Underemployed after uni? Three ways to get a graduate job

The skills gap gets talked about so much it’s become a cliche. But it’s a cliche that is real for many students and employers.

At the height of the recession in 2009, when there was a deluge of graduate job seekers, our annual survey showed that a number of employers still couldn’t fill all their vacancies. Now in 2016 nearly half of those employers still can’t find enough university leavers to hire.

Why? With over 300,000 students graduating every year from UK universities supply should match demand, but it doesn’t. On the flipside, a significant number of graduates struggle to find graduate-level work. This is the skills gap.

Employers don’t like rejecting applicants. Saying no to people takes a lot of time and costs money. Employers would much rather say yes and get on with their business. Employers also don’t expect new hires to be work ready on day one. More than 80% don’t even ask for a specific degree.

But employers do recruit for potential, which means different things to different employers. Some businesses may want specific technical knowledge, others will want leadership skills. And some will be prepared to train their new employees in areas that others aren’t.

While each employer wants to hire graduates with a different mix of knowledge, skills and abilities, we can offer some insight to the skills employers are looking for and struggle to find, as well as the areas they’re prepared to offer training.

Understand the lingo

Some of the skills-language employers use can need decoding, so it pays for graduates to become aware of what they’re asking for.

Commercial awareness, for example, can be demonstrated through an understanding of what drives your potential employer’s organisation. This will be different for the NHS, Jaguar Land Rover or Barclays Bank, but if you are not motivated by the core business of your employer, you will struggle to persuade them to invest in you.

Employers also want evidence of teamwork. Most graduates have some experience of this, but a piece of group work for a module rarely highlights the potential you have to deal with difficult people, situations and manage conflicting demands. It’s better to think outside of your academic studies, such as during roles of responsibilities or work experience, to explain how you can deal with difficult situations.

Another skill employer’s ask for is being self-aware. As a graduate you need to prove that you can learn from mistakes and develop as a person throughout your professional life.

Show these core skills

Essentially, almost all employers seek those with: people skills, the resilience to deal with difficult situations, practical intelligence, self-awareness, and the drive to do the job. The final point may sound obvious, but many employers speak of candidates who can’t demonstrate they have a meaningful interest in the work that they are applying to do.

You can develop these skills in many places, and not only as an intern. It’s a myth that only students who have done a lengthy internship get top jobs. While it is true that employers are investing more in intern programmes, there are twice as many graduate jobs than there are internships.

Get work experience

Employers really value experience and this can be gained in many different environments. Your experiences, and what you have learned from them, can demonstrate to an employer that you have the skills or the potential to develop into the employee they seek.

Work experience, an internship, volunteering, a part-time job, all count as long as you reflect on your experiences and articulate your abilities through the application process.

Every graduate applicant can talk about their academic achievements and the problems their group had to get a piece of work done on time. However, volunteering shows you have the drive to get out of bed and do something other than study and watch TV. Likewise, running a busy restaurant shift shows you can deal with difficult people under pressure or looking after your football team’s budget shows an aptitude for finance.

You would be surprised by how many applicants say they want to work in business, but don’t pay any attention to the business news. Also, many recruiters talk of candidates who fail to translate obviously great experience into workplace skills.

Don’t be that candidate. Put yourselves in the shoes of the employer. They will only hire you if they think you are someone worth investing in, someone who will add value to their organisation.

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