Employability skills, as defined in the business dictionary, “are a group of essential abilities that involve the development of a knowledge base, expertise level and mindset that is increasingly necessary for success in the modern workplace.” The presentation highlighted eight employability skills that enhance the career prospects of business graduates are; Communication, Teamwork, Problem solving, Initiative and Enterprise, Planning and Organising, Self-management and, Learning. Communication is sharing or exchanging of information or ideas. Communication can be either verbal or written.
In verbal communication, one has to speak clearly to be heard and understood. Listening skills is important in verbal communication as you need to listen and understand the information in order to respond appropriately. Body language is another form of communication, therefore it is important that appropriate gestures are made when communicating. Written communication can be in the form of emails, text messages, tweet, and reports.
It means writing well enough to be understood. Unlike verbal communication, they are records and can be stored for future references. Sharing information is communication.
When sharing information, it is important that correct and accurate information is shared. As well as that, confidentiality of information that has to be considered when sharing information. One has to have good negotiation skills to be able to come to a win-win situation. In communication, one has to assertive, that is showing a confident personality.
Teamwork is be able to work together to achieve the goal of your employer. In the workplace, work is done in teams. Different members of the teams do their assigned tasks to achieve the goals of the organisation. Working with different individuals in a group or organisation requires good communication.
Team members should communicate well verbally and in writing with the other team members and also identify different team members strengths, Members of the team are given different responsibilities and every individual in the team is required to be responsible to complete their assigned tasks. When a project is completed or an achievement is reached, everyone share in the glory. Problem solving is finding solutions when there are difficulties or setbacks. Finding solutions to a problem may help to improve how things are being done. New ideas come up that are creative and innovative.
When these ideas are put to use, the work processes are improved with better results. Initiative and enterprise is one employability skill business graduates have to possess. Initiative is the ability to assess and initiate things independently. It is when someone is able to do their job without another person’s help, input or advice. A person who use their initiative, can make reasoned decisions. They are ready to take up difficult projects of importance or difficulty or untried ideas and that is enterprising.
Opportunities are notice and utilised for the benefit of the organisation. Planning and organising another employability skill. It is about what is required to get you job done, when to get it done and how to do the job. It will be chaotic in the workplace when there are no plans in place and work is not organised. In the workplace, there are deadlines to be met for different tasks or projects. It is important to plan and prioritise so that tasks are being completed on time.
Self-management is being able to work with less supervision. When tasks are allocated, they should be completed on time. If you cannot complete it, it is good to delegate to someone who will be able to complete it. When you manage yourself, you can be motivated to complete your to situations.Learning does not stop at university. In the workplace, it is different from what is learnt in theory at school. Graduates have to learn the job after school.
Different organisations do things differently and so graduates need to learn and also experience what it is like in a real workplace. It is also about being able to adapt to changes in the workplace and to take on new tasks.Technology is used every day, everywhere. Workplaces are not exception to this. Workplaces require employees to have the right technical skills for the job.
Technology is always changing and improving, therefore there is a need to graduates to improve their technological understanding should the role require. The contents of the presentation are very informative. After watching the presentation, I would say that I have almost all the skills. I say this because, I have been in the workforce for over nineteen years.
I acquired these skills over the course of my employment. However, I find this presentation informative because it is like a refresher for me. I realised that I have become complacent and have to been applying these skills effectively at work. Therefore, I will identify the skills I need to polish up on, which will help me to be a productive employee.
I have taken time off work this year to concentrate and complete my online studies at USQ. This will help me to apply the eight employable skills during my studies so when I complete my studies in two years time, I will be ready to apply the skills when I return to work.
