Developing A Brilliant You This chapter details several aspects of Developing oneself to a wider career opportunities and utilising Employability skills: The I Brand Employability Model and its three layers – Degree, Generic Skills and individual contributions Updating one’s skills Elevator Pitch work Reasoning for acquiring a mentor Created by Andrei and Johnny

I Brand Employability Model The Core – The Degree (In our Case Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance Generic Employability Skills we’ve gained from the course – Leadership Team-working Positive attitude Communication Problem- Solving Commercial Awareness Numeracy Computer Literacy Cultural Sensitivity Other individual contributions – Experience Network Enterprise Marketing

Core Degree Degree is the heart of experience gained at University Degree provides a technical and generic skill set which in itself makes one proficient within the field of study extra-curriculum activities can provide a broaden experience and portfolio of skills degree allows an understanding but one’s involvement in development relevant employability skills that will differentiate one’s self from the competition

Generic Employability Skills Core generic skills outline gives students an indication of graduate recruiter’s expectations form the basis of standard requirements expected from graduates students must be able to provide a practical demonstration of how they’re developed these skills through extra-curricular activities and work experience list of skills and the ability to rate oneself with the skills: Leadership Team-working Positive Attitude Communication Problem – solving Commercial Awareness Numeracy Computer Literacy Cultural Sensitivity

Individual Contribution individual elements of the model recognise the students’ individuality student have different experiences, therefore no two students can have the same experience I Experience Individual experiences will impact on developing ones employability skills, a student cannot ignore their personal story, their goals, ambition and drive will dictate to what extent these skills are ingrained into their profile I Network networking helps to identify possible job opportunities success of the network will vary for every individual, based upon who the students know and their wider network, some students have the added benefit of using relations network, friends or family. The extent of their network is also dependent upon their individual connections building a network includes both traditional face-to-face networking and social networking online Examples include – LinkedIn, which will highlight the student’s experience and provide greater career opportunities.

Individual Contribution Continued I Enterprise Entrepreneurial ability to find solutions or make recommendations that projects a company or product beyond its current constraints is an unmeasurable talent individual characteristic are important for a student to recognise that despite the opportunities to develop employability skills, students many or may not be entrepreneurial in their approach I Marketing Presenting oneself to potential employers, both through written and verbal communication, will determine one’s ability to secure a position Ranging from choice of words, presenting oneself even the way one walks, all these choices reflect their individual preference and cannot be replicated by another candidate important to recognise despite candidates having the same employability skills they will be adopted in different ways and conveyed different experiences to reflect their individuality I Brand Once a position is secure it’s essential to keep their position updating one’s skills in an essential part of the current employability climate. increase their employability skills while at university include acquiring a part-time job, using careers services, going to skills session run by the university, going to careers fairs and getting internships while studying

Elevator Pitch An elevator pitch state who students are and includes interesting facts about one’s self. It denotes the time it takes to allow students to make an impression between the ground floor and the top floor on an elevator ride. students should be able to introduce oneself within one minute and convey interesting facts about their skills, which in turn makes them unique

Mentors Mentors are valuable assets who can provide insightful insight to possible career options, advice prior to interviews and sounding board for all major decisions To make the most of a mentoring relationship they must establish clear goals and aims at the start and schedule all meetings for the duration of the programme. Having an experienced mentor can be a benefit both during and after the programme and even become part of the student’s personal network.

Recapping The I Brand Employability Model defines three layers to developing a student’s Employability – The Degree, generic employability skills and individual contribution Employability is a continuous cycle, as a student will need to continually update their skills Developing an action plan to identify the skills a student need to develop Finding a mentor to help navigate both the student’s degree and career Networking is an excellent way to increase opportunities