Build the skills that can help you succeed at work.
Employability skills are the everyday skills, behaviours and qualities that help you succeed at work. Employers look for these alongside your qualifications and experience.
They include things like communication, teamwork, reliability, organisation, problem-solving and having a positive attitude. These skills are useful in almost every type of job, whatever sector you choose to work in.
You may already have more of these skills than you realise. You can develop them through school or college, volunteering, hobbies, caring responsibilities, clubs, work experience and everyday life. Learning to recognise your skills, develop them and give examples of when you've used them can help with your CV, applications and interviews.
Top Tips for Employability Skills
Communication: Listen carefully, speak clearly and think about how you communicate with different people.
Teamwork: Be willing to help others, share ideas and contribute towards a common goal.
Reliability: Turn up on time, keep your commitments and let someone know early if there's a problem.
Problem-solving: Think about what you can do when something doesn't go to plan, rather than immediately giving up.
Organisation: Plan your time, prioritise tasks and keep track of what you need to do.
Positive attitude: Be open to learning, feedback and trying new things. You don't need to know everything on your first day.
Digital skills: Being confident with everyday technology, such as email, Microsoft Teams, online forms and workplace systems, can be valuable in many jobs.
Activity: Your skills check
Choose three employability skills you think you already have.
For each one, write down:
The skill: What are you good at?
Your example: When have you used it?
The evidence: What happened as a result?
Example:
Skill: Teamwork
Example: I worked with other students on a college project and helped divide up the tasks.
Evidence: We completed the project on time and everyone contributed.
Further Learning
Building Interpersonal Skills
Critical Thinking