Employability Skills

1. Employability Skills Session 5 What do graduates do?

2. The Changing World of Work Quiz • Consider the following statements about the graduate labour market in China. Indicate whether you feel these are True (T) or False (F), then click to check out the answers.

3. The Changing World of Work Quiz 1. Graduate jobs mean rapid promotion and job-for-life security. T or F? • Answer – click below • On the whole this statement is not strictly true. No sector offers job security and a guarantee of promotion these days. Even where graduates enter fast track graduate training schemes with major companies, promotion is dependent on ability and performance. • 'Job-for-life ' (like 'the career ladder') is a disappearing concept in today's labour market. It is now common for workers to work for a variety of employers over a working lifetime, rather than to work for one company.

4. The Changing World of Work Quiz 2.Graduates work mainly for large organisations. T or F? • Answer – click below • On the whole this statement isnot strictly true, but it raises the issue of "What is a graduate job?" Often when people refer to graduate jobs they mean graduate recruitment schemes, but it is certainly not the case that all graduates go into such jobs. • Many graduates would like to work for large, often multinational organisations - perhaps because these are the organisations they know about. Your own perceptions may be influenced by the fact that graduate vacancies in large firms (many of them with familiar companies) are the most vigorously advertised. However, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are playing a leading role in economic regeneration and job creation - even for graduates. The greatest potential for increased graduate recruitment and utilisation is therefore likely to be in SMEs, where a variety of new skills are required, and early promotion is not uncommon.

5. The Changing World of Work Quiz 3.Employers are only interested in academic performance, so a degree is a guarantee of ‘a good job’. T or F? • Answer – click below • Not strictly true. Employers do see 'a good degree' as a general indicator of your intellectual ability, and may even specify a minimum grade as a pre-requisite for entry to their graduate jobs. • However, according to a recent survey carried out in June and August 2011 by the University of Huddersfield and Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University into employers views on graduate employability skills the employers surveyed rated some personal skills, namely ethical values, initiative and social responsibility as being more important than subject specific knowledge. They want also want employees with a broad knowledge, and not a narrow subject specific knowledge.

6. The Changing World of Work Quiz 4. If you have a degree you won’t need to do any more studying. T or F? • False. ‘Change is not what it used to be’ says Charles Handy, a business guru and author of books such as The Age of Unreason and The Empty Raincoat. It is largely true that change in our times is more rapid, more technological, and more global in its process and impact. • In order to keep up with change and remain competitive, the Chinese economy demands continual up-skilling and re-skilling. 'Lifelong learning' has become a buzzword in classrooms, boardrooms and government offices. So when you are in work you may expect to undertake many short training courses or even a full professional qualification.

7. The Changing World of Work Quiz 5. Relevant paid work/practical experience is more highly regarded by Chinese employers than voluntary and casual work experience. Tor F? • This is Trueof Chinese employers so it is important to gain as much practical experience which is relevant to your chosen career as possible. Also consider doing internships or short structured practical experience programmes with major employers. See session 3 Employability resources for a list of resources you can use to help you find employers and vacancy sources.

8. The Changing World of Work Quiz 6. Your salary is very much dependant on your educational attainment and university attended. T or F? • True. Chinese employers place a great deal of importance on educational attainment and university rankings and many use the Times and Shanghai Jiao Tong University league tables as a way of assessing the prestige of the university attended. For UK educated Chinese nationals it is important to note that many Chinese employers are not familiar with the variety of universities available in the UK and their respective merits.

9. The Changing World of Work Quiz 7. Most Chinese employers find it easy to recruit the graduate staff they need. T or F? • False. Despite having a population of 1.3 billion China is suffering from a critical talent shortage. There are not enough qualified workers in China which has caused employers to attract talented individuals from other companies. This also causes fast wage inflation for this group of workers. So again performing well in your degree and possessing relevant paid work/practical experience will maximise your chances of obtaining good graduate level employment in China.

10. The Changing World of Work Quiz 8. Information Technology is a key shortage occupation in China. T or F? • TrueSoftware development is emerging in China as a diverse but highly fragmented market. There is a shortage of core technologies and skilled labour. Indeed four million jobs are expected to be generated in China by the IT services outsourcing industry by 2015.

11. The Changing World of Work Quiz 9. Most job opportunities for Chinese graduates are located in the major centres of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. T or F? • False. There are increasing job opportunities available now in other cities such as Chengdu, Dalian and Tianjin where several international employers have begun to establish themselves.

12. The Changing World of Work Quiz 10. Most graduates find jobs via advertised vacancies. T or F? • False. Most graduates do not obtain jobs via advertised vacancies but by using their network or ‘Guanxi’ of contacts. Use the Windmills website to give you some advice on how to network to find unadvertised opportunities • www.windmillsonline.co.uk/interactive website. • Click on Section 3 ‘How can I start working towards my kind of life?’’.