Page 23 - Graduate Recruitment Handbook 2024
P. 23
Graduate Attributes – Transferable
Employability Skills
What do employers want? Transferable employability skills are general
competencies and behaviours that will help ensure
that you are work ready. They can be applied across
a range of different jobs in different industries. They
are usually picked up over time and with experience,
and can be gained from previous positions, but also
from charity and voluntary work, hobbies or just from
life itself.
Some of the top skills employers look for in
graduates include (in no particular order):
Commercial awareness
• Business acumen
• Customer awareness
Communication skills
• Articulacy and literacy
• Listening skills
• Calmness under pressure
• Networking skills
• Digital literacy
• Numeracy
• Persuasion and influencing skills
Emotional intelligence (refers to the ability to
identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as
the emotions of others.)
• Self-awareness: reflective, confident…
• Self-management: adaptable,
conscientious, controlled…
• Self-direction: motivation, positive
attitude, willingness to learn…
Leadership (or Leadership potential)
• Challenging and enquiring
• Decision-making skills
• Initiative / Pro-activity
• Creative problem-solving, innovative
Team working
• Interpersonal skills
• Understanding others
• Collaborative and Cooperative
• Empathetic
• Conflict Management skills
Time management
• Organisational skills
• Prioritisation
• Ability to work under pressure
• Delegation
• Resilience
2024/2025 Graduate Recruitment Handbook 23
