Encouraging students to draw on work experiences when articulating achievements and capabilities to enhance employability

Abstract

Employability drives higher education policy yet despite the investment in developing ‘rounded’ graduates, students experience difficulties in articulating their achievements and capabilities during graduate recruitment. The purpose of this research was to trial and evaluate a career development intervention aimed at drawing on work experiences when applying for graduate roles. Students (N = 136) from two contrasting disciplines, Business and Physiotherapy, and two institutions participated in a two-staged intervention. A focus group was also conducted with career advisors (N = 9) to examine student engagement with career development learning. Findings indicated that students were confident in their ability to draw on relevant work experience in job applications and showed low levels of engagement in the intervention due to time constraints from their study commitments. Despite the varied contexts of the degree programmes investigated, similarities in engagement and student feedback were noted. Factors contributing to weak engagement in career provision along with strategies for improvement are presented.