What Employers Really Look For

Revision Notes
1 day ago
23 min read

Employers are not simply looking for the applicant with the highest grades, longest CV or most impressive collection of society committee titles.

They are looking for someone who can:

Perform the work
Learn what they do not yet know
Communicate with other people
Solve problems
Meet commitments
Adapt when circumstances change
Behave professionally
Take responsibility
Contribute to the organisation

Your degree can help you reach the application stage. It does not automatically prove that you can succeed in the workplace.

Skills England reports that employers value transferable capabilities including communication, problem-solving, digital literacy and adaptability. Employers also want “work-ready” recruits who can work well with others, deal confidently with customers, show initiative and accept responsibility and accountability.

The current graduate market makes this particularly important.

Graduate recruitment at the UK’s leading employers fell by 24.5% between 2022 and 2025, with a further small reduction expected during 2026. Strong applicants therefore need to provide clear evidence of what they can contribute rather than relying on qualifications alone.

The reassuring part is that you do not need to have completed three prestigious internships before your twenty-first birthday.

Employers can find useful evidence in:

Part-time jobs
Volunteering
University assignments
Group projects
Societies
Sport
Caring responsibilities
Personal projects
Placements
Freelance work
Everyday responsibilities

The important skill is learning how to recognise what you have developed and explain it clearly.

What Do Employers Look For at a Glance?

Most employers consider a combination of five areas.

Area	What the employer wants to know
Knowledge	Do you understand the subject, role or industry?
Skills	Can you perform the tasks required?
Experience	Have you applied your abilities in a realistic situation?
Behaviours	How do you work, communicate and respond to difficulty?
Motivation	Do you genuinely understand and want this role?

Within these areas, commonly valued qualities include:

Communication
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Reliability
Initiative
Planning and organisation
Self-awareness
Digital and AI literacy
Commercial or organisational awareness
Professionalism
Willingness to learn
Technical ability
Customer or user awareness
Evidence of genuine motivation

The precise balance depends on the job.

A software employer may place greater emphasis on programming and technical problem-solving. A nursing employer may focus on communication, judgement, compassion and safety. A consulting firm may assess analysis, teamwork and commercial awareness.

Always begin with the job description rather than a generic list of employability skills.

Qualifications Get You Considered, Evidence Gets You Selected

Qualifications matter.

Employers may use them to check that you have:

Relevant technical knowledge
A required professional qualification
A particular degree subject
A minimum academic standard
Appropriate literacy or numeracy
Eligibility for further professional training

For regulated careers, the correct qualification may be essential.

For example:

Doctors need an approved medical qualification.
Nurses need an approved nursing route and professional registration.
Engineers may benefit from an accredited degree.
Psychologists require further accredited professional training.
Teachers need an approved route to Qualified Teacher Status where required.

However, qualifications rarely answer every employer question.

A degree classification does not automatically reveal whether you can:

Explain an idea to a customer
Manage competing deadlines
Respond constructively to criticism
Work with a difficult colleague
Identify an error
Use initiative
Behave appropriately with confidential information

Employers therefore use applications, interviews, tests and assessment centres to gather evidence beyond your academic record.

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

Employers normally look for a mixture of hard and soft skills.

The National Careers Service describes hard skills as specific abilities needed to perform tasks, while soft skills include transferable capabilities such as teamwork, communication and problem-solving.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are normally role specific.

Examples include:

Programming
Laboratory techniques
Statistical analysis
Financial modelling
Graphic design
Foreign-language ability
Engineering calculations
Legal research
Video editing
Data visualisation
Using specialist software
Clinical procedures

These skills may be developed through:

Your degree
An apprenticeship
Professional training
Work experience
Online courses
Personal projects

Soft Skills

Soft skills describe how you approach work and interact with others.

Examples include:

Communication
Teamwork
Adaptability
Leadership
Organisation
Problem-solving
Reliability
Emotional intelligence
Resilience

The word “soft” can make these skills sound optional.

They are not.

A brilliant technical employee who misses deadlines, refuses feedback and cannot explain their work can create a majestic amount of trouble.

Employers need technical competence and effective workplace behaviour.

1. Communication

Communication is one of the most widely required workplace skills.

It includes:

Speaking
Listening
Writing
Presenting
Asking questions
Explaining technical information
Adjusting your language for different audiences
Reading non-verbal signals
Confirming shared understanding

The 2026 Skills England framework identifies listening, speaking, reading and writing as separate core skills needed across occupations.

Verbal Communication

Employers may assess whether you can:

Explain an idea clearly
Answer a question directly
Participate in a meeting
Speak to customers
Ask for clarification
Discuss a problem calmly
Listen without interrupting

The Institute of Student Employers found that 22% of employers in its 2025 survey believed graduate recruits fell below expectations in work-appropriate verbal communication. Concerns had increased considerably from previous years.

Workplace communication can differ from classroom communication.

At university, you may be rewarded for providing a long and detailed answer.

At work, your manager may need:

The problem
Its importance
What you have tried
The decision required

Preferably before the meeting ends and everyone turns into fossils.

Written Communication

Written communication includes:

Emails
Reports
Instructions
Applications
Customer messages
Notes
Presentations
Technical documentation

Good workplace writing is usually:

Clear
Accurate
Concise
Appropriate for the reader
Structured around the required action

Employers do not expect every applicant to write like a novelist.

They do expect you to:

Use understandable sentences
Check spelling and details
Avoid confusing the reader
Choose an appropriate tone
State what needs to happen next

How to Demonstrate Communication

Evidence might include:

Presenting a group project
Explaining a process to a new colleague
Handling a customer complaint
Writing for a student publication
Tutoring another student
Creating social media content
Chairing a meeting
Interviewing research participants

A useful example explains the audience, challenge and result.

Do not simply write:

“I have excellent communication skills.”

That is a claim.

An employer wants proof.

2. Teamwork

Almost every organisation depends on people working with others.

Employers want to know whether you can:

Share information
Complete your part of a task
Support colleagues
Handle disagreement
Respect different perspectives
Ask for help
Give appropriate feedback
Prioritise the group’s result

Teamwork does not mean agreeing with everyone.

It means being able to disagree constructively and still make progress.

How Employers Assess Teamwork

They may use:

Competency questions
Group exercises
Assessment centres
References
Internship feedback
Examples from your application

During a group exercise, assessors may look at whether you:

Contribute useful ideas
Listen
Invite quieter people to speak
Keep track of time
Summarise the discussion
Help the group reach a decision
Respond constructively when challenged

The National Careers Service explains that assessment centres commonly examine how applicants work with other people, deal with problems and communicate their contribution.

The aim is not to dominate the group with the energy of a minor emperor.

A strong participant helps the whole team perform better.

Where Can You Develop Teamwork?

Examples include:

Group assignments
Part-time employment
Sports teams
Drama or music groups
Volunteering
Society committees
Laboratory work
Hackathons
Community projects
Caring responsibilities

What Makes a Strong Teamwork Example?

A useful example includes:

A genuine shared objective
Your individual contribution
A difficulty or disagreement
How you responded
The outcome

Saying “we completed a presentation” provides little evidence.

Explain what you did.

3. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Employers need people who can identify problems and respond sensibly.

Problem-solving may involve:

Recognising the issue
Gathering information
Identifying possible causes
Considering different solutions
Evaluating risks
Choosing an approach
Checking whether it worked

Skills England includes problem-solving and decision-making among its core transferable abilities. It also expects growing importance for critical thinking and analytical skills as AI becomes more widely used.

What Does Problem-Solving Look Like at Work?

Examples include:

Correcting an error in a spreadsheet
Reorganising work after someone becomes unavailable
Helping a customer whose order is missing
Investigating why an experiment failed
Improving a slow administrative process
Debugging code
Finding evidence for a difficult research question
Adjusting an event after a venue cancellation

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking means evaluating information rather than accepting it immediately.

It includes asking:

Is this information reliable?
What assumptions are being made?
What evidence is missing?
Are there alternative explanations?
What could go wrong?
Is this conclusion justified?

This is particularly important when using AI.

An AI tool may produce a confident, polished and completely incorrect answer. Employers need people who can verify outputs and recognise limitations.

How to Demonstrate Problem-Solving

A strong example should explain:

What the problem was
Why it mattered
How you investigated it
Which options you considered
What action you took
What happened

The employer is often more interested in your reasoning than in whether the situation was dramatic.

You do not need to have rescued an international project from financial collapse.

Fixing a genuine everyday problem can provide excellent evidence.

4. Adaptability

Workplaces change.

You may encounter:

New technology
Different priorities
New colleagues
Changing customer demands
An unexpected deadline
A redesigned project
Organisational restructuring
New laws or procedures

Adaptability means adjusting your approach without losing the ability to work effectively.

ISE’s 2026 development survey found that 35% of employers believed graduates fell below expectations when adapting to workplace demands. Employers also identified gaps in planning, motivation, self-awareness and understanding the wider context of work.

Adaptability Does Not Mean Accepting Everything

Being adaptable does not mean:

Never questioning poor decisions
Working unlimited hours
Ignoring unsafe conditions
Pretending a serious problem is fine

It means responding constructively to reasonable change.

You might:

Learn a new system
Reprioritise tasks
Ask what has changed
Identify the most urgent work
Seek additional guidance
Adjust your communication

How to Demonstrate Adaptability

Examples include:

Moving learning online
Changing a project after receiving feedback
Covering a different responsibility at work
Adjusting to studying abroad
Working with a new team
Learning unfamiliar software
Responding to an unexpected event

Focus on what you changed and what you learned.

5. Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover, adapt and continue after difficulty.

It is not the ability to tolerate endlessly poor treatment.

Employers may look for evidence that you can:

Respond to a setback
Learn from a mistake
Continue after rejection
Manage pressure
Ask for appropriate support
Change an unsuccessful approach

ISE found that 46% of employers in its 2025 survey believed graduate recruits fell below expectations in resilience.

What Resilience Is Not

Resilience does not mean:

Never feeling stressed
Solving every problem alone
Hiding mistakes
Refusing support
Working while seriously unwell
Pretending failure does not matter

In many workplaces, asking for help early is a sign of judgement rather than weakness.

How to Show Resilience

Useful examples might include:

Improving after a poor assessment
Returning to a project after an unsuccessful first attempt
Managing competing commitments
Responding constructively to rejection
Completing work during a difficult period
Learning a skill you initially found challenging

A strong example includes reflection.

Explain how the experience changed what you did next.

6. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness means understanding:

Your strengths
Your development needs
How you affect other people
Which environments help you work effectively
When you need guidance
How you respond to pressure

This is one of the clearest current employer concerns.

In the ISE Student Development Survey 2025, 54% of employers reported that graduates did not meet expectations in self-awareness. This was higher than the 43% reported in 2024 and 35% in 2023.

Why Does Self-Awareness Matter?

An employee with self-awareness can say:

“I have not used this system before, but I can learn.”
“I need clarification before I continue.”
“My first approach did not work.”
“I should ask someone with more experience.”
“I need to improve how I organise this task.”

A lack of self-awareness may appear as:

Overclaiming ability
Rejecting feedback
Blaming other people
Failing to recognise mistakes
Applying for completely unsuitable roles
Pretending to understand instructions

Interview Questions About Self-Awareness

You may be asked:

What is your greatest development area?
Tell us about a mistake.
Describe a time you received difficult feedback.
What would your colleagues say about you?
Which part of this role would challenge you most?

Avoid disguised strengths such as:

“My weakness is that I care too much.”

It has served bravely. It may now retire.

Choose a genuine development area and explain what you are doing about it.

7. Initiative

Initiative means taking useful action without waiting to be told every detail.

Employers want people who can:

Notice what needs doing
Suggest improvements
Begin appropriate tasks
Research an unfamiliar issue
Take ownership
Escalate problems when necessary

Skills England identifies initiative, responsibility and accountability as central parts of being work ready.

Initiative vs Acting Without Permission

Initiative does not mean ignoring procedures.

In safety-critical, regulated or confidential work, taking action without approval can be dangerous.

Good initiative involves judgement.

You might:

Complete appropriate preparation
Investigate possible options
Suggest a solution
Ask for approval
Recognise when the issue must be escalated

Examples of Initiative

You could discuss:

Creating a revision resource for a study group
Suggesting an improvement at work
Organising an event
Learning software independently
Starting a society project
Contacting an employer for experience
Improving how information was recorded
Identifying an underserved audience

The example should show a useful outcome, not merely that you were busy.

8. Reliability and Accountability

Reliability is one of the least glamorous employability skills and one of the most valuable.

Employers need people who:

Arrive when expected
Complete agreed work
Communicate delays
Follow instructions
Protect confidential information
Check details
Admit mistakes
Meet reasonable deadlines

Accountability means accepting responsibility for your decisions and work.

This includes being able to say:

“I made the error.”
“I have corrected it.”
“This is how I will prevent it happening again.”

How Can a Student Demonstrate Reliability?

Evidence could include:

Maintaining a part-time job
Attending regular volunteering
Balancing study with caring responsibilities
Managing a society budget
Completing a long-term project
Meeting repeated publication deadlines
Being trusted to train new staff
Handling cash or sensitive information

Reliability is often shown through patterns rather than one exciting moment.

9. Planning and Organisation

Workplaces expect people to manage:

Deadlines
Meetings
Information
Priorities
Multiple tasks
Other people’s expectations

Skills England defines planning and organising as setting goals, prioritising tasks and structuring approaches.

What Employers May Ask

Interview questions may include:

Tell us about a time you managed competing deadlines.
How do you prioritise work?
Describe a complex project.
What do you do when you may miss a deadline?
How do you organise information?

What Makes a Strong Answer?

Explain:

How you identified the tasks
How you assessed urgency and importance
Which tools you used
How you monitored progress
What you did when priorities changed
Whether you met the objective

Useful tools might include:

Calendars
Task boards
Spreadsheets
Shared documents
Checklists
Project-management software

Naming the tool is less important than explaining how it helped you deliver the result.

10. Commercial and Organisational Awareness

Commercial awareness means understanding how an organisation operates within its wider environment.

It is not limited to private companies.

A charity, hospital, university, government department and retailer all operate under different pressures.

You should understand:

What the organisation does
Who it serves
How it is funded
Which problems it solves
Its competitors or alternatives
Risks affecting it
Relevant industry changes
How your role contributes

Commercial Awareness in Different Sectors

Business

You may consider:

Customers
Revenue
Costs
Competitors
Regulation
Technology
Market demand

Public Sector

You may consider:

Public value
Budgets
Policy
Legal duties
Service users
Political accountability

Charity

You may consider:

Beneficiaries
Fundraising
Grants
Donations
Impact
Safeguarding
Public trust

Healthcare

You may consider:

Patient safety
Capacity
Clinical outcomes
Staffing
Regulation
Public funding

How to Develop Commercial Awareness

You can:

Read the organisation’s website
Examine annual reports
Follow industry news
Understand its customers
Read the job description
Attend employer events
Speak to employees
Compare competitors
Investigate current challenges

Good commercial awareness is specific.

Weak answer:

“The company is successful and innovative.”

Stronger answer:

“The organisation is expanding its online service while managing stricter data-protection and security expectations. This makes reliable digital customer support particularly important.”

11. Digital Skills

Digital ability is now relevant to almost every career.

Skills England includes digital literacy as one of its core skills and specifically includes the effective use of artificial intelligence tools.

Basic digital skills may include:

Email
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Presentations
Video meetings
File management
Shared documents
Online research
Data protection
Cybersecurity awareness

Role-specific skills may include:

Coding
Data visualisation
Customer relationship systems
Content management
Design software
Statistical packages
Laboratory systems
Financial software
Project-management tools

How to Demonstrate Digital Ability

Do not list every program you have opened once.

Use honest descriptions such as:

Advanced
Confident
Working knowledge
Basic
Currently learning

Evidence is stronger than a list.

For example:

“Used Excel pivot tables and charts to analyse responses from 450 survey participants.”

This tells the employer what you did and why the skill mattered.

12. AI Literacy

Employers increasingly expect workers to understand how to use AI appropriately.

Skills England describes practical AI literacy as the ability to use, verify and safely integrate AI tools. It expects most workers to need this foundation, while a smaller group will require specialist technical expertise.

AI literacy includes:

Writing clear instructions
Checking outputs
Protecting confidential information
Recognising bias
Understanding limitations
Knowing when human review is needed
Using the tool to support rather than replace judgement

What Employers Do Not Want

Employers do not want applicants who:

Invent experience using AI
Submit answers they cannot explain
Use AI during prohibited assessments
Paste confidential information into public tools
Rely on generated work without checking it
Misrepresent their abilities

In ISE’s 2026 development survey, 67% of employers were concerned that graduates might misrepresent their capabilities through the use of AI during recruitment.

Responsible Use of AI in Applications

AI can help you:

Understand a job description
Identify relevant examples
Improve clarity
Practise questions
Check grammar
Research an industry

You should remain responsible for:

Accuracy
Honesty
Final wording
Your examples
Your decisions
Your performance at interview

A useful test is simple:

Could you explain and defend every sentence without the AI tool?

When the answer is no, do not submit it.

13. Motivation

Employers want evidence that you understand:

The role
The organisation
The sector
Why the opportunity interests you
Why your experience is relevant

Generic enthusiasm is weak evidence.

Saying:

“I have always wanted to work for a prestigious global company.”

could be sent to several thousand employers.

A stronger answer explains:

Which part of the role interests you
Which experience led to that interest
Why this employer is particularly relevant
What you hope to contribute and learn

Employer Motivation vs Career Motivation

You should be able to answer two separate questions.

Why This Career?

Explain why the work interests you.

Why This Employer?

Explain why this organisation is a suitable place to do it.

Do not spend the entire answer praising the company.

Employers also need to understand what connects you to the opportunity.

14. Willingness to Learn

Employers rarely expect graduates to arrive knowing everything.

They do expect them to be able to learn.

You may need to:

Use unfamiliar systems
Understand an industry
Complete professional qualifications
Apply feedback
Develop technical skills
Work under new procedures

A willingness to learn can be shown through:

Teaching yourself software
Improving after feedback
Completing optional training
Taking on an unfamiliar task
Asking useful questions
Reflecting on mistakes

Asking Questions Is Not a Weakness

New employees are expected to ask questions.

The important distinction is between:

Asking after making a reasonable effort
Asking the same question repeatedly without recording the answer
Staying silent and making an avoidable mistake

Strong learners know when to investigate independently and when to seek guidance.

15. Professionalism

Professionalism includes:

Appropriate communication
Respect
Integrity
Confidentiality
Reliability
Preparation
Accountability
Understanding boundaries
Appropriate workplace behaviour

ISE’s 2026 survey found that 52% of employers had increased the amount of induction time devoted to professional conduct and the transition from education into work.

What Does Professionalism Look Like?

It may involve:

Arriving prepared
Replying within a reasonable time
Following agreed procedures
Treating people respectfully
Dressing appropriately for the environment
Keeping information secure
Avoiding inappropriate jokes
Raising concerns responsibly
Accepting feedback without becoming hostile

Professionalism is not about sounding unusually formal.

You can be friendly and still professional.

It is mainly about being someone other people can trust.

16. Leadership Potential

Leadership does not require a senior title.

You may demonstrate leadership by:

Setting a direction
Helping other people contribute
Making a decision
Taking responsibility
Motivating a group
Managing conflict
Supporting someone’s development
Remaining calm during difficulty

Employers may look for leadership potential even in entry-level applicants because they want people who can grow into greater responsibility.

Leadership vs Control

Good leadership is not:

Doing everything yourself
Giving orders
Talking the most
Taking credit
Preventing disagreement

A strong leadership example shows how you helped other people achieve a shared result.

Where Can Students Develop Leadership?

Examples include:

Leading a group assignment
Training a colleague
Coaching younger students
Organising a charity event
Captaining a team
Coordinating volunteers
Managing a society project
Supporting siblings or family members

17. Customer and User Awareness

Most organisations exist to serve someone.

This might be:

A customer
Patient
Student
Client
Passenger
Citizen
Beneficiary
Internal colleague

Employers value applicants who consider:

What the person needs
What they already understand
Which difficulty they face
How the service affects them
Whether the solution is accessible
How trust can be maintained

Customer awareness does not mean agreeing to every request.

It means understanding the user while also following appropriate rules, safety procedures and organisational limits.

Useful Evidence

You may have developed this through:

Retail
Hospitality
Tutoring
Volunteering
Healthcare
Events
Student support
Telephone work
Community projects

Part-time customer-facing work can provide extremely strong graduate evidence.

Do not dismiss it because it was not completed in an office with a suspicious number of glass meeting rooms.

Work Experience Matters

Work experience helps students understand workplace expectations and gives them examples to discuss during recruitment.

In the ISE Student Development Survey 2025, 77% of employers agreed that graduates who had completed an internship or placement arrived with better skills and attitudes than graduates without that experience.

Meaningful work experience should provide:

A clear purpose
Real tasks
Interaction with employees
Feedback
Time for reflection

It can include workplace visits, shadowing, virtual experiences, placements or paid employment.

Does Work Experience Have to Be Prestigious?

No.

Employers may value evidence from:

Supermarket work
Hospitality
Administration
Childcare
Tutoring
Volunteering
Care work
Warehouse work
Freelancing
Family businesses
University ambassador roles

A week observing an impressive employer may provide less evidence than six months handling customers and responsibility in a local job.

The value lies in:

What you did
What you learned
Which skills you developed
How clearly you can explain them

Placement Years and Internships

Placements may provide:

Industry knowledge
Professional contacts
Technical skills
A reference
Evidence of workplace performance
A possible graduate offer

Read Placement Years: Are They Worth It? [Placement Years: Are They Worth It?] before comparing sandwich courses.

What If You Have No Formal Work Experience?

You probably still have relevant evidence.

Skills England found that young people often develop communication, resilience, teamwork and problem-solving through experiences such as weekend work and caring for family members, but may struggle to translate those experiences into the language used by employers.

Consider experience from:

Education
Home
Community
Hobbies
Sport
Societies
Personal projects
Volunteering
Caring

University Work

Your degree may provide examples of:

Research
Writing
Data analysis
Presentation
Group work
Independent projects
Laboratory work
Fieldwork
Deadlines

Caring Responsibilities

Caring may develop:

Organisation
Communication
Reliability
Emotional intelligence
Advocacy
Time management
Problem-solving

You do not need to disclose private medical or family information.

Focus on the responsibilities and skills you are comfortable discussing.

Personal Projects

Examples include:

Building a website
Running a small online shop
Producing videos
Coding an application
Organising an event
Writing a blog
Researching a specialist topic
Creating a portfolio

Personal projects can demonstrate initiative and genuine interest.

Evidence Is More Important Than Adjectives

Compare these two statements.

Weak

I am organised, hardworking and an excellent communicator.

Stronger

While working part time alongside my degree, I used a weekly task plan to coordinate shifts, coursework and society deadlines. I submitted every assignment on time and organised a student event attended by 120 people.

The second version provides evidence.

Employers can assess:

The situation
Your actions
The scale
The result

Turn Every Skill Into an Example

For every skill you claim, ask:

When have I used it?
What did I personally do?
What difficulty was involved?
What was the result?
What did I learn?

When you cannot answer these questions, the skill may not belong in that application yet.

Use the STAR Method

The STAR method provides a clear structure for competency examples.

It stands for:

Situation: What was happening?
Task: What did you need to achieve?
Action: What did you personally do?
Result: What happened, and what did you learn?

The National Careers Service recommends STAR for CVs, cover letters, applications and interviews.

Example: Problem-Solving

Situation

A student society’s venue cancelled three days before an event.

Task

You needed to prevent the event being cancelled and update 80 registered students.

Action

You contacted alternative university rooms, compared capacity and accessibility, confirmed a new venue and sent updated directions through email and social media.

Result

The event ran as planned, 72 students attended and the society created a backup-venue checklist for future events.

Keep the Action Focused on You

Employers need to understand your individual contribution.

Use “we” to explain the team context, but “I” to describe your action.

How Employers Assess You

Employers use different selection methods because no single assessment provides all the evidence they need.

CV

A CV may show:

Qualifications
Experience
Skills
Responsibilities
Achievements
Career direction

For a first job, the National Careers Service recommends focusing on skills developed through projects, work experience and volunteering.

Application Form

Application forms may ask you to provide examples linked to particular skills.

Relevant evidence can come from employment, hobbies, social activities or volunteering.

Cover Letter

A cover letter should connect your experience with the role.

It should explain:

Why you are applying
Why the employer interests you
How your evidence matches the requirements
What you could contribute

Online Tests

Employers may assess:

Numeracy
Verbal reasoning
Logic
Judgement
Attention to detail
Technical knowledge

Interview

An interview may assess:

Motivation
Communication
Self-awareness
Experience
Role understanding
Technical knowledge
Behaviour

Assessment Centre

Activities may include:

Group tasks
Presentations
Written exercises
Case studies
Role plays
Interviews

Portfolio or Practical Task

Creative and technical employers may request:

Design work
Code
Writing
Data analysis
A presentation
A practical demonstration

Each stage may assess different evidence.

A polished CV cannot compensate for a weak technical task. Strong technical ability may not compensate for disrespectful behaviour in a group exercise.

Read the Job Description Properly

A job description is your marking criteria.

It normally contains:

Responsibilities
Essential qualifications
Desirable qualifications
Required skills
Required experience
Behaviours or values

Create a table before applying.

Employer requirement	Your evidence
Written communication	Dissertation, student magazine and customer emails
Teamwork	Laboratory group project and part-time work
Data analysis	Statistics module and research project
Organisation	Society event and managing study alongside employment
Commercial awareness	Industry research and employer project

The National Careers Service recommends matching your application language to the keywords and requirements used in the vacancy.

Do not copy the advert mechanically.

Use its language to make your relevant evidence easy to identify.

Essential vs Desirable Requirements

Essential

An essential requirement is something the employer believes you need.

Examples include:

A professional qualification
The right to work
A driving licence
A particular technical skill
Security clearance eligibility

Desirable

A desirable requirement would strengthen your application but may not be compulsory.

When you meet most essential requirements but lack one desirable item, applying may still be reasonable.

When you lack a legal, safety or professional requirement, optimism will not normally solve it.

Read the wording carefully.

How Much Do Grades Matter?

Grades may matter when:

The employer sets a minimum degree classification
The career requires academic or professional training
The role is highly technical
The employer receives very large application numbers
You have limited work experience

They may matter less when you can demonstrate:

Strong relevant experience
Technical ability
Professional qualifications
A portfolio
Industry knowledge
Clear achievements

Do not assume that excellent grades compensate for every missing skill.

Equally, do not assume that one disappointing result makes you unemployable.

Build evidence in several areas.

What Employers Look For in Different Careers

Technology

Employers may prioritise:

Programming
Problem-solving
Projects
Software fundamentals
Team development
Ability to learn new tools

Engineering

They may prioritise:

Technical knowledge
Safety
Design
Numeracy
Practical application
Accreditation
Teamwork

Healthcare

They may prioritise:

Communication
Compassion
Safety
Judgement
Professional values
Resilience
Teamwork

Finance and Accountancy

They may prioritise:

Numeracy
Accuracy
Integrity
Commercial awareness
Organisation
Professional-study commitment

Law

They may prioritise:

Analysis
Writing
Research
Attention to detail
Client communication
Commercial awareness

Marketing and Creative Work

They may prioritise:

Portfolio
Audience understanding
Writing
Ideas
Digital skills
Results
Collaboration

Public Sector

Employers may prioritise:

Public-service motivation
Judgement
Evidence-based decisions
Communication
Integrity
Working with diverse communities

The same person should present different evidence for different roles.

Common Employer Red Flags

Unsupported Claims

Listing impressive skills without examples.

Poor Attention to Detail

Mistakes in:

Employer name
Job title
Dates
Attachments
Instructions

One typo is human.

Naming the wrong company throughout the cover letter is more of a strategic event.

Generic Motivation

Applications that could be sent to any employer.

Dishonesty

Invented experience, grades or responsibilities can lead to withdrawal of an offer.

AI-Generated Answers You Cannot Explain

Recruiters may ask detailed follow-up questions.

Blaming Other People

A reflective applicant can discuss difficulty without presenting every former colleague as a villain.

No Understanding of the Role

A famous employer is not the same as an understood job.

Poor Professional Communication

This may include:

Inappropriate emails
Ignoring instructions
Missing appointments without explanation
Aggressive responses
Unreasonable demands

No Questions

Thoughtful questions show preparation and judgement.

Avoid asking only about:

Holiday
Salary
How quickly you can be promoted

These are legitimate topics, but they should not be your entire apparent interest in the organisation.

Common Employability Mistakes

Collecting Activities Without Learning From Them

Ten brief society memberships are less useful than one substantial experience you can explain.

Believing Only Internships Count

Part-time work, volunteering and caring can provide strong evidence.

Confusing Confidence With Competence

Speaking confidently does not replace knowledge or preparation.

Avoiding Every Difficult Experience

Skills develop when you take on appropriate challenge.

Waiting Until Final Year

Employability is easier to build gradually.

Ignoring Feedback

Feedback helps you identify gaps before an employer does.

Treating Soft Skills as Automatic

You need evidence of communication, organisation and teamwork.

Learning Software Without Understanding the Task

Tools change. Employers need you to understand the problem.

Expecting the Degree to Do Everything

A degree provides knowledge and opportunities. You still need to use them.

Create an Employability Skills Audit

Score yourself from one to five.

Skill	Current score	Evidence	Next action
Communication
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Resilience
Self-awareness
Initiative
Organisation
Digital skills
AI literacy
Commercial awareness
Technical skills
Professionalism
Leadership

Be honest.

The purpose is not to give yourself fourteen perfect scores and enjoy a small private awards ceremony.

Identify:

Existing strengths
Missing evidence
Skills needing development
Opportunities available this year

How to Build the Skills Employers Want

Get Work Experience

This could include:

Part-time employment
Internship
Placement
Volunteering
Shadowing
Virtual experience
Freelance work

Join One Useful Activity

Take a meaningful role in:

A society
Sport
Student media
Volunteering
A course-representation scheme
A creative group

Depth is normally more useful than collecting memberships.

Complete a Project

Build or create something connected with your interests.

Ask for Feedback

Ask:

What did I do well?
What should I improve?
How did I contribute to the team?
What would make my work more useful?

Use the Careers Service

University careers services may provide:

CV reviews
Mock interviews
Employer events
Vacancy listings
Skills workshops
Assessment-centre practice

Reflect Regularly

After an activity, record:

What you did
Which skills you used
Which problem arose
How you responded
The result
What you would change

These notes become valuable application evidence later.

Continue with Building Employability at University [Building Employability at University] for a year-by-year action plan.

Questions to Ask Employers

At a careers event or interview, ask:

What distinguishes your strongest new recruits?
Which skills do graduates most often need to develop?
What does success look like in the first six months?
How is performance measured?
Which technical skills are taught after joining?
Which skills must applicants already have?
What kind of work experience is most useful?
How do graduates receive feedback?
What do new employees commonly misunderstand?
How has AI changed the role?
What professional qualifications are available?
What opportunities exist to work across teams?
Which workplace behaviours matter most?
What makes an application memorable?
Why do some otherwise strong applicants fail?

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Employers Look For Most?

Employers commonly value:

Communication
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Reliability
Initiative
Digital literacy
Professionalism
Willingness to learn

The precise priorities depend on the role.

Do Employers Care More About Skills or Degrees?

It depends on the career.

Regulated and technical roles may require a particular degree. Other employers may accept several subjects and focus more heavily on skills and experience.

Do Employers Care Which University You Attended?

Some employers may be influenced by university relationships, course reputation or previous recruitment patterns.

Most still assess the individual applicant’s qualifications, skills, experience and performance during recruitment.

Is a 2:1 Essential?

Some graduate schemes require a 2:1, while others accept a 2:2 or do not use a degree-classification filter.

Check each vacancy.

Does Part-Time Work Help Graduate Applications?

Yes.

Part-time work can demonstrate:

Reliability
Communication
Teamwork
Customer service
Organisation
Problem-solving

Explain what you learned rather than simply listing the job title.

Is Volunteering Valuable?

Yes, particularly when it gives you responsibility, experience and evidence relevant to the role.

Is a Placement Year Important?

A placement can significantly strengthen workplace readiness.

In ISE’s 2025 survey, 77% of employers believed graduates with internship or placement experience arrived with better skills and attitudes.

Do Employers Value Society Positions?

They can.

A position is useful when you can explain:

What you achieved
Which responsibility you held
Which difficulty you managed
What you learned

The title alone is not enough.

Do Employers Look at Social Media?

Some employers may review publicly available professional information.

Make sure your online profiles do not contradict your application or reveal clearly inappropriate public behaviour.

Should I List Every Skill on My CV?

No.

Prioritise skills relevant to the vacancy and support them with evidence.

Can AI Write My Job Application?

AI can help you plan, edit and practise.

You remain responsible for accuracy and authenticity. Employer concern about applicants using AI to misrepresent their abilities has increased significantly.

What If I Do Not Have Experience in the Industry?

Use evidence from other settings and look for ways to build relevant understanding through:

Projects
Work experience
Volunteering
Employer events
Online learning
Professional-body resources

What Is Commercial Awareness?

Commercial awareness is understanding how an organisation operates, serves its users and responds to external pressures.

It applies to businesses, charities and public organisations.

How Do I Prove I Am Resilient?

Use an example where you experienced a setback, responded constructively and changed your approach.

Do not simply say you continued working while under unreasonable pressure.

What Is the Best Employability Skill?

There is no single best skill.

The strongest candidates combine:

Relevant knowledge
Practical evidence
Effective communication
Reliable behaviour
The ability to learn

Final Thoughts: What Employers Really Look For

Employers are not searching for a flawless person who has already mastered every part of the job.

They are looking for someone who can provide believable evidence that they will:

Learn
Communicate
Work with others
Solve problems
Meet commitments
Adapt
Behave professionally
Take responsibility
Use technology sensibly
Contribute to the organisation

Qualifications matter.

Technical skills matter.

Experience matters.

But employers also want to know how you work.

The strongest applicants do not simply describe themselves as:

Hardworking
Organised
Resilient
Motivated
Excellent communicators

They prove it.

They explain:

The situation
Their responsibility
The action they took
The result
What they learned

You do not need a perfect CV.

You need honest, relevant evidence and the ability to connect that evidence with the employer’s needs.

Start by reading the job description carefully.

Identify the skills being assessed.

Choose examples from your real experience.

Explain your individual contribution.

Reflect on what you learned.

The applicant who understands their strengths, recognises their gaps and provides clear evidence is far more convincing than someone who submits a sparkling collection of unsupported adjectives.

Continue with Building Employability at University [Building Employability at University] for a practical year-by-year plan covering work experience, skills, networking, placements and graduate applications.