Advice for personal tutors

preparing for employability-

based tutorials with Modern

Languages finalists

Jos Harrison

March 2011

www.ucml.ac.uk

Author

Jos Harrison is a Careers Adviser at Newcastle University‟ s Careers Service and

works with the University‟s School of Modern Languages.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank the Civil Service Fast Stream for allowing the inclusion of

their competency-based recruitment framework in this document. She also wishes

to thank Ruth O‟Rourke for writing the original document which inspired this guide,

and Richard Hardie, Vice-Chair of UBS, for his kind assistance.

Published by

Published by UCML with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for

England.

University Council of Modern Languages (UCML)

t: +44 (0)23 8059 4814

f: +44 (0)23 8059 4815

e: ucml@soton.ac.uk

www.ucml.ac.uk

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

Non Commercial-No Derivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales

(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Contents

Abstract 1

Introduction 2

Employability: what is it? 2

How do Modern Languages graduates do? 3

What do graduate employers want? 4

The Modern Languages graduate offering 6

Evidencing the Modern Languages graduate offering 8

Where have all the language jobs gone?! 10

The importance of work experience 12

Useful resources 14

References 16

www.ucml.ac.uk

1

Abstract

This document provides information and advice for personal tutors in university

Modern Languages departments preparing for employability/careers-based

discussions with their final year undergraduate tutees.

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Introduction

The academic study of languages at degree level is a rewarding end in itself, as well

as a powerful tool to open up an immense range of opportunities.

Alongside this, enhancing student employability is increasingly seen, by both

Government and prospective applicants, as a key priority for universities, as is the

„the student experience‟. Although not a vocational subject, by its very nature a

Modern Languages degree enables students to develop a rich mixture of

employability skills; this document aims to provide a context for an employability-

focused tutorial between a personal tutor in a university Modern Languages‟

department and their final year undergraduate tutees.

Employability: what is it?

“A set of achievements skills, understandings and personal attributes that make

graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen

occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the

economy.” (Manz Yorke, 2006: 8)

The established measure of a graduate‟s success is the DLHE (Destinations of

Leavers of Higher Education) survey. This is conducted by universities each year,

according to strict Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) guidelines, to establish

what its home and EU graduates are doing six months after graduation. The

information, including data on levels of graduate-level employment, unemployment

and numbers going on to further study, is published each summer. The information

also feeds into influential university league tables, such as those produced by „The

Times‟ and „The Guardian‟.

Whilst a useful „snap-shot‟ of graduates‟ initial destinations, it does not take into

account the different ways in which individuals progress in their careers. For

example, six-months on a Modern Languages graduate might be in a „non-graduate‟

customer services job in order to save money for further study or to travel abroad.

Likewise, working as clerical assistant in a school may not be a „graduate-level‟ job,

but could be an ideal opportunity for a graduate wishing to gain the experience

needed to inform a teacher-training application. Additionally, the graduate job

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market is now very complex and, for whatever reason, a graduate, of any discipline,

may not feel ready to commit to a particular career path immediately upon graduation.

How do Modern Languages graduates do?

The DLHE survey consistently shows that Modern Languages graduates have one of

the lowest levels of unemployment six months after graduation (HECSU/AGCAS,

2007-2010). They also display a real interest in pursuing further study, be it

vocational or more purely academic. Other surveys have revealed that, longer-

term, linguists earn from between 8-20% more than their counterparts (Luddy, 2008).

So, there is a great deal to be positive about!

The DLHE survey also reveals, however, that the most common types of work

entered by Modern Language graduates over the years have tended to be non-

graduate e.g. „Retail, Catering, Waiting and Bar Staff‟ and „Other Clerical and

Secretarial Occupations‟. They are not alone however; this is also the case for

graduates from other humanities-based subjects, for example English and History

(HECSU/AGCAS, 2010).

These significant numbers may be due to some of the factors referred to above,

although for some graduates they may reflect other issues, including a failure to

recognise the full range of employability skills they have developed during their

studies and/or to articulate these effectively to prospective employers. There is a

wealth of evidence, however, that graduate recruiters particularly value what Modern

Languages graduates can offer. For example, according to Charles Macleod, Head

of UK Resourcing, PricewaterhouseCoopers,

“The value of [a student‟s] international experience goes beyond purely the

acquisition of language – it lies in the ability to see business and personal

issues from other than your own cultural perspective.” (Archer & Davison,

2008: title page).

NB The above quote appears on the report‟s title page! And also, from the Vice-

Chair of UBS, Richard Hardie,

“For us, someone with a good knowledge of a language builds trust and deepens

relationships with clients who speak that language.” (Routes into Languages North

East, 2011)

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What do graduate employers want?

Obviously this varies; „graduate employers‟ come in all sorts of shapes and sizes,

with varying wish-lists and preoccupations. Whilst not all Modern Languages will be

drawn to the commercial sector, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has

produced useful research and the employability skills it identifies would surely be

desirable to any graduate employer. According to a recent CBI survey,

“Employability skills are a top priority for business. Over three quarters (78%)

of the firms who responded to the CBI‟s education and skills 2009 survey said

it was one of the most important factors when recruiting graduates.....” (CBI,

2009: 11).

The same report listed the most sought-after employability skills as:

Self-management – readiness to accept responsibility, flexibility, resilience,

self-starting, appropriate assertiveness, time management, readiness to

improve own performance based on feedback/reflective learning.

Team-working – respecting others, co-operating, negotiating/persuading,

contributing to discussions, and awareness of interdependence with others.

Business and customer awareness – basic understanding of the key

drivers for business success – including the importance of innovation and

taking calculated risks – and the need to provide customer satisfaction and

build customer loyalty.

Problem solving – analysing facts and situations and applying creative

thinking to develop appropriate solutions.

Communication and literacy – application of literacy, ability to produce clear,

structured written work and oral literacy – including listening and questioning.

Application of numeracy – manipulation of numbers, general mathematical

awareness and its application in practical contexts (e.g. measuring, weighing,

estimating and applying formulae).

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Application of information technology – basic IT skills, including familiarity

with word processing, spreadsheets, file management and use of internet

search engines.

“Underpinning all these attributes, the key foundation, must be a positive

attitude: a „can-do‟ approach, a readiness to take part and contribute,

openness to new ideas and a drive to make these happen.” (CBI, 2009: 8)

Much research has been done and many reports written on this topic; you may even

find that your university has its own list of „graduate skills‟ or „employability skills‟ that

it has identified as desirable for its graduating students. Furthermore, individual

graduate employers usually list their own particular requirements.

For a significant proportion of graduate employers, these employability skills are

more important than specific degree knowledge: they demonstrate a graduate‟s

potential - their ability to learn and flourish. The same CBI report found that,

“Degree subject was important for four out of ten (41%) employers. “ (CBI, 2009: 11).

In a nutshell, graduate employers look for evidence of the following when assessing

applicants:

i. Can they do the job?

(Do they have the employability skills? Do they have an appropriate

academic level, although any degree subject may be acceptable)

And also,

ii. Do they want to do the job?

(Are they being realistic? Are they motivated? Have they done their

research e.g. obtained any useful work experience?)

iii. Do they want to work for us/will they fit in?

(As above: are they being realistic? Have they done their research? Do they

understand who we are and what we do?)

In terms of graduate employers‟ views of a Modern Languages degree, these are

likely to fall into two broad camps:

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a) Those who actively and specifically recruit Modern Languages graduates. First

and foremost they need their skills as linguists i.e. the job could not be done

without these (although these will still need to be supported by strong generic

employability skills).

b) Graduate employers seeking graduates of any degree subject: here the

employer‟s priority is the graduate‟s generic employability skills (of which Modern

Language graduates potentially have a rich offering; they need to demonstrate

this however). Depending on the nature of the work, some roles may offer

scope for using languages, cultural insights and international travel, and language

skills may be cited as „an advantage‟ or „useful‟, but not essential.

The Modern Languages graduate offering

When it comes to their employability some Modern Languages students may have a

tendency to think quite narrowly („I have language skills: in which jobs can I use

them?‟) and consequently overlook the full richness and complexity of what they

have to offer.

Encourage them to recognise and value its many aspects! This is vital (1) to help the

student realise what they are capable of and enjoy, and might want to be part of their

working life, and (2) to convince potential employers of their worth throughout the

application process.

Using different (admittedly overlapping) categories can facilitate the process of

identifying when they have developed specific skills/attributes/understanding , as can

prompting them to identify concrete examples of activities/projects etc.

a) Language skills, reading/writing/speaking/listening

Many Modern Language students rightly associate their degree with having

strong „communication skills‟, but encouraging them to unpick this rather

general statement can unlock useful specifics around a whole range of other

skills e.g. establishing rapport, attentive listening, accuracy, etc.

From the Vice-Chair of UBS, Richard Hardie, “But it‟s not just the foreign

language interpreting skills we value. A linguist is likely to have very strong

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oral and written communication skills in English as well.” (Routes into

Languages North East, 2011)

b) Intercultural understanding, including the year abroad, but also through the

academic study of literature, art, politics, religion, current affairs etc.

c) Intellectual skills, including critical thinking, making sense of complex

information, collating information from varied sources to present a well-reasoned

argument etc.

More from the Vice-Chair of UBS, Richard Hardie, “Apart from anything else

it‟s difficult to acquire a language so they will have proved, as too many young

people who come to see us cannot prove, that they‟ve been able to do

something difficult.” (Routes into Languages North East, 2011)

d) Study skills, including self-motivation, goal-setting, time management, and

perhaps adjusting to the education system in a foreign country

e) The year abroad, including resilience, personal maturity, independence,

problem-solving, initiative, immersion in another culture etc. Plus a potentially

other layer of skills/attributes/understanding for those who found their own

employment for the year abroad.

“Graduates who have international experience are highly employable

because they have demonstrated that they have drive, resilience and inter

cultural sensitivities, as well as language skills.” (Brown with Archer and

Barnes, 2008: 5).

and also, importantly,

f) Skills attributes gained from their broader university experience e.g.

involvement in student societies.

g) Skills gained outside university e.g. through part-time job, work experience,

travel, caring responsibilities.

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As stated by Dr. William Rowlandson, lecturer and head of Hispanic Studies at the

School of European Culture and Languages at the University of Kent, given their

skills set, “....the language graduate is in the admirable position to turn the question

around, from „who wants me‟ to „what do I want?‟” (Guardian Careers Online, 2010).

Evidencing the Modern Languages graduate offering

A vast number of graduate employers now use a competency- based approach to

identifying which applicants best meet their needs. This means that on application

forms and at interviews, applicants are faced with very specific questions requiring

them to talk about when and how they have used certain skills and attributes. At an

assessment centre they will show an employer that they have them.

Looking ahead at some real examples of how and when this could be required might

be a helpful vehicle for focusing your tutee on what they‟ve achieved and the skills

used along the way – regardless of what they decide to apply for.

For example, beneath are the competencies sought by the Civil Service Fast Stream .

This is one of the most popular graduate training schemes in the UK, and receives

tens of thousands of applications annually. Open to graduates of any discipline, it

can be particularly popular with Modern Languages graduates, who are often drawn

to opportunities with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Civil Service Fast Stream Competency Framework – Overview (©Civil Service

Fast Stream 2011)

Delivery Skills

Drive for results: Plans work activities, reviewing and prioritising as necessary, to

meet deadlines and customer expectations; is proactive and uses initiative when

problems arise or progress is slow; takes a lead and encourages others when

appropriate; shows resilience under pressure and does not let setbacks affect own

performance or relationships with others.

Learning and Improving: Acknowledges own development needs and seeks new

skills, knowledge and opportunities for learning; reflects on experiences to draw out

learning; learns from others; adapts quickly and effectively to new people, situations

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and task demands; operates effectively in a range of roles and contexts including

times and situations of uncertainty.

Intellectual Capacity

Decision-making: Analyses information quickly, comprehensively and effectively to

produce a sound evidence base for giving advice and making decisions and

recommendations; accepts the responsibility for taking decisions based on the best

available evidence, and has the self-confidence to take calculated risks.

Constructive thinking: Thinks imaginatively and creatively whilst keeping the goal

in mind; understands the bigger picture and sees relevant links between issues;

shows an open and agile mind and the intellectual curiosity to generate innovative

ideas and develop practical solutions from them.

Interpersonal Skills

Building productive relationships: Uses inter-personal skills to build rapport with

others; shows integrity in relationships; uses understanding of the motives, concerns

and situations of others to encourage them to give of their best and achieve goals;

values diversity and seeks opportunities to advocate its benefits.

Communicating with impact: Communicates clearly and persuasively both orally

and in writing; expresses own viewpoint coherently and succinctly, and defends it

appropriately; is an active participant in discussions; influences by skilful presentation

of arguments and negotiates to achieve objectives without alienating others.

(©Civil Service Fast Stream 2011)

Applicants are assessed against these at all stages and need to provide evidence,

which can be drawn from any aspect of their experience. Think how well a Modern

Languages graduate could do, if they don‟t under-estimate what they have achieved,

especially on the year abroad, as well as what is going to be considered relevant and

useful.

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Here are some examples of the type of questions that might follow from such

competencies.

Describe a situation where your communication skills made a difference to a

situation.

Give an example where your listening skills proved crucial to an outcome.

Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully

convince someone to see things your way

Tell us about the biggest change that you have had to deal with. How did you

cope with it?

Tell me about a time when you pro-actively sorted out an opportunity to develop

yourself.

Describe an example of an occasion when something you‟d planned for didn‟t

work out as you‟d hoped. What did you learn from this?

What‟s your greatest achievement? Of what are you most proud?

The Higher Education Academy‟s Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and

Areas studies includes a great example of a languages student using an apparently

minor incident (attempted bike theft!) from his year abroad In Italy to good effect in a

competency-style interview: http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/6185

Your university‟s Careers Service should be able to support your tutees as they

prepare job/further students applications be it a CV, covering letter or application

form. They should also be able to help prepare your tutees for any interviews and

assessment centres.

Where have all the language jobs gone?!

It might be that your tutees are feeling disappointed; throughout their languages

career thus far they‟ll have been assured by teachers, careers advisers, the media

and others, that they are acquiring rare skills that employers want – they‟ll be in

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demand! And then they start the search for a graduate job which will fully utilise all

their hard work and the languages they love........

A trawl of the usual graduate recruitment website and job fairs is likely to turn-up a

few opportunities especially for linguists, for example GCHQ, Teach First, and some

that explicitly value the Modern Language graduate‟s offering, such as L‟Oreal and

Unilever‟s Future Leaders Programme – Marketing, China. Overall though they

might be left feeling that it is all “rather general” – as did one graduate expressing

exactly this during a Guardian Careers Online Q & A, „What can I do with a degree in

languages?‟ Where is the list of companies that want to recruit language graduates?

And what if they don‟t want to work for a big business? The truth is the job market

is simply too complex for the comprehensive list, that they may want, to exist.

There will of course be those who wish to pursue the specialist linguists‟ careers

(translating, interpreting, teaching, academia); they can be signposted to the

resources they need to proceed. But there will be a significant number wishing to

use their language abilities otherwise and they could be feeling a little stumped.

The crux of the matter is this:

Focusing only on „using their language skills‟ is likely to be a red herring.

Language skills are potentially needed by employers in a huge range of diverse

sectors and job roles including, law, finance, charities, tourism, hospitality, local

and national government, international organisations, law, publishing, print and

broadcast journalism, sales and marketing, buying, event organising – and

undoubtedly more (See „Useful resources‟).

Although not all of the employers in these sectors with have an international

dimension to their work, many of course will, increasingly so: 79%, according to

one survey of blue-chip employers (Archer and Davison, 2008).

They will all recruit graduates differently: some will advertise graduate training

schemes; many will not and will instead rely on speculative applications from

motivated and focused graduates, many of whom will need to „work their way up‟.

Some may need to consider some relevant further study.

The Modern Languages graduate working as a commercial solicitor for a City-

based international law firm, with secondments to Paris and Bonn, is going to

have a very different working life (and fundamental outlook?) to the Modern

Languages graduate working for a small charity running development projects

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with partners in Brazil, yet they are both using their language skills and cultural

awareness.

It might help your tutee to start by initially removing their language skills from the

equation: what else is important to them? What else do they have to offer? In

which sectors/job roles might they find this? They could then re-attach their

language skills and start on a focused search to identify potential employers in an

area of work that appeals.

As quoted earlier, “....the language graduate is in the admirable position to turn

the question around , from „who wants me‟ to what do I want?‟ “. (Guardian

Careers Online, 2010).

Your university‟s Careers Service should be able to support your tutee with this

process.

At the risk of contradicting the above advice, there IS a lot of good news in terms of

opportunities for Modern Language graduates keen to apply their language skills in

the work place, for example:

“Recent research into the size of the language industry in the EU is very

encouraging. The industry, which is valued at EUR 8.4 billion, has one of the

highest growth rates of ALL industries in Europe, and is expected to double by

2015. Sectors analysed include: translation/interpreting, teaching, software

localisation and websites, development of language technology tools,

consultancy and multilingual conference organisation.” (Guardian Careers

Online, 2010)

The well-reported shortage of native English speakers in EU translation and

interpreting roles.

The UK Government campaign to increase the number of British staff working for

the EU.

Recent regional initiatives, for example Proctor & Gamble seek out Modern

Languages graduates to train as accountants at its North-East-based Financial

Services & Solutions Headquarters which provides financial services to P & G

operations across Europe and beyond.

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The importance of work experience

The definition of „employability‟ quoted at the start of this paper, included the need for

the „understandings‟ that would enable a graduate to gain employment. For many

graduate employers these „understandings‟ include a good understanding of their

sector and/or the job role applied for. They will look for persuasive evidence of this

throughout the application process. Work experience is often cited as key; all work

experience is good, but relevant experience especially so. 1999‟s „Working Out‟

report (Higher Education Careers Service Unit) looked at graduates‟ early

experiences of the job market and identified the following:

„One of the strongest messages to come out of the research is the importance

of work experience in enabling graduates to obtain appropriate employment

and conversely, the extent to which lack of success in the job market was

attributed to lack of relevant work experience‟ (Purcell, Pitcher and Simm,

1999: 11)

This message has been echoed many times since. Like graduate recruiters, work

experience can come in all shapes and size: from informal work-shadowing to formal

programmes between businesses and universities, such as those examined in the

„Future Fit‟ report.

Your tutee might have spent their year abroad working, or they may have spent

university vacations obtaining work experience; they might currently hold-down a

part-time job – or even dedicate time to volunteering. This is all very valuable - very.

It may be, however, that as a finalist they settle upon a sector/role for which they

need to gain relevant experience in order to have a realistic chance of „making it‟.

Again, your university‟s Careers Service should be able to advise them.

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Useful resources

What: Possible uses:

Your university‟s Careers

Service website (and staff

– there is almost certainly

a „link‟ careers adviser for

Modern Languages).

Suggested first port-of-call for anything you need

that‟s graduate career-related, including further study

and time out.

Where the DLHE data for your university‟s Modern

Languages degree is likely to be displayed.

May include further, more substantial, information on

what the university‟s Modern Language graduates

have done longer-term (cf. DLHE data) e.g. a

searchable alumni database.

Likely to include an on-line jobs board advertising

graduate jobs, work experience and part-time jobs.

What employers are offering for students on your

campus (e.g. recruitment fairs, presentations, skills

sessions etc.).

Selection of occupational information which is likely

to include a specific section on „language careers‟

(they will have spent time selecting the best content

to save you the time......).

May be able to deliver talks or workshops specially

designed for Modern Languages students.

Likely to offer 1:1 support to all students on topics

such as career decision-making and planning,

preparing effective applications.

„Degrees of Skill: Student

Employability Profiles – A

Guide for Employers‟

(Council for Industry &

Higher Education (CIHE),

2006, www.cihe.co.uk )

A useful breakdown of the employability skills

developed on a Modern Languages degree (the

document was designed to show employers what

different degree subjects can do).

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What: Possible uses:

„The Language Graduate‟

grid (Jocelyn Wyburd,

Manchester University)

Discussing with tutees when and how they have

developed skills and attributes during their language

studies.

www.prospects.ac.uk

„The UK‟s official

graduate careers

website‟.

Article on „Using your language skills‟: a useful

overview for the tutee keen to use their language

ability, but looking for ideas.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/using_your_language_sk

ills.htm

Also „Options with your subject: Modern Languages‟

Probably the most definitive guide to graduate job

roles; well-researched and up-to-date, practical

information. Useful for the student who knows what

they want, but doesn‟t know where to begin. You

can refer them to the A-Z list of job roles (“I want to

be a newspaper journalist” – very specific) or the

broader „Industry insights‟ (“I want to work in the

media” – vague idea).

www.languageswork.org.

uk „The national

information resource on

careers with languages‟

(from CILT)

„Case studies‟ („Career choices‟): searchable by

language or job sector. Excellent examples of real

people using their languages in the work place.

May help a tutee wishing to „get beyond‟ the usual

graduate recruitment offering.

„Find a job‟ includes links to recruitment agencies

specialising in language careers and a list of Bilateral

Chambers of Commerce in the UK.

Website includes other possibly useful resources,

but without a specifically graduate focus some of the

detail may be insufficient for university students (cf.

Prospects).

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References

Mantz Yorke (2006) Employability in higher education: what it is – what it is not.

Learning and Employability Series, The Higher Education Academy, p.8.

Luddy, D. (2008) It’s good to talk: How being multi-lingual can boost your career.

Independent. 23 October. www.independent.co.uk (23 May 2011)

Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU)/Association of Graduate Careers

Advisory Service (AGCAS) (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010). What do graduates do?

www.hecsu.ac.uk (23 May 2011)

Archer, W. & Davison J. (2008) Graduate Employability: What do employers think

and want? London. The Council for Industry and Higher Education.

Routes into Languages North East (2011) Richard Hardie’s Keynote Address at Links

into Languages North East Teachers Conference, ‘Realising the Strategic

Importance of Languages’

www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/routesintolanguages/northeast/resources (26 May

2011)

Confederation of British Industry (2009) Future fit: preparing graduates for the world

of work. p. 8, 11. www.cbi.org.uk (23 May 2011)

Brown, R. with Archer, W. and Barnes, J. (2008). Global Horizons and the Role of

Employers. London. The Council for Industry and Higher Education. p.5.

Guardian Careers Online (2010). Live Q & A: What can I do with a degree in

languages? www.careers.guardian.co.uk (22 July 2010).

Roe, C. (2010). How I learnt to value the subjunctive. The Higher Education

Academy Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies.

http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/6185 (23 May 2011).

Purcell, K., Pitcher, J. and Simm, C. Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU)

(1999). Working Out? Graduates’ early experiences of the labour market. p.11.

(www.hecsu.ac.uk) (23 May 2011).