Employability: what it is, why it is important and how to develop it

Employability or employability: this is how the English term “employability” can be translated. An increasingly important concept when talking about today’s job market, where it may happen that you have to deal with unemployment and the need to reinvent yourself in the professional field. But what is employability and why is it important?

Employability: what is it?

Although its literal meaning is that of employability or employability, the concept of employability can be broadened. First of all, it must be said that it is not necessarily connected to the concepts of unemployment and job search, and can be described as the set of skills and abilities that allow one to be interesting for the job market.

In other words, it is a concept that encompasses the worker’s professional path and all of his skills and abilities. The higher the level of professional skills and competences of the worker, the higher the probability of intercepting job opportunities in line with one’s expectations and one’s know-how.

It is interesting to note how employability is an ongoing process since, experience after experience, the worker acquires new skills which he can then exploit with a view to improving his working conditions and remuneration.

Employability is therefore the ability a person has to find work, regardless of whether they start from a state of unemployment or while they are already employed.

What is important to maintain and improve your employability

Why is employability important? Employability is relevant because it leads to:

• stay competitive: the advice is to never stop training, with master’s degrees and post-graduate courses but also during your working career it is important to stay up to date, integrate your skills and make yourself attractive in the eyes of companies;
• don’t get “left out”: in an increasingly competitive and constantly evolving world of work, companies often need to change roles and tasks for their workers. In these situations, it is important to show your employer that you have transversal and versatile skills;
• enrich your Curriculum Vitae: beyond your school education and past work experience, having different skills and dedicating yourself to your professional growth always makes a good impression, and increases your marketability when looking for work.
• To improve your employability you need to know how to question yourself, not be afraid to take on new roles and projects, be open to change and not let difficulties get you down.

But it is also necessary to have good communication and organizational skills. It is important that every worker knows how to build and maintain interpersonal relationships (with colleagues, customers and suppliers) and is capable of mediating and negotiating. Furthermore, they must be able to manage time efficiently, have lateral thinking skills and react to critical issues with promptness, creativity and problem-solving skills.

How is employability developed?

As anticipated, to develop one’s employability it is essential to never stop training, for example by attending courses in person or online. You don’t necessarily need to focus on training courses strictly relevant to your professional role: to improve yourself and acquire new skills it is also important to leave your comfort zone. Finally, you shouldn’t neglect your hobbies and passions: even your interests outside of work can in fact contribute to improving your employability.

How is the employability index calculated?

Having clarified what employability is and why it is important, if you want to have an idea of how spendable your skills are on the job market, you can contact Phyd.

Phyd helps you calculate your employability index and therefore your employability, analyzing the qualifications obtained, your past work experience, your hard and soft skills and your communication skills.

By comparing this data with market demand, we measure your employability.