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University life can nurture many crucial employability skills, such as time management, communication and flexible working. These will support you in finding a part-time job to run alongside your studies - or, when the time comes, in taking steps on your chosen career ladder.
If you want to get ahead, understanding what employers are looking for can help prepare students for life after university, and will teach you to transfer those valuable skills into the wider world.
There’s no shortage of resources for students to build their skills at UEA. Our Student Careers Service, CareerCentral, is a go-to source for one-to-one support from our dedicated team, helping you build up your employability skills while you study, alongside planning your opportunities beyond university.
What skills do employers look for?
Most employers will have a list of personal qualities to look out for when hiring for a job, but there are lots of skills that many workplaces will share an interest in targeting.
Think of these skills in three separate groups: core skills, attributes and awareness. Each plays a particular role in your suitability for a job:
Core skills – proficiency in areas that are fundamental to the role e.g., time management
Attributes– how you approach a job or specific task e.g., with strong interpersonal skills
Awareness – demonstrating an understanding of external factors e.g., industry trends
80% of employers in the UK struggled to hire throughout 2023, so it’s absolutely essential that you home in on what organisations are looking for. When targeting a specific career path, you’ll need to focus on gaining relevant experience, building a wider knowledge of the specific industry, and writing a stand-out application. Our CareerCentral team can help you with every step of the process, from finding relevant opportunities to building a strong CV. Remember, each job application you complete needs to be tailored to the specific role you’re applying for.
Key employability skills include:
Communication
Teamwork and leadership
Problem solving
Self-management and professionalism
Digital skills and IT
Applied numeracy and technical proficiency
Commercial awareness
Career management
Innovation and enterprise
Citizenship and stewardship
How to build your employability skills
Some skills you might develop naturally during your studies, but there are also many more opportunities at university to gain an edge and strengthen your CV.
Our student stories
Students from across the UEA family have stories to tell of their personal development. See how they strengthened their employability skills and broadened their horizons for the future.
“When I first started, I was nervous about presenting and talking to different people...but being on the course and presenting in front of the class built my confidence.”
“Having a job where I had to talk to to strangers every day really helped me with my confidence and learning how to talk to the public...a lot of that experience of working in the UEA services set me up to be able to feel confident enough to do that.”
“I always go to CareerCentral when I need help with a job application. They’ve helped me fix my CV, they’ve taught me how to write a good cover letter. I’ve also done a few mock interviews which were really helpful because I would not have known how to do an interview.”
There are many ways to develop your job and employability skills as a student at UEA. Maintaining a budget is another opportunity to strengthen your self-management skills and our detailed guide can help you plan your finances step-by-step.