Improving Employability

When talking about an individual's ability to get or keep a job, the “Improving Employability” report from the Improvement and Development Agency cites the main problems associated with poor employability as

  • Lack of basic skills
  • Lack of key skills
  • Lack of skills relevant to specific jobs and types of work
  • Lack of confidence and poor social skills
  • Lack of recent work experience
  • Personal and behavioural problems including a history of mental illness or substance abuse
  • A record of offending


In order to improve your employability then, it would be logical to tackle all of the issues above. While there may be little that can be done about past behaviour and employment record, improving your skill bases as well becoming more confident in your communication skills and practical experience will instantly improve your chances when it comes to applications, short-listing and interviews.

Basic and key skills come down to the skill sets that the average employer will expect of a given applicant. These will obviously vary from profession to profession but the two major key skills, which particularly 6th form colleges focus on in order to prepare students for work, are IT and basic Maths. Standard modern competency in terms of computer skills will largely relate to typing, familiarity with Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and any other more role specific software competencies. For many office based jobs, it is barely worth applying without these sorts of key skills. Written and verbal communication skills are less well represented by the majority of qualifications but employers will be able to assess you in these areas simply through your application and interview process.

Undertaking continuing professional development will ensure your skills are up to date and executive coaching can help you develop the specific skills and knowledge required to succeed in your profession.

In terms of experience, the best ways to make yourself more employable are to avoid gaps in your CV and to carefully detail anything relevant for future employers. Check out our CV Skills for advice on how to write a good CV. Demonstrable commitment to continued professional development (CPD) throughout your career will also be of huge advantage in this area.

As employers will largely gauge your social skills at interview, being confident whilst avoiding arrogance is therefore highly beneficial at this stage. Getting as much interview practice as possible throughout your career is a good start. It is wise to not only have questions for your potential employer but to have thought in advance about what they are likely to ask you. In this way you are less likely to be surprised and be more confident in your answers. Have a look at our Interview Techniques for more tips and links to useful resources.

Professional body membership will also boost your employability.

Universities are increasingly aware that they need to make their graduates as employable as possible. Sandwich courses with years in industry etc are tailored to creating employable graduates. Some universities are even do courses that run parallel to degree study in order to make this happen. A good example is the University of the West of England’s Graduate Development Programme (GDP).

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