Activity 

This activity will allow you to feel confident writing about your degree in future job applications. It will help you break down which skills you have used and when you have used them. This activity uses the Sheffield Graduate Attributes (SGAs) as a framework for identifying which skills you might have developed during your degree.  

The My Learning attributes of the SGAs might feel easier to relate to your degree and to find examples of when you have used these skills. It can therefore, be helpful to focus on the My Self and My Impact attributes of the SGAs to broaden your understanding of how your degree has helped your employability development beyond developing your academic skills. (You can explore how your My Learning attributes can be transferred into a non-academic setting in the Transferring Academic Skills activity)

Finding Examples of My Self and My Impact Attributes:

Read through the ‘My Impact’ and 'My Self’ sections of the SGAs. Which skills do you think you used during your degree, and how confident do you feel about these skills?

To help you with this thinking, here are some examples you might have experienced that you can match with the attributes you used during these examples:

• Delivering a Presentation

• Group Work

• Researching a Project

• Managing Multiple Deadlines

• Finding Answers to Questions

• Staying Motivated with Seminar Preparation 

• Listening during Lectures and Seminars

For example: a ‘Positive mindset’ might be a skill that you have developed throughout your degree in order to feel confident in your ability to manage your workload, meet your deadlines, and prioritise your well-being. This skill is one that you might not feel 100% confident with but you have made a conscious effort to develop this skill in order to feel confident in meeting your deadlines and balancing your rest/wellbeing.

Now that you have picked out which skills you developed during your degree, you can think about how you might communicate these skills during a Job Application. You can use the STAR technique to help you do this. (You can learn more about the STAR technique here)

For example, developing on the 'Positive Mindset' example above, here is how this could be explored using the STAR technique:

Situation: During the Easter Vacation, I had multiple projects, deadlines, and family commitments to manage during the three-week break. 

Task: I needed to organise my workload, implement a plan that helped me manage my time effectively, and maintain a positive mindset to motivate myself. 

Action: At the beginning of the Easter Vacation, I sat down and wrote a to-do list. I made sure to factor in my family commitments, deadlines, and breaks. As the first week progressed, I had to adapt my plan as my priorities changed and developed. In order to prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed by these changes, I made sure to keep my scheduled breaks and rest days to make sure I am able to maintain a positive mindset when progressing through my workload. 

Result: Finding this balance between working and resting meant that I was able to meet all my deadlines and feel positive and motivated for the next part of the semester. Feeling motivated and productive ensured that I was able to keep a positive mindset and feel confident in maintaining it during busy periods in the future. 

Communicating Your Skills and Experiences 

Reflect on the questions below about your degree experience that you might be asked in a job application. How would you answer these questions:

These are generated by ChatGPT and have been adapted to make them more relevant:

• • Can you describe a significant project or dissertation you completed during your degree programme? What was your role, and what were the outcomes?

    • Follow-up: How did you approach the challenges you encountered during this project?

• • How did your degree programme prepare you for this role? Can you provide specific examples of skills or knowledge you gained that are relevant to this position?

• • Tell me about a time when you had to collaborate with fellow students or lecturers on a research project or group assignment. What was your approach to teamwork, and what did you learn from the experience?

• • What specific modules or subjects in your degree programme do you think have had the most impact on your professional development, and why?

• • During your degree programme, how did you balance academic responsibilities with any other commitments, such as internships, part-time jobs, or extracurricular activities? What strategies did you use to manage your time effectively?

Were any of these questions easier or more difficult to answer? Which questions would you like to feel more comfortable answering?

Reflection

After completing this activity, you will have a selection of skills and examples of how your degree can be transferred to your future career path. These examples are useful to keep for future job applications as basic outlines that you can adapt and tailor for each application. You can record these on your mySkills profile in your 'my development experiences'. 

Also, note which of these skills you want to develop further and explore how you can find opportunities to do this. You can use the 'How to Gain Experience Guide' or identify opportunities during the rest of your degree experience. 

Useful Links

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers 

https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/home.html 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/academic-skills/study-skills-online/reflective-practice

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/skills