If you could bottle an 'employability potion' for graduates,
you'd probably stand a good chance on Dragons' Den. But what is it and how can
young people acquire it? And whose responsibility is it to develop it?
It's true that universities need to play a stronger role as
nurturers of employable, self-aware 'can-doers', not just of subject-specific
learners. Employability stats will become harder to ignore as they compete for
graduate attention. Meanwhile, over in camp business, employers are slowly
inching towards offering more internships and apprenticeships to take some
responsibility for preparing the future leaders for the world of work. But it's
still not enough; the gap between the two worlds is alarmingly wide.
The longer-term problem is the under-employment of talented,
capable young adults who are treading water in very limited roles. Graduates
are typically heading for a working life of 10,000 days and who'd want to spend
them in the wrong job, wondering what the right job is? There is a real danger
that they will stay in those roles for too long hoping for (but not knowing how
to reach) that light-bulb career direction moment.
To escape this trap, it's crucial that graduates find
practical ways to help themselves transfer from student to employee. We cannot
ignore the importance of translating education into meaningful skills and
capabilities for the workplace. So where do you start?
We need to turn the idea of soft and hard skills on its
head. Young adults' people skills are essential. Decision-making, excellent
writing skills, team working, presentation and articulation, empathy,
reflection, curiosity and listening are some of the skills being demanded by
all organisations, not just corporations. Many graduates have these skills;
they just don't know it. As a largely digital generation, their inter-personal
skills are dramatically variable, from listening brilliantly and taking on
board feedback, to dialogue and empathy.
Secondly, far more graduates need to realise the importance
of preparation and genuine self-awareness. Both over-used words, both severely
under-practised in reality by most candidates. Actors delivering electrifying
performances night after night on stage and athletes competing for their life's
dreams on the track don't get there without digging deep into themselves and
understanding what drives them. Employers regularly say they need candidates
who are more self-aware, who understand exactly what they have to offer their
chosen industry and how to offer it.
Graduates preparing for make or break interviews must first
go through the process of identifying what really matters to them, what drives
them in life. We encourage graduates to be honest about what they really
believe in, what their values are. This is far more important than pretending
to be what you think an employer wants and it comes even before all the other
vital work that the more conscientious candidates will put into physical
aspects of their behaviour like posture, expression and presence.
Explore your own 'currencies' and identify what makes you
come alive. Apply the same discipline you may have in a sporting or cultural
passion to your career aims. Analyse this properly before being interviewed for
a dream job in your target industry and you're far more likely to convince an
employer that you are right for the role.
Young people need a place to bring these issues to the
surface in a safe environment, allowing themselves to admit vulnerabilities and
express what makes them uncomfortable as well as what drives them.
Understanding what gets in the way of progressing is absolutely key to this.
It's not obvious where to look for this help but there are
solutions out there. Many private coaching providers will focus on individual aspects
– presentation, interviews, CV, assertiveness, appropriate grooming for the
job. But being in a place that brings all this together – where young adults
can learn how all these exercises blend and how to tell their story in a more
compelling way – is much more effective.
Pockets of excellent advice and guidance are offered by some
universities, but most often we hear stories of careers services that aren't
connecting with the majority of students. While online learning is affordable
and scalable, is it genuinely effective?
A back-to-basics, intensive coaching experience involving
leaders from all walks of life would seem like a sensible place to start. After
all, coaching is no longer the preserve of the boardroom or of elite sports men
and women. We're about to take on this challenge and help graduates from across
the UK tackle all the issues above with the launch of Eyes Wide Opened, the
first ever five-day coaching course for under-employed graduates.
But there shouldn't just be one place to turn. This concept
is worth developing by everyone, so that employability is attainable by the
majority and the danger of spending those 10,000 days wishing you were
somewhere else is dramatically reduced for everyone's sake.
Source: 31 October 2012, The Guardian by Alastair Creamer
and Paul Preston (Co-founders of Eyes Wide Opened).
No comments:
Post a Comment