The Top 10 Employability Soft Skills Every Graduate Need
Developing professional skills is as important as studying for a degree, as it could open the pathway to career progression. Employers would not only be interested in your academic credentials and work experience, but they may also evaluate your approach to work and who you are as a potential employee. Below are the 10 soft skills every graduate need:
- Communication skills: Can you effectively articulate your thoughts at customer and management levels? Do you actively and respectfully listen to others without interrupting?
- Emotional Intelligence (The 5 main areas of EI are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) The ability to manage and monitor your own as well as other’s emotions can increase the ability to successfully lead and/or work with those within your team. How would you rate yourself in this important area of EI?
- Positivity – Can you stay calm when facing and dealing with pressure? Do you manifest a can-do attitude and view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow? Are you honest with your line manager about the mistakes that you make and take accountability?
- Problem solve- Do you excessively dwell on the issue at hand and play the blame game, or do you have a forward-thinking approach and strive to find solutions in line with the company’s objectives?
- Resilience – How well do you handle stressful situations? How do you react to sudden changes or problems that occur during a project? Do you have the resilience to keep going despite setbacks?
- Leadership – “Be the leader you wish you had. -Simon Sinek” Being a leader isn’t just about bearing the title, but it’s about managing yourself and your workload, and motivating and leading others to achieve a common objective. Do you like to ‘micro-manage’ what others do, or do you encourage and bring out the best in people?
- Teamwork – Can you get on with people, and work as a team player even when there is a disagreement? Do you show support by making suggestions, or do you dismiss what others say and downplay their thoughts and ideas? Do you like to take credit for other people’s work, or do you acknowledge collective efforts?
- Adaptability – Are you adaptable to constant changes to support the company and its interests? Can you leave your comfort zone, and demonstrate a growth mindset?
- Initiative – Can you work independently without having to fully rely on others' input and advice? Can you make decisions confidently based on experience combined with an awareness of the company’s needs and objectives?
- Time management – Do you aim to do everything all at once, or do you prioritise important tasks first? Do you procrastinate a task and fill the time with more comfortable tasks, or do you aim to push through despite the challenge?
Being at university is a great way to develop the above skills when attending lectures, working on group projects and communicating with professional staff. The workplace is also the best environment to refine these important attributes and characteristics, so do look for opportunities to cultivate these skills as you endeavour to reach your career goals!
References
Bright Network (2025) Time management skills: definition and examples. Available at: https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/graduate-career-advice/key-career-skills/time-management-skills-definition-examples/ (Accessed: 18 February 2025)
National Careers Service (N.D) Develop your soft skills. Available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/how-to-develop-your-soft-skills (Accessed: 18 February 2025)
Positive Psychology (2025) 22 Emotional Intelligence Examples to Illustrate EI. Available at: https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-intelligence-examples/ (Accessed: 18 February 2025)
Prospects (2023) What skills do employers want? Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/applying-for-jobs/what-skills-do-employers-want (Accessed: 18 February 2025)
Simon Sinek’s Optimism Company (N.D) Simon Says A Collection of Quotes from Simon Sinek. Available at: https://simonsinek.com/quotes/#leadership (Accessed: 18 February 2025)
Target jobs (2023) Interview and Assessment Centres ‘Give an example of a time when you showed initiative.’ Tricky graduate interview question. Available at: https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/interviews-and-assessment-centres/give-example-time-when-you-showed-initiative-tricky-graduate-interview-question (Accessed: 18 February 2025)