Employability Skills among Information Technology Professionals: A Literature Review

Abstract

Employability of graduates has become an issue that is not easy to be ignored in the global economy. It is a necessity to have a right set of employability skills. The purpose of this paper is to find out the required skill set for enhancing the employability of graduates and employees majorly focusing on information technology (IT) sector. The paper explores the theoretical concepts and models of employability to ascertain gaps between the knowledge and skills imparted by academia, as well as knowledge and skills considered as important by employers while hiring. This paper proposed the set of skills important for employability of IT professionals in this sector. We have majorly focused upon six skills: technical skills, higher order thinking skills, personal skills, social skills, generic skills, and selfperceived employability skills. On the basis of above-mentioned skills a checklist has been proposed which has been verified by Industry experts. The implications of this study will be helpful in guiding both industry and academia in incorporating and enhancing these skills among professionals.