Understanding employer expectations and mutual expectations of potential employees in terms of employability

In today's dynamic and versatile job market, both employers and potential employees share a mutual expectation to find the perfect match. While employers seek competent, adaptable, responsible, self-motivated, loyal professionals who can easily get altered into the work culture, potential employees seek rewarding and fulfilling careers. Hence perceiving the expectation of both is crucial to ensure a prosperous partnership and strong relationship between employer and employees. This blog will explore the expectations of the employees and how it will shed light on employee expectations and employability. 

Employability is “predominantly conceptualised as the skills and personal attributes considered important by industry and needed by graduates in order to secure employment” (Rowe & Zegwaard, 2017, p. 87). Employer expectations are the things that employers expect from their potential employees during the hiring, or in their currently working employees. In return, potential employees also expect their employers to treat them satisfactorily by giving value and recognition for what they do. 

What are employer expectations?

Employer expectations can be variable in accordance with different professions. McQuaid and Lindsay (2005), on the basis of their study, have established characteristics that comprise basic social skills such as honesty and integrity; ability to present oneself professionally; reliability; readiness to work; understanding one’s actions and the consequences; displaying a positive attitude towards work and a sense of responsibility and self-discipline. Nevertheless, the industries have transformed now that the employers seek more of the soft skills to paper qualifications. Employers in the UK (UKCES, 2016) regard operational skills such as solving complex problems, and technical and practical skills are required in employees and those will build interpersonal relationships like time management and customer care. Employers in Catalonia in Spain have identified the ability to learn new things and teamwork as being the most essential skills while the employers in New Zealand have comprehended the ability and willingness to learn as the most important skills that employees should possess. (Lisa, E., Hennelova, K. and Newman, D., 2019)

Amidst all these different employee expectations, here are a few of the often-expected employee expectations;

• Skills and Expertise: Employers expect employees to possess required professional, technical and soft skills relevant to the job. 

• Adaptability and Learnability: Any employer would admire individuals who can adapt to new work cultures and learn new techniques and skills quickly. Especially such employees will become an asset to companies in which case they will be recognized and remunerated satisfactorily. 

• Professionalism and Work Ethics: Employers expect their employees to be professional with respectful, punctual and team bonding qualities which will make them easily get assimilated into the work cultures of the companies.

Apprehension of employer expectations can be a handy convenience for potential employees for they can understand what sort of a role they are expected to perform on the job. It is more important for currently working employees to make their careers more satisfactory by strengthening their relationship with the employer.

References

Lisa, E., Hennelova, K. and Newman, D. (2019) Comparison between employers’ and students’ expectations in respect of employability skills of university graduates. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 20(1), 71-82

McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The Concept of Employability. Urban Studies 42(2), 197-219.

Rowe, A. D., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2017). Developing graduate employability skills and attributes: Curriculum enhancement through work-integrated learning. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Special Issue, 18(2), 87-99.

UKCES (2016). Employer skills survey 2015: UK results. London, UK: UK Commission for Employment and Skills.