Home > Job News > Graduates > 'Net Generation' should promote tech skills < Job News and Info

If you are one of many students hoping to find a graduate job then it probably sounds like simple common sense that you should be selling your technical abilities to potential employers. However, according to new research from T-Mobile, most graduates are still understating their knowledge of mobile technology to prospective employers.

The research found that the current crop of students looking for graduate jobs are turning up and expecting to be able to work from any location they choose. This modus operandi is a natural skill that graduates have developed throughout their education and day-to-day life. The surprising fact is that this knowledge is not being communicated as a plus-point on the CVs that are landing on the desks of employers advertising graduate jobs.

The poll discovered that:

• 51% of employers value new staff being able to quickly adopt mobile technology and work effectively from remote locations.
• 48% of employers believe that graduates that have the skill and proven experience of using laptops, mobile technology and the internet are extremely valuable.
• 78% of students believe they would be able to work effectively out of the office if and when required once employed.
• 84% of graduates have not included any indication of their mobile communication skills on their CV.

These statistics all suggest that the ‘net generation’ - looking for graduate jobs - aren’t realising the importance of their knowledge to employers. Their superior awareness in mobile phone technology and other related areas - such as social networking and instant messaging - may be a decisive factor in the future success of many businesses.

Roger Tweedy of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said that the findings highlighted an area where graduates could take a more pro-active stance regarding their technological knowledge: “It is great that today’s graduates would feel confident working remotely and we need to convince them that these skills are not possessed by everyone, are valuable to employers and are well worth highlighting in their CVs.”

The Head of Business Marketing at T-Mobile UK, Oliver Chivers, summed up his thoughts on the survey by urging graduates to play up their skills in this area. He said that, “We hope that graduates will be encouraged by the findings to promote their technical abilities at a time when competition is particularly tough for entry level professional roles.”

If you’ve heeded this advice, then make sure that you are one of the clued-up people applying for a graduate job who have taken the time to include your knowledge of technical areas in your CV.