What’s the difference between skills, qualifications and experience?

In terms of the job market, skills are the abilities and qualities you need to do a job well – they might be ‘soft’ (such as communication and teamwork) or they might be technical (such as the ability to use certain software). They often involve the application of knowledge and understanding. Qualifications are external proof that you have knowledge and understanding of a subject to a certain level. Experience is a time when you have carried out a job or similar tasks in the past.

Which is more important: skills, qualifications or experience?

Whether skills, qualifications or experience is more important depends on the job role and its seniority. At a graduate level, some jobs require you to have a degree in a specific subject, as you need subject knowledge to undertake the role. For others, any degree is acceptable, as the employer just wants to see that you have the intellectual capability to carry out the role. All employers will want you to have the skills to do the job well. Employers like to see work experience because it develops those skills (and, if in a directly relevant position, it proves your interest in the profession). If you can prove you have the skills and interest without work experience, graduate recruiters will generally consider your application – but relevant work experience will give you an edge.

How do you know if a job is right for you?

You won’t know for certain until you start the job. But there are ways to look for clues beforehand. Contact recruiters and professionals in similar roles at your chosen company to ask them informal questions. Look at anonymous job review sites (but be wary of those with axes to grind). Use interviews and assessment centres to ask questions. Of course, as a student, the best way to get a feel for the job and the employer is to gain an internship.

Job descriptions

Discover the qualifications, skills and experience you’ll need for more than 300 job roles and find one you’ll love.

Search job descriptions

Wondering if you have got the right degree for DevOps, the skills to be a successful solicitor or the experience to be an ergonomist? Deciding between becoming a teacher or TV director? OK. We’ll stop with the alliteration. But, in order to find the best job for you, you will need to know what a role actually involves, the skills and qualifications you’ll need and what work experience is most beneficial. Our collection of job profiles give you that information quickly, along with other key data such as salary ranges. What’s more, we break down roles by sector and values to inspire your search.

Ready to apply for jobs right now? Search for: a graduate scheme | a graduate job | all opportunities.

Job descriptions by sector

Looking for career inspiration? Browse 100s of graduate job descriptions and find the role that’s right for you.

Academic research Accounting Accounting & finance Administration Advertising Aerospace Agriculture Agriculture, animals & plants Architecture Armed forces Automotive Banking, insurance & financial services Building services Business & systems analysis Charities & voluntary sector Charity, public & civil service Chemical Civil & structural Civil services Communications & telecoms Compliance & regulation Construction Consulting Creative arts & design Data science Dental Design Digital Education Electronic & electrical Emergency services Energy, natural resources & utilities Engineering Environmental Event management Film and cinematography Food HR & recruitment Healthcare Higher education Hospitality, sport, leisure & tourism Hotel management Human resource management Information services Insurance Investment banking & fund management Journalism Languages, libraries & culture Law Law barristers Law enforcement Law solicitors Law, legal services & patents Leisure & tourism Management Management & business Management consulting Manufacturing & processing Manufacturing/production/process Marketing Marketing, advertising & PR Materials & metals Mechanical Media Media, journalism & publishing Medical Medical, healthcare & dental Merchandising Museums, libraries & heritage Network engineering Pharmaceutical Procurement Procurement & supply chain Product R&D Property asset management Property consultant Property, construction & QS Public relations & communications Public service Publishing Recruitment Retail Retail, business & commercial services Sales Sales & lettings Science, R&D, food industry Security & intelligence Social & market research Social care Social, community & youth Software engineering Software testing Sports Supply chain Surveying Teaching Teaching & education Technical consultancy Technical sales Technical support Technology Training & development Veterinary Warehouse management Web development

Search all job descriptions

Find a job you’ll love

Roles matching your values

Want a creative career?

Be inspired by a quartet of roles that will let your creative and innovative thinking take centre stage.

View all advice

Fashion designer: job description

Job descriptions and industry overviews

Fashion designers create the concepts for and design original clothing, accessories and footwear.

Retail, business & commercial services

UX designer: job description

Job descriptions and industry overviews

UX designers make websites, apps and other products easy and enjoyable for customers to use.

Technology

TV/film director: job description

Careers advice and planning

Directors take full creative lead of television and film productions, from the writing stage all the way through to the final edit stage.

Media, journalism & publishing+1

Marketing manager (social media): job description

Job descriptions and industry overviews

Marketing managers (social media) use platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote brands by posting promotional content and interacting with an existing customer base.

Marketing, advertising & PR+5

FAQs

All job descriptions

Search job descriptions

More careers advice

Browse by category

Advice for school leavers

Discover the world of options open to you on finishing school or college and get tips on how to make the right decision for you.

CVs, applications and tests

Find the tools and tips you need to help you apply for graduate jobs or internships. We cover every aspect of the application process, from writing a CV to answering online application questions and sitting psychometric tests.

Career ideas

Find advice for figuring out your dream career, including what options are available to you after graduating and how to choose the right graduate role.

Finding a job

Finding a job isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here we help you to jump potential hurdles, giving essential advice for home and international students: from applying in tough economic times to getting a top graduate job with a 2.2.

Internships

Completing an internship allows you to sharpen your skills, improve your CV, prepare for the world of work and potentially land yourself a graduate job. Discover what internships actually involve, how to apply for them and how to make the most of them. 

Interviews and assessment centres

You impressed on paper; now it’s time to show the employer in person that you’re the right hire. Learn how to do this with our expert advice for answering interview questions, developing interview techniques and acing assessment centre exercises.

Job descriptions

Discover the qualifications, skills and experience you’ll need for more than 300 job roles and find one you’ll love.

Job offers and working life

Job offers, rejection emails and stepping into the working world with your first graduate job can pull you in a million directions. Fortunately, we’ve curated advice on how to accept job offers, bounce back from rejection and make an impact in your first job.

Skills for getting a job

Discover the skills that major graduate employers seek and how you can demonstrate them on your application form, and at interviews and assessment centres.

University life

Wanting to leave uni with a degree is a given. But what do you want from the other bits of student life? Discover how to combine study, rest, work and play with our insights from students and graduates.

advice by sector

Accountancy, banking and finance

Business, consulting and management

Charity

Construction and property

Creative arts, media and design

Engineering

HR and recruitment

Healthcare

Hospitality and event management

Information technology

Law

Marketing, advertising and PR

Public services and administration

We've got you

Get the latest jobs, internships, careers advice, courses and graduate events based on what's important to you. Start connecting directly with top employers today.

Join targetjobs