Employability skills - what employers are seeking!

During your course, you should be asking yourself "What can I do to improve my chances of getting a job when I graduate?"

The first step is understanding what the employers in your field are seeking in candidates. Below is a list of the 8 employability skills, and under each are the current key skills that exercise and sport science employers value. We found this information by searching for relevant jobs on seek.com.au.

Being aware of the key skills required in your field, will help you search for opportunities to build on these skills and then you will be able to demonstrate them in your resume and during interviews.

The 8 employability skills

Communication that contributes to productive and harmonious relations between employees and customers:

• The ability to motivate clients to achieve their treatment goals
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated capacity in report and submission writing
• Demonstrated caring, confident and professional mannerisms

Planning and organising that contributes to long and short term strategic planning:

• Ability to manage people, time and priorities
• Collecting, analysing and organising information

Teamwork that contributes to productive working relationships and outcomes:

• Ability to work in a team environment
• Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively, working with and for teams
• Dedicated in contributing to the success and development of the industry

Problem solving that contributes to productive outcomes:

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, identify trends and issues and make recommendations to assist the business community

Technology that contributes to effective execution of tasks:

• Experience with medical software
• High level of computer and internet literacy

Self-management that contributes employee satisfaction and growth:

• Highly developed self-management skills
• Possess knowledge and confidence in own ideas

Learning that contributes to ongoing improvement and expansion in employee and company operations and outcomes:

• Be enthusiastic, self-driven and motivated for ongoing learning
• Portray a strong desire to make a positive impact on the health behaviour of others
• Being open to new ideas and techniques
• Willingness to learn many areas of practice

Initiative and enterprise that contributes to innovative outcomes:

• Ability to generate ideas, and translate these ideas into action

Other attributes that exercise and sport science employers are seeking:

• Knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, motor control and common Musculo-skeletal conditions
• Current First Aid / CPR accreditation
• Hold registration with ESSA
• Knowledge of workplace health promotion and the delivery of corporate health programs
• Excellent manual therapy and exercise prescription skills
• Ability to promote and implement company Health and Lifestyle services and enhance awareness and participation of these services