Skills for getting a job
Stack your skills toolkit
How do you know what skills employers are looking for? Sometimes it’s obvious, for example if you’re applying for a graduate job that requires particular technical skills. But what about the employers asking for a ‘well-rounded candidate’? This area of targetjobs can help you discover the top skills a recruiter will likely be hoping to see you demonstrate during the application process for a graduate role. But if you want to skip straight to job searching, head to our vacancy listings: internships | graduate schemes | graduate jobs | all opportunities.
Covering the fundamentals
The skills all graduates need
You may not realise it, but you’re probably in possession of a fine set of skills that you’ll have developed during your time at university, through extracurricular activities or at part-time jobs. Before you apply for a graduate role, take some time to consider our list of the top ten skills employers want – it’s likely you’ll feel reassured.
Your skills workshop
In-depth guides
Get ahead in business
Recognise and develop the skills that will help you to forge a path in the business world.
What is commercial awareness?
Graduates with good commercial awareness are conscious of how economic and political trends can impact on their chosen industry and the employers they have applied to.
Creativity: graduate recruiters like fresh thinking
Different graduate professions require creative thinking in different ways: find out how best to demonstrate your creativity throughout the recruitment process.
Customer service skills and how to demonstrate them
Customer service skills are vital for graduates seeking a job in many different sectors. Find out what customer service skills are and how to demonstrate them to prospective employers.
Enterprise and entrepreneurial skills: seizing opportunities and seeing them through
Graduates with strong enterprise skills can spot an opportunity and use their initiative to make the most of it. Incorporate an enterprising mindset into your job hunt.
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Looking after yourself
Managing job-hunting stress
Many graduate recruiters will be looking for evidence of resilience in candidates, as the ability to deal with unforeseen circumstances is essential in most jobs. However, developing greater resilience will also help you during the graduate job hunt, where you’ll probably experience setbacks and challenges among the wins. What goes hand in hand with resilience? Developing your ability to 'roll with the punches' and adapt to situations. Our deep-dive guides to resilience and adaptability will get you on the right track.
Free e-learning for students
Skills development courses
If you learn by doing, you’ll love our interactive mini-courses, Pathways. You’ll find modules devoted to the most sought-after employability skills, including commercial awareness, entrepreneurship, teamworking, and problem solving. You can also explore some of the hottest job roles out there, including social media manager and UX designer.
Employer events
Meet employers and improve your skills
targetjobs runs events throughout the year that allow you to meet employers, find out more about graduate job roles, gain advice from leading professionals and develop skills through interactive workshops. Attending employers actively want to hire interns and graduates from our events.
Skills for sectors
Career-specific competencies
Some graduate roles call for specific skills in new starters; discover what these are so that you can further develop and hone them if necessary.
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FAQs
More careers advice
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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.
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