Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, job hopping … the job market has been flipped on its head in recent years. And with it, the top graduate skills employers are changing too. While certain technical skills are still highly sought after, there is a rise in demand for transferable soft skills and competencies.
As the professional landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, many graduate employers are now turning their attention to skills that can be built on. These foundational skills enable graduates to adapt to changing organizational needs and future challenges.
This is good news for graduates looking to build their skill sets and boost their employability. Not only will it increase your odds of landing a graduate job, but it will lay the foundation to build strong soft skills that transfer across any sector.
We break down 8 top graduate skills employers are prioritising in 2023.
8 Top Graduate Skills Employers Are Looking For In 2023
What skills do graduate employers want? This is the million-pound question. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, there are some graduate skills that will stand you in good stead in any profession.
Here are eight graduate employability skills that employers are crying out for and how to showcase them.
1. Collaboration
We are now well and truly in the era of remote working. And one of the side effects is that collaboration has become more challenging. It’s one thing to be able to collaborate with your team when they’re at the next desk or in the same meeting room. However, it’s much more difficult to collaborate effectively in a remote or semi-remote environment.
What does this mean for graduates? It’s an opportunity to prove to employers that you can collaborate in any professional scenario.
With such a big focus on collaboration skills, graduates should find ways to highlight their abilities on their graduate CV and during the interview process. For instance, include examples of when you have successfully collaborated in the past. This could be during an internship, volunteering, or work experience.
If you don’t have much professional experience to pull from, talk about group projects you participated in at school, university, or other extra-curricular activities. The key is to focus on the challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and the end results. In other words, avoid simply listing times when you worked as a team.
Here’s an example of how to describe your collaboration skills in a job interview.
“During my time as a student representative, I liaised with students and faculty leaders to improve conditions around campus.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was when students were requesting action to make the campus safer for female students at night.
Initially, the university faculty was unable to increase the budget to take action. So, I collaborated with local organisations to come up with a list of initiatives that could be undertaken within our budget.
This resulted in the launch of a campus buddy system, a 24/7 service to report incidents, and several fundraising events to raise money and awareness. The number of incidents and complaints fell, and female students reported feeling safer around campus.”
Additional reading ?? Top Graduate Employers
2. Adaptability
Unsurprisingly, adaptability is one of the top graduate skills employers want in 2023. Change is the only constant in today’s businesses, meaning more graduate employers are placing stock on your ability to adapt and pivot.
From industry shifts to digital transformation to organizational restructuring, your adaptability skills will allow you to thrive in times of uncertainty. As a result, showcasing your skills on your CV, cover letter, and during the interview is a must.
Here’s an example of how to show off your adaptability skills on your CV.
“Lead the company-wide roll-out of a new learning management system, giving all employees access to on-demand training and increasing productivity by 6%.”
Essentially, employers want graduates with a growth mindset. This gives them the drive to achieve goals, take on new challenges, and jump into new roles and projects.
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3. Problem-solving
Learning how to solve problems at a personal or business level is fundamental in today’s companies. As we’ve already seen, anything can happen in the world of business. Whether it’s changes to the work environment, office conflict, or an industry slump, employers want new solutions to old problems.
Staff members who actively seek out problems or pain points and find solutions are even more valuable. So, make sure you demonstrate your problem-solving abilities on your CV. As always, focus on results rather than simply listing tasks you performed.
This example would work great on your graduate CV.
“Noticed that our social media content was performing poorly and conducted a full audit to pinpoint areas for improvement. Using the results, I spearheaded a UGC campaign that boosted engagement rates by 4%.”
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4. Industry-specific tools
While soft skills are leading the way when it comes to the top graduate skills for 2023, technical competencies are still vital. Most graduate employers will highly favour candidates who already know how to use common industry tools. Not only will it speed up training times, but it shows that the candidate is prepared for the role and corporate work environment. After all, almost every industry has a set of tools that the professionals in it have to master.
The best way to prepare yourself is to research the essential tools your target job role or industry uses. Then, look for online courses, youtube videos, or handbooks to learn the basics. Most SaaS software comes with a free demo, so you can get familiar with the tools of the trade without splashing out for a license. Doing this will give you a huge competitive edge.
On top of honing important technical skills, you are showing employers your initiative and drive to learn. These skills are invaluable and hard to train.
Examples of common industry tools include Slack, Adobe Suite, WordPress, GitHub, Asana, Salesforce, Navision, and Rhino.
The best way to highlight these technical skills on your CV is to list them in either the “Skills” or “Work experience” sections.
For example:
“Crafted bespoke, on-brand video content for social media using the Adobe Suite.”
5. Communication
No list of top graduate skills would be complete without communication. While it remains as fundamental as ever for businesses, the forms of communication have evolved over the years.
Traditional forms of communication include being able to get your point across verbally and by email. Nowadays, communication skills also include the ability to use virtual software such as communication, video conferencing, and project management tools.
A common misconception is that good communication is solely about getting your point across. In fact, a large part of it is being able to actively listen to your colleagues and react to what they are saying.
As the saying goes, the biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it occurred. This results in a lot of wasted time and unnecessary conflict. By developing your skills in this area, you foster a healthy work culture, cut down on wasted time, and get more done.
So, how do you display your communication skills on your CV? We’ve come up with a sample below.
“Developed strong relations with 4 prominent media outlets and made 6 new partnership deals to drive brand awareness, sales, and mentions in the press.”
Search for graduate sales jobs →
6. Data analytics
As technology advances, businesses across every sector rely more heavily on data. Whether it’s employee data for performance management, using data to tell stories, or breaking down user data to improve UX. The moral of the story is that employers need critical thinkers now more than ever.
So, if you have data analytics skills, here’s how to exhibit them on your CV.
“Analysed user data to identify dropoff points and roadblocks for customers using our product, driving a UX design overhaul and creating a customer education programme. This led to a 21% increase in product renewals”
You may also want to include your proficiency level on common data analytics platforms, such as Google Analytics.
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7. Creative thinking
Creative thinking is an in-demand graduate skill across many industries. While it may hold more weight in creative sectors, such as design, media, and marketing, the ability to think outside the box is the key to innovation.
Evolving workplaces and new technologies have prompted the need for constant innovation. Flexing your creative thinking skills shows you have the tools and ingenuity to solve problems, innovate solutions for shifting markets, and stay ahead of emerging trends.
There’s really no limit to where creative thinking can take you, making it a top graduate skill for your CV. Here’s how to highlight it.
“Proposed fresh ideas for a social media campaign to promote our newest partnership, which increased our following by 65% in the first week.”
Graduates looking to break into creative industries will really need to drive home their abilities in this area. Looking for creative internships will be a huge step in developing your skillset and building a graduate portfolio.
You may also be interested in ?? Creative jobs for graduates in 2023
8. Self-motivation
Being a self-starter is always a plus. But in the new era of remote working, it’s now an essential graduate skill. Employers want graduates that can self-motivate and stay proactive even when working from home. What’s more, people with high levels of self-motivation tend to be more eager to take on new challenges and use their initiative.
All this spells success for employers. Not only are self-motivated more productive and engaged, but they take more control of their personal development, resulting in higher performance.
Employee engagement leads to better morale and lower staff turnover rates, meaning employers can trust that you will stay with the company and grow.
There are several ways to show your self-motivation on your CV. For instance, you can add any professional courses you have taken to improve your skills in the “Continued Education” section of your CV.
Alternatively, you can add some actionable examples in the “Work Experience” section.
“Completed additional employee training sessions and workshops to hone my skills and prepare myself for future leadership roles.”
Final Thoughts
These are eight of the top graduate skills that employers are looking for in 2023. As a graduate, you may feel lost when it comes to creating a CV that stands out.
Fortunately, an increasing number of employers are now prioritising soft skills that can be transferred across different job roles and situations. This gives graduates with little work experience the opportunity to focus their CVs on their skills rather than professional experience. However, to do this successfully, you will need to back each skill with actionable examples and results.
In doing so, you significantly boost your chances of grabbing employers’ attention and landing your dream graduate job.
Are you a graduate looking to kickstart your career? Be sure to check our dedicated Graduate Jobs Board to find the latest opportunities in your area.
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