Employability Skills Audit

Employability Skill

Working with Others

Communication

The ability to express yourself clearly and

confidently
Delivered in a clear manner, avoiding jargon and
pitched at an appropriate level, so that it is
received and understood

Examples: delivering presentations, debating,

writing essays, reports and dissertations,
powerpoint presentations, emails and blogs, or
becoming a Student Ambassador.

Team working

To work effectively and confidently within a

group to achieve a common goal or task
Understand your role within the team and the
contribution you make
Listen to and support other team members

Examples: group work within your classes, through

sporting activities, placement, or volunteering
projects.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to recognise your own emotions,

understand what they're telling you, and how
they affect people around you

Rate
yoursel
f
1 - 10

Your evidence for rating, example of using this skill

Also involves your perception of others: when

you understand how they feel, this allows you to
manage relationships more effectively

Examples: dealing with difficult customers or

situations, motivating others, empathising with
someone experiencing difficulties.

Leadership

The ability to motivate, take responsibility for

and lead other people, in order to achieve set
goals and objectives

Examples: leading a sports team, organising a

student event, managing a group project.

Negotiation skills

The ability to discuss and then reach a mutually

satisfactory agreement. This involves working
together with other people and building trust.

Examples: negotiating your salary in a job, or

organising an overdraft with your bank. Negotiating
an extension for your assignment with a course
tutor.

Self reliance skills

Self awareness

To identify your own skills, achievements,

abilities, interests, values, motivations and
weaknesses
Identify ways to develop yourself
Know how to articulate your strengths and skills
when making applications

Examples: compiling your CV, meeting with your

Employment or Careers Adviser to discuss your
career goals and aspirations, compiling a personal
career plan.

Personal management

Present a professional image which commands

the respect of others
Show that you can be relied upon, and are
committed and conscientious
Show that you are proactive and resourceful
Willing to learn, reflective, seek personal
development

Networking

The ability to make and sustain contacts in order

to gather advice and information, and to develop
your career
Ability to build professional relationships

Examples: making contacts on placement, attending

a University networking event, making speculative
applications.

General employment skills

Analysing and problem solving

Ability to gather information in a systematic way

from a variety of sources in order to establish
facts
Ability to take a logical and analytical approach to
solving problems and resolving issues
Able to approach problems from different angles

Examples: solving subject-based problems in your

classes, deciding which subject and university to
attend, improving systems in your job, dealing with

customers problems, undertaking market research.

Commercial awareness

To have an awareness of the business issues that

affect the sector you are interested in, and to
understand the environment in which it operates
in relation to customers and competitors
Entrepreneurial: know about the technical
aspects and ongoing challenges of setting up a
business and keeping it sustainable

Examples: working with customers, meeting sales

targets, coming up with ideas to maximise profit,
working with a budget.

Adaptability and flexibility

Ability to adapt to different situations and

environments and to respond to the changing
needs, wishes and demands of others

Examples: working overtime or covering someone

else's shift, moving away from home to attend
university, agreeing to learn new ways of working by
attending new training, working with people of
different ages/culture.

IT skills

The ability to use a range of computer packages

and software including email, word-processing,
databases, spreadsheets, and the Internet

Examples: compiling a spreadsheet to manage your

finances, using IT to give presentations, putting
together reports, leaflets and newsletters.

Organisation and planning

Ability to manage self and/or others, resources

and time in order to complete goals and tasks to
schedule
Able to plan action and prioritise

Examples: compiling a study plan, managing a

household budget, balancing studies and home life,
meeting deadlines for assignments and projects,
organising a charity event.

Initiative

Take responsibility and ownership of own work

Identify opportunities and be proactive in putting
forward own ideas

Examples: learn a new skill or take part in a training

session in order to be more productive, putting
forward a new idea, improving a basic process to
improve a product or service, setting up a new
student group/committee.

Project management
Examples: working to a brief (such as a group
project), allocating and managing tasks, meeting
deadlines, putting plans into practice, evaluating
outcomes.

Innovation and creativity

The ability to generate new ideas and solutions,

and to produce something new that has value to
others
Examples: introducing a new methodology to solve
a problem, designing a new product or service for
customers to meet a need.
Careers and Employment Service (based on resource by University of Bolton Careers Service) January 2013