The question of what employers look for in graduates is difficult to answer. After all, requirements vary from industry to industry, and two organizations can hold different views on what sort of applicants are suitable for a certain position.
For graduates, it may be particularly challenging to enter the job market. Applying for jobs as a graduate may seem even more daunting, since it means having to compete against other applicants with more extensive work experience. There are, however, certain traits that can help a recent graduate find employment.
Work Experience
Employers will naturally be more interested in graduates that have developed a good amount of professional skills alongside developing their academic knowledge. Graduates can benefit from putting conscious effort into the development of professional skills, geared towards the field that they hope to enter after graduation. In a time when college degrees are more commonplace, work experience can set you apart from the other people graduating alongside you. Through a University, it may be easier to find internships or opportunities to carry out volunteer work. Graduates may benefit later from making the most of those opportunities. It will allow them to develop the skills of a good employee, or teach them to write with a professional tone, as well as an academic one. Even part-time jobs can indicate an ability to work as a team, or maintain responsibilities. Such skills can then later be emphasized during the application process, along with their academic background.
In short, although the skills each employer looks for may vary, they will typically be skills that make the graduate suitable for professional life. Graduates can make themselves more appealing for employers, by familiarizing themselves with the professional world before graduation.
Flexibility
Employers may be more interested in graduates who are more likely to demonstrate a willingness to learn. Showing a willingness to adapt, develop new skills and express an interest in different work possibilities is likely to be a positive thing.
Recent graduates are not likely to be as familiar with their chosen industry, as peers who have already spent a fair amount of time in the professional world. Recent graduates may be less set in their own way of carrying out certain responsibilities. However, employers may be interested in graduates who can be taught new skills, or who are open to becoming familiarized with new ways of operating. So, when applying for positions, graduates should think out of the box; and apply for a wide variety of positions. This is likely to be more beneficial, than sticking to a rigid path.
International Experience
In our increasingly globalized world, graduates may stand out more to employers by demonstrating ways in which they have international experience—by working or studying abroad, for instance, or working for organizations with an international scope.
Such experiences can demonstrate an ability to adapt well to a new culture, which may convince employers that you would adapt easily to a new company’s culture. They indicate adaptability. If you have learned to speak foreign languages, this may let employers believe you would be capable of communicating well with a variety of clients, or professional contacts.
Overall, to know with certainty what employers look for in graduates, you would need to ask individual employers. Graduates cannot truly know if they possess the necessary skills to be hired, until they are hired. However, working on your professional skills, developing international experience and remaining open to the possibilities certainly cannot hurt.
Barbara Haenen