Building employability skills at uni
It's never too early to start developing the skills employers are looking for. Here's why uni is the best training ground for it.
Studying at uni is a critical step toward success in many careers.
You’ll gain knowledge and experience from your lecturers, work placements and research projects – which will translate into valuable skills in the workplace. But there’s also a growing demand by employers for employability skills – personal qualities that help you succeed in any workplace situation.
The job market today is highly competitive. Being able to highlight a range of soft skills that show what kind of employee you will be, as well as what you can do, will help you get noticed.
Studying at university is the perfect place to develop these employability skills.
What are employability skills?
According to the Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Business Council of Australia, employability skills are those which are ‘required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions’.
Katherine Pick, a career coach at UNSW says, “Employability skills can help you transition from one job or organisation to another, have a portfolio career and even start your own business."
“Technical skills are skills specific to an industry or role – such as knowing how to use “R” if you are an auditor or knowing how to use Python if you are a programmer. Everyone needs employability skills, but not all jobs may require the same technical skills.”
Eight most important employability skills
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In essence, they are personal skills that get you through daily life and are important no matter what career you choose. Employability skills are also referred to as soft skills.
Transferable skills, on the other hand, are specific skills that you learn in your study or job that can be used in a variety of different roles and industries. Examples of skills that are transferable include leadership, project management and data analysis.
It’s important to know the difference between employability skills and transferable skills because potential employers will most likely ask you for examples of where you have used both skill sets. They will be looking for someone who has technical ability (transferable skills) and who can also contribute to their team and organisation beyond the role (employability skills).
Why employability skills really matter
Employability skills are in increasingly high demand in Australia. The CSIRO published a study in 2024 that showed employers’ demand for interpersonal skills has continued to climb since 2020, especially communication and collaboration skills, which can indicate how well someone will contribute to a team’s productivity.
Deloitte Access Economics believe that soft-skill-intensive occupations (those that highly value employability skills) will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030. Recruitment firm Hays found that 84% of hiring managers prioritise employability skills. This is mainly because workplaces are evolving so fast. Employers are looking for people who can innovate, communicate and work together to solve problems, as well as be technically proficient in their jobs.
AI is used in recruitment to screen for employability skills and in workplaces to conduct skill-gap analyses to remove unconscious bias. For graduates, being able to highlight your employability skills alongside your technical knowledge is vital to getting through initial screening when applying for jobs.
AI is increasingly being used as a tool when screening a large volume of candidates who are applying for competitive internship and graduate recruitment programs.
The key to standing out is to customise your job application documents to ensure they are authentic and contain evidence and examples that are unique to you.
Skills that will help you stand out
The best candidates have a good spread of skills across different areas, from technical knowledge to social and communication skills. Here are the skills employers look for when hiring.
Soft skills | Digital skills | Professional behaviours |
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Soft vs hard skills
No matter what industry or career you’re considering, developing both employability (soft) and technical (hard) skills is important to show potential employers that you are a well-rounded candidate who will be a valuable employee beyond your job description.
University is the ideal place to gain these skills. The hard skills will be obvious: they’re what you are learning in your lectures, tutorials and assessments and will generally be specific to your chosen profession. For example, a pilot will study physics.
You will also develop a range of soft skills, largely without realising. Group work, presenting to colleagues and managing your time to submit assessments on time are all activities that help you develop soft skills. Despite their name, these skills are very useful in the workplace.
Katherine stresses the growing importance of interpersonal skills:
“[They're] critical in helping you build connections, work effectively in teams and with clients, problem solve with others, and navigate challenges that may arise in the workplace.”
How to identify your employable skills
The best way to identify your employability skills is to write a soft skills list. You may be surprised how many you already have because employability skills are not necessarily tied to formal jobs. As mentioned above, everyday life at university will give you skills without you even realising.
Start by creating a table and in the left column list everything you have done in the last few years: classes, group assignments, current employment, volunteering, clubs, sports or creative activities, internships and placements.
In the following columns, following the STAR method to help you identify the list of soft skills you used, for example:
| Situation | Task | Action | Result | Employability skills examples |
| It was a complex assignment that required a lot of research | Break down tasks and share work equally among group members | Organised regular group check ins and created a template for the presentation | Project completed on time and received an A. | Teamwork Leadership Technology |
Put your employability skills to work
By now, you’ve probably realised that you have many more employability skills than you realised – and that it’s crucial to let these shine through when applying for jobs. These are all good skills to have on your resume and highlight on your LinkedIn profile. They’ll be vital to your success in whatever career and industry you are hoping to work in.
Studying at university is a good place to provide you with a strong list of soft skills to support the technical knowledge and industry insights you will gain from your degree. Working alongside your lecturers and classmates will create many opportunities to develop your employability skills.
Start building employability skills while you study
Katherine says there are countless opportunities to develop employability skills at university – the difficult decision is what to choose!
“Work Integrated Learning (WIL) courses, joining student societies, volunteering, extracurricular activities, and Jobs on Campus are all activities that can help you develop your employability skills and build your confidence and connections,” says Katherine.
At UNSW, hands-on workplace experience is baked into most of our degrees. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) allows you to complete internships, work placements and industry projects for credit towards your degree. These opportunities give you a taste of what your future workplace might be like, helping you start building employability skills early.
WIL is available across all faculties, with many organisations offering paid positions. In some cases, your WIL placement might even take you overseas. Previous global partner projects have taken place in London, UK and Fukuoka, Japan.
Want to build your employability skills even more?
UNSW’s Employability Services go beyond the classroom, helping you develop the skills and confidence you need to thrive in the workplace. Access tailored learning resources, mentoring and job opportunities through the UNSW employability hub.
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