Boost your employability: How to talk about your university experience on job applications

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By Mark Lee (Career Adviser, Graduate Futures, Northumbria University's Career Service)

University is about more than getting a degree. It’s about preparing you for the next step in your life and chosen career.

Graduate employers look for the knowledge you’ve gained during your studies. But they’re also looking for transferable skills like communication, problem-solving, and personal resilience. But how do you develop them at university?

You might be surprised that everything you do at university can demonstrate desirable skills to future employers. You just need to know how to talk about them – in job applications, on your CV and LinkedIn, and at career fairs and interviews. 

Graduate Futures, the University Careers Service at Northumbria, is here to help you reflect on those experiences and understand how to communicate them with potential employers, to give you the best chance at securing your dream job.

Here are some of our top tips.

 

1. Seize every opportunity

The more experiences you have at university, the more you’ll have to talk to employers about.

Northumbria University offers students lots of opportunities to take part in real-world projects and immersive learning. This includes work placements, internships, and projects with industry, as well as simulated practice, fieldwork, lab work, research, and lots more.

We call it ‘experiential learning’. These opportunities help you apply your newfound skills and knowledge in real-world environments, as well as boost your confidence and transferable skills, like teamwork and communication.

There are also opportunities to develop employability skills outside of your studies with volunteering, student societies, sabbatical roles, and part-time work on campus. It’s all experience that employers will be interested in, so don’t underestimate it - or yourself! 

 

2. Reflect on your experiences

It can be hard to understand how your university experiences translate into employability. You might wonder where being part of a student society or taking part in fieldwork fits on your CV. This is where reflection is important.

The Graduate Futures team at Northumbria can help you reflect on how different experiences have developed your skills and employability, so that you can communicate this to future employers.

So instead of just saying you were part of the Computing Society, for example, you can say ‘Collaborated with a team to develop an app during weekly Coding Club sessions, demonstrating my teamwork, problem-solving, and project management skills.’

Or instead of saying ‘Completed fieldwork’, you can say you ‘Collected and analysed data during fieldwork, developing strong research, data analysis, and critical thinking skills.’

The STAR technique can help – thinking about the Situation, Tasks, Actions, and Results you achieved in different experiences. Check out our online reflection guide for more tips. 

 

3. Record your growth

Once you’ve reflected on your experiences, don’t keep that information in your head, record what you’ve discovered about yourself and your skills. Maybe you’ve discovered you thrive under pressure, or that leadership doesn’t come naturally…yet.

Record your discoveries and personal growth somewhere you can refer back to them, privately in a journal or document, or even on LinkedIn. When you’re ready to start applying for graduate roles, it makes it easier to remember everything you have to offer an employer.

 

4. Personalise your application

To get the attention of graduate employers, it's important to personalise your application. You can’t expect to stand out if your application is generic. Take the time to create a cover letter and CV tailored to each employer you apply to.

It’s important to research the business and show why you want to work for them specifically. Think about how the skills you can offer match what the business needs.

For example, if you’re applying for a project management role, talk about a group project you’ve led at university. Or if you’re interested in a customer-facing role, include information about any presentations you’ve done.

The goal is to answer the question ‘Why this company and why me?’, so the employer understands why you’re applying and what makes you a good fit.

 

5. Remember, it’s ok to be a work-in-progress

Graduate employers aren’t expecting perfection, they’re looking for potential. What skills have you started to develop? How adaptable are you? Are you proactive and eager to get involved?

You might not be able to see the value of everything you’ve achieved yet, but we can!

Graduate Futures is here to help you at every stage of your journey. It’s about learning who you are, what you have to offer, and where you want to go.   

So whether you want help finding a part-time job, securing a work placement, or planning for life after uni, our professional support can get you there.

 

Kickstart your employability with experiential learning

Experiential learning is a major opportunity for you to boost your employability with real-world experiences at uni.

From projects with industry and work placements, to community clinics and simulated practice, discover all the ways you can get career confident at Northumbria.

Find out more on our Experiential Learning Hub.