Applying for jobs

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

What makes you employable?

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

Responding to a job ad

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

Putting together a resume

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

Organising your references

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

Preparing for an interview

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

The Interview

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.

Useful links

When employers hire new staff, they are usually looking for a combination of the following:

Job skills: the specific skills that are required to do the job – these might include technical skills, such as cooking or cutting hair, or more general skills such as selling.

Employability skills: these are the skills that all employees need to have, regardless of the job. These include:

• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Initiative and enterprise skills
• Planning and organising skills
• Self management skills
• Learning skills
• Technology skills

Personal attributes: these are not skills, but they are the qualities that employers look for in all employees. These include:

• Loyalty and commitment
• Honesty and integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Personal presentation
• Commonsense
• Ability to deal with pressure
• Motivation
• Adaptability

Each employer will seek a mix of these skills when they are employing people – some jobs require specific job skills, but for many jobs, employers will look at the employability skills and personal attributes most closely. When you’re applying for jobs, keep these in mind, and try to include them in your resume and the answers you give in interviews – if you can show that you have these, they will really give you an advantage.