What employers look for in postgraduates

Some employers place great value in the advanced knowledge and skills developed in a postgraduate course. They may also conclude that doing further study demonstrates determination to succeed in the chosen career area and that the candidate is prepared to undertake further training.

Employers will also appreciate your passion for the subject you've studied and ability to identify aspects of the course that are relevant to the organization you are applying to. It is important to know though, that no postgraduate qualification on its own will be enough to win you a graduate job in today's employment market. For some employers a postgraduate degree may offer no advantage or have a negative impact.

Some common employer concerns about candidates with postgraduate degrees include:

• specialisation and narrowness of interest
• difficulties in integrating into a business environment
• unrealistic salary expectations

To combat these problems, it is important to balance your postgraduate degree with some practical experience, like internships or voluntary work, to show potential employers that you are perfect for the job.

Marketing your unique skills

Postgraduate degrees will usually allow you to be an expert in your field, but they will also give you some additional general transferable skills including:

• Teamwork skills
• Management
• Negotiation
• A focus on quality
• Project focus and project management skills
• Teaching skills
• Ability to problem solve
• Research skills
• Time management and self management skills
• Ability to create and implement ideas
• Ability to tackle problems other than the specific problems you may have learnt to tackle in your studies

When applying for jobs, it is important to market these skills to your potential employers by giving examples of how you have acquired these skills and how you have used them in past situations. You will need to be actively engaged in making connections between what you learn and your ultimate goals.