Enhancing Employability: Analysis of the Employee Market - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The neoliberal agenda is being adopted in many countries thus reshaping education to be more practical oriented. Scholars such as Bleetman & Webb (2010) claim that somehow, these activities are taken lightly by students because they go unpaid, with the organizations claiming that they are only meant for experience (Bleetman & Webb, 167 pg. 2010). The pertinent question still remains, how do potential employees enhance their employability? Lytras, De Pablos & Avison (2010) state that in today’s labor market; approximately 35% of people have more of unemployable-like characters which are ostensibly stated as unemployment problem. Therefore, the answer to this question is complex requiring expert and multi- dimensional input from various stakeholders for the development of a sustainable solution. Giving this concept a light meaning does not depict the transitions occurring in graduates and others in service employers to fit into the evolving workforce. Despite the difficulties encountered in incorporating all these factors in one definition, Kenny & Kilmartin’s (2008) research into employability today offers an insight on the meaning of employability. They suggest that it deals with a person’s competency and the ability to adjust to difficulties and situations in the work place. In this context, the meaning of the word employability will be borrowed from Coetzee & Roythorne-Jacobs (2010) who define it as “a person’s ability to gain access to, adjust and be productive in the workplace”. Smith further divides mandatory employability skills to; general and occupational-specific. In addition to these, competency and ability to write a good Curriculum Vitae can increase one’s employability in today’s cut throat labor market. Theoretical Basis The first step in developing employability skills is engaging in deeply gratifying choices, that is; choosing the right career. The developers in career guidance and counseling realized that this is one way of achieving this and credit goes to them. A more humanistic approach to the issue perceives an employee as a human being who grows through stages. A career goes through a cycle just like a human being does. However, choosing the right career only happens to a certain percentage of the population. A systematic study done by the World Bank (2010) revealed that 56% of employees would have preferred to be in a completely different career. The substantial psychometric literature contains a number of standardized tests which career counselors measure individual differences in terms of competencies required by employers. Schein developed a classification system known as Schein Career Anchors (Schein, 1978). What skills is the new employer looking for from his potential employees? How does he help his employer use their skills? Between hard and soft skills, which one does a person with employability characteristics have to contain? A person may have developed hard skills or technical skills but is unable to lead due to inability to communicate or rather lacked soft skills. Bleetman & Webb (2010, 194) agree that both skills are very important but technical skills more important in the context of employability. These sentiments are echoed by Rao (2010) who further demonstrates characteristics which employees use when there is a tie between interview scores of several candidates. Such skills are built on aspects such as team building, attitudes, leadership and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More