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how the Careers & Employability Service can support you

the skills you are gaining

the value of your skills to employers

how to highlight them in your CV and cover letter

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Level 4, Learning and Teaching Building    

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What We Support with:

Exploring your career options

Reflecting on what you already have to offer (your skills and experience)

Job search and learning how to succeed in recruitment processes

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How We do it:

Extensive Online Resources

Including online Careers modules

Briefing Sessions

Appointments & Drop-in service

Employer Events

Careers Fairs

Dedicated Vacancy Platform

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The value of your skills...let's explore:

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The value of your skills...let's explore:

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You're being creative - so what are ‘Creative’ Skills? 

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You're being creative - so what are ‘Creative’ Skills? 

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Creativity is important because it lets employers know you look at problems and situations from a different point of view.

Think about the times when you:

used creativity to solve a problem that made your team more productive

worked with new people with different views and ideas that helped inspire you

were open to new ideas or suggestions from others

improved the way you or a team worked on a project or task by trying something new

SOURCE: My World of Work

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You are being entrepreneurial - what skills does this demonstrate?

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You are being entrepreneurial - what skills does this demonstrate?

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What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is about:

problem-solving

creating impact

identifying and acting on opportunities.

Developing an entrepreneurial mindset enables you to use adaptability, resilience, and determination to succeed.

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Entrepreneurship is not simply starting a business. It’s a state of mind that can be useful to everyone.

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Other skills you're gaining through participating in student societies

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Other skills you're gaining through participating in student societies

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You learn about yourself:

self-awareness

emotional intelligence

You meet new people and develop relationships:

interpersonal skills

communication & listening

teamwork

You are experimenting with applying your skills in different contexts:

adaptability

flexibility

resilience

Plus building transferable skills in:

time management

problem solving

leadership & responsibility

organisation

intercultural awareness

What EXAMPLES can you think of that you can use on your CV/Applications?

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Your VP Welfare has been working on a Creative Hub for Strathclyde students to showcase their talents and skills.

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Skills employers want - generally (in all sectors)

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Skills employers want - generally (in all sectors)

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Recruiters are struggling to find candidates with the right skills despite the large number of applications for each job. Discover what skills employers are looking for and how you can sell them on your CV

Your degree will have provided you with subject-specific and transferable skills. It's important to be able to reflect on what they are, and where you gained them.

According to Manpower Group's The Talent Shortage survey, 77% of global employers are having difficulty recruiting. In the UK, it's 80%. The top five in-demand skills areas were:

IT and data

engineering

sales and marketing

operations and logistics

customer facing and front office.

In addition to these specific areas, employers in the survey reported difficulties in finding employees with these transferable skills:

reliability and self-discipline

creativity and originality

critical thinking and analysis

reasoning and problem solving

resilience and adaptability.

Here are some other skills that employers look out for when taking on new recruits.

We're looking for ambitious graduates

Apply to join one of Europe's leading food processing companies

Effective communication

How clearly you put across your ideas and your ability to listen to others is an important skill for any job hunter to demonstrate. Employers will be keen to see how you build rapport, persuade and negotiate.

Use your CV or application form to outline specific written and verbal examples of when you've put these skills into practice. This might be any public speaking you've done, or writing for a student newspaper, for example. Show how you tailored your message to the target audience.

Resilience

This refers to your ability to deal with setbacks, and is something that graduate employers have increasingly started to consider. How well do you cope with stressful situations or when something goes wrong? How do you react to unexpected changes or problems that occur during a project?

You aren't expected to be unaffected by these events, but you need to be able to show that you react to them positively and are able to develop strategies to deal with them.

Commercial awareness

Also known as business acumen, this is all about understanding how an industry or particular organisation works - where it sits in the market, who its competitors are and having knowledge of current developments in the field.

To exhibit commercial awareness, you'll need to show you've done your research on the company and the sector it sits in. Membership of a professional organisation or relevant work experience can also be used to illustrate this skill.

Take a few minutes to answer the Job Match quiz and find out what careers would suit you

Leadership and management

Even if you're not applying for a management position, you'll still need to demonstrate to employers that you have the potential to motivate and lead others to achieve common objectives. It's also important to evidence the skill of self-management - demonstrating a situation where you've managed your own time successfully.

On application forms, detail situations where you've had the opportunity to plan and coordinate tasks during your degree or in extra-curricular activities such as university clubs and societies. The ability to solve problems and conflicts is always highly valued by recruiters.

Planning and research skills

To accomplish certain work tasks, you may need to come up with a suitable strategy and plan of action. This could involve seeking out relevant information from various sources. How you analyse, interpret and report these findings is what's important here.

Highlight the relevant skills you've developed during your degree - reading around a subject and analysing that information before writing an essay, for instance, or interpreting the results of a scientific experiment.

Adaptability

Organisations want to stay competitive, so it's essential to show employers that you're able to adapt to new situations and learn new skills in the workplace. Possessing this skill also tells employers that you're a good leader who handles challenges well.

To evidence this in your application you could use examples of a time you've learned new skills or processes at university, or an instance when you've adapted to a new or challenging situation in your part-time job.

Teamwork and interpersonal skills

Most graduates will have had the chance to work in teams during their time at university and in part-time jobs or work placements. Employers will be looking at your individual contribution towards achieving common goals.

This isn't just about times when you've led a team successfully, but also when you've been an effective team member taking instructions and direction from somebody else.

Find out how to incorporate these skills into your application forms by looking at example questions and answers.

Relevant work experience

It's not just about showing you have the necessary skills. Having some relevant work experience is also important to help you stand out in a competitive jobs market and demonstrate to employers that you're serious about the role.

For advice on how to secure a placement and make the most of the opportunities available, see work experience and internships.

Find out more

Written by Rachel Swain, Editorial manager

Prospects · June 2023

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Find out what skills you'll need to highlight on a CV, cover letter or job application to make yourself stand out.

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SOURCE: ISE Student Development Survey 2023

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Workplace skills employers need (and the extent to which they think graduates have them)

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Workplace skills employers need (and the extent to which they think graduates have them)

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Employers do not expect that graduates have all the workplace skills that they need at entry point - but which ones do you have examples of from your creative activities?

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SOURCE: ISE Student Development Survey 2023

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Attitudes and behaviours employers want (and the extent to which they think graduates have them)

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Attitudes and behaviours employers want (and the extent to which they think graduates have them)

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Good news! On the whole, graduates meet the expectations of the majority of employers.

The areas where employers are most likely to have concerns are:

self-awareness (35% respondents reported that less than expected)

resilience (30% respondents reported that less than expected)

Respondents frequently cited a lack of self-awareness as the cause of wider workplace challenges. They believed that for new hires to successfully participate in training, they need a realistic view of their own capabilities.

What examples do you have that demonstrate these personal attributes?

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Want to work in TV/Film? Skills required for scripted film and TV (skills checklists)

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Want to work in TV/Film? Skills required for scripted film and TV (skills checklists)

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Explore the skills checklists and check out job profiles

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Explore the skills checklists for the different departments and roles. More roles will be added on an ongoing basis. Read our How do I use the skills checklists? page for more information about how the scripted film and TV checklists were developed.

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Browse over 400 job profiles by sector with a full breakdown of salary, responsibilities and required qualifications so that you can find the perfect graduate job.

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NEXT STEPS: Get to know your skills so you are confident presenting them in recruitment processes:

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NEXT STEPS: Get to know your skills so you are confident presenting them in recruitment processes:

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This is important because employers have 439,115 UG + 390,585 PG  = 829,700 graduates to choose from!
(Source: HESA, 21/22 data release)

They want to see EXAMPLES of you demonstrating the skills they prioritise

They want these examples to come from more than one place

Ultimately, employers are looking for MORE than a degree!

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CV and cover letter booklet (includes example CVs)

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CV and cover letter booklet (includes example CVs)

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Work Experience

Skills

Hobbies/interests

Achievements

Responsibilities

References*

* if you have been involved in the committee for a student society you can ask Strath Union for a reference -email strathunion.societies@strath.ac.uk.

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Paragraph 1 - for example:

As a Politics student and an active contributor to The Strathclyde Telegraph, an award-winning student newspaper, I was excited by this opportunity. My strong research and writing skills and experience of publishing regular articles demonstrate my potential to produce thought-provoking weekly blog posts and contribute to policy research.

Paragraph 2 – for example:

You will see from my CV that I am responsible for the social media content for Strathclyde Podcast Society. This involves writing clear and engaging posts to promote our training opportunities. This has led to collaborations with a wide range of societies and a xx% increase in engagement with our channels.

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TIP: look at the skills section for each of the subjects you are studying

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Whether you choose to find a job or begin postgraduate study, there are a number of routes you can take after university. Explore your career options and see where your degree could take you.

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Find out what jobs, internships and courses you can do next.

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Summary of support when making applications (this includes support applying for part-time jobs!)

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Summary of support when making applications (this includes support applying for part-time jobs!)

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Online resources for every stage of the recruitment process

Website - Making applications

Careers Toolkit – including CV360 (instant feedback on your CV), Interview simulator

Group briefing sessions (30 minutes on campus or via Zoom)

Book via Careers Service  Events calendar

One to one support - request via appointment bookings

CV/application checking

Practice interviews

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TIP: start gathering examples - keep a journal of what you are doing/update your CV....

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TIP: start gathering examples - keep a journal of what you are doing/update your CV....