Academic Employability Skills Report

This report examines the significance of academic employability skills, focusing on working skills, time management, communication, and problem-solving. It analyzes how these skills contribute to individual and organizational success and provides strategies for improvement. The report also includes illustrative examples and references to support its findings.

Academic Employability
Skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Employability skills need to be develop to gain credibility in search of employment opportunities 3
Improvement of employability skills..........................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
To bring success in the organization it is very important to have employability skills. It is
very important for the growth of the employee and the organization too. The present report will
provide the deep analysis of the employability skills which helps in the development of the
employers and employees. This analysis includes the various employability skills like writing,
time management, communication and problem solving with their importance in an organization.
TASK 1
Employability skills need to be develop to gain credibility in search of employment opportunities
Employability skills can be understood as the transferable skills required by a person to
make them employable. Having sound technical understanding and the knowledge of the
understanding, employers often outline a set of skills that they need from a worker (Benson,
Morgan and Filippaios, 2014). These are those skills which every employers needs in employee
to enhance the working as well as the profitability of the organization.
Every employee has own assets like, knowledge, skills, attitudes. Employability depends
on your cognition, skills and attitudes, use of assets, and it is presented to employers. It is a
group of important abilities that includes the growth of employees with regard to knowledge and
level of expertness, which is essential for attaining success in the modern workplace. These skills
are considered as a necessary qualification for different job profile and hence became important
for an individuals' success.
According to Peter Knight & Mantz Yorke,' employability skill is a set of achievements,
personal attributes, that is important to gain the possession in employment and to be successful in
chosen occupation.'
These are known as transferable skills because they took birth in one place and keeps on
transferring in different areas with different situations. The environment is full of competition to
retain in the tough market every employee need to develop these skills. For remain competitive,
you will have to show to employers that you have a broader range of Employability discipline
skills which they require in the organization (Suleman, 2016). These skills provide the link
between your academic studies and graduate employment.
There are many employability skills which are necessary for sound business working like
foundation skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills, problem solving, critical thinking

skills, team work, ethics and legal responsibilities. Apart from this, there are professional skills
like career development, leadership, etc.
Working
In the context to an organization there are some working skills which are necessary to be
adopted for the enhancement of personal as well as organization goals (Jackson, 2014). While
working in an organization work management skills plays a crucial role because of following
factors:
Creating and keeping a deadline
According to El Mansour and Dean, 2016, employees working in an organization must
create and keep the deadline of their work in order to accomplish task on time. The deadlines
made by employers helps the employee to work with in assign time period. However, in my
organization I set deadline for the work which is assigned to me apart from the official deadline.
It allows me to submit my work on time and also enhances my working ability and management.
Delegation
Delegation is the work of authority or responsibility to the person (normally from a
manager to a subordinate) for a specific event or an activity. The employee who is delegated for
any sort of activity is accountable for that particular event or activity. Whenever I delegated by
some responsibility I furnish my work honestly with full dedication so that organization can
reach its targets.
According to Dr. Kanthi Wijesinghe, Senior Lecturer, National Institute of Education, '
delegation can be defined as when a manager passes some of his responsibilities to his
subordinates.
Process of delegation
Goal Setting and Meeting
Every employ in the organization should set the goal in order to accomplish them. Before
starting any activity, it is very important for the management to set the goal. Setting of goals
provides the direction of work which leads the effective working (Gledson and Dawson, 2017).

This is the skill in which I need to improve more. At the time of setting goals, I found
discrepancies in me that is lack of confidence which stops me from setting goals and meeting it.
To improve this area I will focus on developing the confidence in myself by taking more
responsibility and also by seeking help from my mentor and superiors so that I can set and meet
the goals within time constraints.
Decision making
Every task before invention needs decision making. It is an activity which is doneby
every employee in an organization. . The productivity of an organization depends on the
devising. I found myself weak in the process of making decision . For developing the sound
understanding for the decision making I will take the training from my mentor and also try to
take the initiative in the small business decision.
Illustration 1: Decision making
(Sources: Gledson and Dawson, 2017)
Making Schedule

Making of schedule is very important because it provides the systematic and organized
way of working. Therefore, it makes the work easy (Deeley, 2014). When I have been given any
task I make the proper schedule of my task which helps me to work systematically.
Benefits of working
Following are the benefits of the working
 It fosters the creativity and learnings
 It builds strength and provide confidence for efficient working It promotes the wider sense of ownership.
Time management
Time management is procedure of planning, organizing all the activities which are
assigned to you. It is a process of designing and exercising conscious control of time spent on
particular activity, in order to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity (Collet,
Hine and du Plessis, 2015). It is a performance act of different demands in study, personal
interest’s employment, social life, family, and commitments.
I manage the duration by dividing it for each activity by creating deadlines so that I can
complete my task within the limit. For better time management, I follow the process of managing
it. Further, I have also adopted the strategies for efficient working which includes setting of
priorities, use of various planning tools, avoid procrastination and minimize interruption. These
all strategies help me to do better time management.
Process of time management
Illustration 2: Time management
(Source: Collet, Hine and du Plessis, 2015)

Benefits of the time management
Managing time reduces the stress level.
It boosts the morale of an employee and provides the confidence.
 Time management involves the better planning and the best forecasting.

Communication
The sending and receiving of information from one person to another is known as
communication. It includes exchange of various ideas, feelings and news that has a meaning to it.
Effective communication means being a good listener by understanding and gaining information
that is being conveyed by the speaker, who also needs to be good at conveying the message (Ju,
Pacha, Moore and Zhang, 2014). It ensures effective and efficient transfer of messages among
everyone. This comes under employability skills because organizations require people who are
good at communicating and every employer looks out for candidates with this skill.
An individual has to be good at communication because it is the basis of functioning in a
company. Employees need to communicate with each other in order to work together and create
plans, while properly coordinating together. This helps in excelling in business, build good and
long lasting relations as well as create trust among everyone (Scott and et.al., 2017). Employees
are able to build their confidence and self-esteem. Overall, it creates a healthy environment in
which everyone communicates and works effectively.
If my communication skill is not good, I will not be able to understand information and
there will be ambiguity between myself and employees, which will decrease my work
performance. It is important to be good at this skill, so that I can have strong decision making
and problem solving abilities as well as increase my overall productivity. It encourages
interaction with team members and colleagues because I am able to express an opinion or idea
and persuade others with proper reasoning, that can help benefit the organization.
Benefits of Communication Skills
 It clarifies the contribution of each employee to achieve company's goals and also
educate them so that they are able to participate in decision making.
 It is beneficial for employers as they get the assurance that objectives and targets will be
met by candidates.
Problem Solving
According to Clokie and Fourie, 2016, problem solving refers to a process of working
out various details of an issue that arises in order to reach to a solution. It is the ability to solve
problems effectively and efficiently without much hindrances. Issues have to be identified and
defined while determining various alternative solutions and evaluating them for solving problem,

Selecting the best alternative and implementing it is the best technique of resolving issues within
an organization. Feedback is required as well, to analyze effectiveness of solution. Problems are
unpleasant situations that occur daily in an organization and it is important for employees to
possess good problem solving skills.
Employees with effective problem solving skills are able to do analysis of problems,
identify their severity and examine impacts of alternative solutions. It increases their confidence
to solve problems (Matsouka and Mihail, 2016). It helps them in developing creative and
practical solutions which makes them feel independent and gives them an opportunity to take
initiative in the future. This helps in maintaining healthy relationships between employees and
management as they take each other's opinions and ideas while solving problems.
I do not have good problem solving skills which can cause a pile of problems that I will
have to solve which will lead to conflicts and frustration. My productivity and capacity to work
will decrease, which will lead to unaccomplished targets of company. I tend to get afraid and
uncomfortable or find someone else to blame the problem on and ask them to fix it. With
application of right skills and methods, I can solve problems through utilization of available
resources in a constructive manner and analyze it through a professional view point. I can take
help of training games, brainstorming activities and other various techniques.
Benefits of Problem Solving Skills
 Various problem solving techniques encourages and gives confidence to employees to
solve challenges.
 Employers need this skill, so that problems can be solved without much worry and
struggle, whenever they arise.
Improvement of employability skills
Employability skills are integral for individuals that are looking for jobs (Trought, 2017).
I, being a graduate do not possess all the above skills and need to improve on them.
Skills to be improved Current proficiency Strategy to improve skill
Working skills My working skills are not
good as I have little
experience of work and
improvement is needed in
that area.
With proper training programs
that provide lessons on
adapting to new job skills and
gaining practical knowledge. I
can enhance my capabilities

in order perform better as an
employee. I can volunteer in
relevant fields and gain
knowledge from it.
Time management skills My time management skills
are good as I am able to
manage my tasks efficiently
and effectively. I organize my
work into different sections
and set deadlines for each
one. This makes me less
stressful and build high levels
of concentration.
I, however, am unable to
balance my outside life even
after having free time for
myself after work. I keep
making plans for next day's
tasks, which leaves no time
for leisure activities.
This can be improved by
setting plans once a week so I
do not have to plan them
every day.
Communication skills I have moderate
communication skills due to
lack of confidence and self-
esteem. I generally shy away
from sharing my opinions
and ideas.
I have a good command over
language and I am able to
clearly understand, interpret
as well as convey information
to everyone
I would like to work upon my
communication skills by
taking initiative at my
workplace.

Problem solving skills My problem solving skills are
not the best as I get tensed
and afraid when challenges
come forth.
I have to work on facing
problems and identifying
solutions for them by
detaching myself from the
problems and analyzing it in
parts and thoroughly
investigating it as well as
hearing everyone's
suggestions.
CONCLUSION
This report on employability skills concluded that working, time management,
communication and problem solving skills play an important role in selection of employees for
an organization. Individuals should possess these different abilities as it can help them in
performing work effectively and efficiently. It can increase their chances of getting hired and
improve themselves as well as learn new skills to increase their capabilities.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Benson, V., Morgan, S. and Filippaios, F., 2014. Social career management: Social media and
employability skills gap. Computers in Human Behavior. 30. pp.519-525.
Clokie, T.L. and Fourie, E., 2016. Graduate employability and communication competence: Are
undergraduates taught relevant skills? Business and Professional Communication
Quarterly. 79(4). pp.442-463.
Collet, C., Hine, D. and du Plessis, K., 2015. Employability skills: perspectives from a
knowledge-intensive industry. Education+ Training. 57(5). pp.532-559.
Deeley, S.J., 2014. Summative co-assessment: A deep learning approach to enhancing
employability skills and attributes. Active Learning in Higher Education. 15(1). pp.39-51.
El Mansour, B. and Dean, J.C., 2016. Employability skills as perceived by employers and
university faculty in the fields of human resource development (HRD) for entry level
graduate jobs. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies. 4(01). p.39.
Gledson, B.J. and Dawson, S., 2017. Use of simulation through BIM-enabled Virtual Projects to
enhance learning and soft employability skills in Architectural Technology education. In
Building Information Modelling, Building Performance, Design and Smart Construction
(pp. 79-92). Springer, Cham.
Jackson, D., 2014. Testing a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills and its
implications for stakeholders. Journal of Education and Work. 27(2). pp.220-242.
Ju, S., Pacha, J., Moore, K. and Zhang, D., 2014. Employability skills for entry-level employees
with and without disabilities: A comparison between the perspectives of educators and
employers. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. 40(3). pp.203-212.
Matsouka, K. and Mihail, D.M., 2016. Graduates’ employability: What do graduates and
employers think? Industry and Higher Education. 30(5). pp.321-326.
Scott, F.J., and et.al., 2017. Empowering students by enhancing their employability
skills. Journal of Further and Higher Education. pp.1-16.
Suleman, F., 2016. Employability skills of higher education graduates: Little consensus on a
much-discussed subject. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 228. pp.169-174.
Trought, F., 2017. Brilliant employability skills: how to stand out from the crowd in the graduate
job market. Pearson UK.