Introduction to key skills and attributes
Skills and Attributes for Career Success
Whether you plan to work freelance, run your own business, go on to further study, get a job, or travel – having an enterprising mindset will have a major positive impact on your future, whatever you choose to do.
Make the most of your time at university and seize the opportunities which will help you develop your enterprise skills and attributes.
However, make sure that you do not get overwhelmed by the range of activities that are available at your university or you could feel like you are trying to juggle too many things at once.
The key to success is to consider the activities you are currently involved in, or things you would like to pursue, and think about how you can use these to challenge yourself to become more enterprising.
In the following exercise, find out how some activities can help you to develop enterprise skills and attributes by clicking on the juggling balls. When you have read the text, click on the box to close it again.
Being part of a sports team or club will help you to develop strong communication and teamwork skills, and as a team captain you could demonstrate strong leadership skills and initiative. You could show that you have the skill of opportunity identification by looking for ways to create new opportunities for your team such as organising an annual friendly match. You could also be creative and innovative by organising fundraising events.
Having a part-time job during your time at university demonstrates that you have independence and good time management. Make the most of your part-time job by developing your problem solving skills and creativity. You could suggest how to make improvements to the work flow, or volunteer to create a new product or process. Show you have a can-do attitude and initiative.
An internship gives you the opportunity to gain relevant, graduate-level experience in a work-place. It can help you to develop a range of employability skills, including project management, commercial awareness, creativity and problem solving. You will need to adapt to new environments and be able to work autonomously. This will all help to build your self-confidence and will look impressive on your CV.
Being a member or president of a student society can help you to develop skills such as leadership, teamwork, negotiation, collaboration, diplomacy and problem solving, to name just a few. Being enterprising is about seeking opportunities, and making ideas become a reality. If you do not wish to join any of the societies that your university offers, show off your enterprise skills and attributes by starting one up.
Do not forget about the valuable skills and experience you gain in your course of study. Group work and co-curricular projects help you to develop your analytical and problem solving skills. They also require you to work effectively in a team and communicate well with others. Think about how you can use these experiences as evidence of your enterprise skills and attributes. For example, have you had to take responsibility for a group decision, put an idea into action or persevere when things were difficult?
Employers know that volunteering can develop a wide range of enterprise skills and attributes. As a volunteer you can demonstrate enterprising characteristics when faced with challenging situations. Often you have to be aware of political and ethical considerations. You can also gain other important skills when volunteering, such as being able to challenge assumptions, being adaptable and proactive, and having professionalism.
You should now have a clearer idea of what it means to be enterprising and how you can develop this mindset through different activities.
The next step is to understand how employers assess enterprise skills and attributes in the recruitment process.
Employers often look for enterprising candidates when they are recruiting, but this is not always obvious from their adverts.
The extract in the activity below is an example of what you might read in a graduate recruitment advert. Read the extract, then answer the question in the space provided. Click 'View feedback' to read our thoughts.
We are an inventive, dynamic organisation looking to enhance social development through technology on a global scale. We aim to improve the lives of those living in difficult conditions through data-driven solutions, asking our employee's to use the information they have in front of them to find new ways of delivering results. This requires us to challenge the standard ways of thinking and to innovate, acting as a driver of change in society and of thought in the workplace.
What are the main attributes being looked for by this organisation?
This organisation is particularly interested in people who:
When you are searching for jobs it is important to be able to interpret job adverts, and recognise the particular skills and attributes employers are looking for.
Understanding what skills and attributes employers want, will help you to shape your application and interview responses, and help you to provide suitable evidence of your enterprise skills and attributes.