How to talk about your skills
Published on 27 January 15
With the recently published High Fliers study of the graduate market in 2015 predicting recruitment will be at its highest for a decade, you may think that your chances of securing well paid graduate level work following your degree is easy. However, half of the recruiters surveyed said candidates with no work experience have 'little or no chance' of securing a job offer through a graduate programme.
For many of you this news is nothing you haven't heard before, and for the 50% of our students who undertake internships or summer work experience you may think it doesn't apply. You'd be wrong; getting good quality work experience for your CV is only the first step. Where many students struggle is in selling their skills to employers.
Employers want you to tell them why you are right for their job. They want to know about your experiences and how you've spent your time during your degree. The ability to present these well and make them relevant for the specific employer makes the job of the recruiter much easier and increases your chances of being successful.
So how do you do it?
Start by considering what you've done in addition to your degree. Compiling this list is only the first step but you may be surprised by how much you've actually achieved. Examples could include:
- Being a member of a student society
- Having a part-time job
- Undertaking volunteering work
- Participating in a sports team
- Taking part in a mentoring programme
- Doing paid work experience during your summer vacations
Now you can start to think about the skills these activities have helped you to develop. For example:
- Creativity can be shown through the solution you suggested when working through a work based problem
- Teamwork could be evidenced by the sport you play i.e. netball or rugby
- Leadership can be shown by you taking the lead in a group project within your degree
- Coaching skills can be demonstrated by mentoring other students
- Problem solving skills could be evident due to dealing with a difficult customer during your paid work experience
- Excellent communication skills can be shown through any public speaking activity i.e. presentations for your course, being in the debating society
Interviews
The key skill to master when considering how to promote 'brand you' is communication. Saying you have strong communications is a frequent claim on many applications, however when it comes to an interview that's when your communication skills are on show for all to see.
Make sure what you say is clear, concise and most importantly relevant. When describing a skill remember to contextualise your answer by describing the situation you used the skill in; expand by explaining the task that you were asked to perform, then move into what you actually did, the steps you took to achieve the task. Finally complete your answer by describing the result you achieved.
Sounds easy but if you answer fails to cover the key points in the right order you might end up rambling as opposed to offering a well-structured answer.
Examples of how to describe skills
"Throughout University I worked in a shop selling homewares. One weekend we were short staffed and I was working on my own. A customer made a complaint about the delay experienced so I ensured that I dealt with their request as quickly as I could. I provided excellent customer service by acknowledging the problem, communicating effectively and apologising for the delay. The customer was happy with my response and thanked me for my time in resolving their issue."
"I was the team leader for a project for my course. One of our team mates fell ill on the day we were due to deliver our results. I gathered the team together and reallocated the work amongst the other team members. I ensured all team members knew the additional responsibilities and I communicated with our course tutor the problem. In addition I also took on extra parts of our presentation. Due to remaining calm under pressure and communicating effectively with all parties involved we secured a good mark for all our efforts."
Final thought!
With thousands of graduates leaving university every year it's not just the ability to talk about your skills that is needed, it's the ability to differentiate you and your skills from other graduates. Every graduate claims solid time management skills having managed to successfully secure a degree. Similarly, strong research skills due to completing a dissertation are also frequently cited by recent graduates. While there's no doubt that these skills are relevant, stronger candidates are able to draw on multiple examples from work experience and extra-curricular activities. Can you?