And Work-Based Learning, 4(3).
Marais, D., & Perkins, J. (2012). Enhancing Employability Through Self-
Assessment. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences Enhancing
Employability Through Self-Assessment, 4357, 4358.
Vidya, I., & Kartik, D. (2015). Industry's role in employability. Industrial And
Commercial Training, 47(3), 151-158.