Graduate skills

Graduate Skills

Futures: Graduate Skills 1/37

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Graduate Skills one of the series of Futures workbooks, which
help students choose and prepare for their careers. Like the other
workbooks in the series you can dip in and out doing the exercises which are
most relevant to you. You might want to include the exercises or the output
in your personal development plan or e-portfolio.

The aim of this workbook is to introduce you to the concept of graduate job
skills and enterprise, looking at which career path you decides to follow. It’s
not just about starting a business; enterprise skills or attributes are as useful
in employment as they are in self employment.

CONTENTS

WHAT IS ENTERPRISE?.......................................................................................3

? ARE YOU ENTREPRENEURIAL?.....................................................................5

OPPORTUNITY SEEKING.....................................................................................9

INITIATIVE..............................................................................................................9

CREATIVITY...........................................................................................................9

SELF CONFIDENCE..............................................................................................9

PERSEVERANCE..................................................................................................9

NETWORKING.......................................................................................................9

JUDGMENT............................................................................................................9

SELLING.................................................................................................................9

SKILL ONE: OPPORTUNITY SEEKING..........................................................11

SKILL TWO: INITIATIVE......................................................................................14

SKILL THREE: CREATIVITY...............................................................................19


SKILL FOUR: SELF CONFIDENCE...................................................................20

SKILL FIVE: PERSEVERANCE..........................................................................24

SKILL SIX: NETWORKING.................................................................................25

SKILL 7. JUDGEMENT........................................................................................28

SKILL 8. SELLING...............................................................................................31

SUMMARISE........................................................................................................34

Produced by Debbie Adams, Laura Dean and Ted Sarmiento

What is enterprise?

"Enterprise is purposeful active behaviour, which can take place in any
number of contexts, business being only one. Enterprise is making things
happen, having ideas, and doing something about them, taking advantage of
opportunities to bring about change"

(SEC 2000 Scottish Getintoenterprise programme)

Enterprise is often referred to as the act of starting and developing a
business. However the skill of being able to spot new opportunities, having a
“can do” attitude and the determination to take ideas forward to success not
only applies to budding entrepreneurs but can be a vital part of your own
personal development and ability to progress in any career.

Why do I need to think about this?

It’s all about employability!

“to be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure”
(Dr P Hawkins)

Enterprising graduates will tend to have more career success as their skills
and adaptable attitude can be transferable to any employment situation.
Graduate employers see enterprise skills as essential when recruiting and
need to see evidence of students flexing their entrepreneurial muscles
through work experience, participation in projects, sports, competitions,
volunteering and so on.


Whether you plan to get a job, freelance, travel or set up your own business,
you can use this workbook to help you assess your job skills now and learn
how to develop those skills to take you to where you want to be.

How to tackle this workbook

Throughout this workbook, we examine eight key “enterprise skills” and for
each skill we provide examples, definitions, advice and practical ways to help
you develop these skills over a period of time.

• Feel free to dip in and out of the workbook, focusing on those skills
you are keen to develop
• Continually reflect on your activities and learning and make use of the
pages designed to help you write up your experiences


Are you enterprising enough?

“Enterprise is a state of mind, or an attitude to life. You don’t stop
being enterprising when you are at play, at home, at school or work”

Source: Enterprise Insight

How well do you know yourself, your behaviour or your motivation? Are you
enterprising? Are you entrepreneurial? Many graduate employers now look
for enterprise skills in their new recruits, for example graduate recruiter 3M
quote..

“We look to bring innovative products to the market that succeed. To do this
we need out of the ordinary thinking, challenges to the status quo and
calculated risk taking – all characteristics of entrepreneurs”
Dr P A Kennedy, 3M UK Ltd

Equally the skills, behaviour and drive of the individual responsible for
starting and running a new venture has a major impact on its level of
success.

It seems logical therefore to do a spot of naval gazing and assess whether
we are already enterprising and identify any gaps where we can work on
developing and nurturing our employability and/or entrepreneurial attributes.

Have a look at this basic entrepreneurial test on the following page, which
consists of 25 statements in total.

For each of the statements in the test, select the number on the scale that
most closely describes your personal feelings. Remember, there is no right or
wrong answer, so be as honest as you can.

Try to use the full range of the scale. If you always answer a "2" you will not
get the maximum benefit from this test.

How true are these statements of you? Scale: 1 = not at all true, 2 =
sometimes true, 3 = mostly true, 4 = very true.

You just need to remember that this is simply a tool. It is fun to take and fun
to interpret, but you should keep it in perspective.


1. I'm persistent. I am persistent. 1 2 3 4

2. I believe my success will be dependant on me. 1 2 3 4

3. When there's something I want, I keep my goal clearly in mind. 1 2 3 4

4. I examine mistakes and I learn from them. 1 2 3 4

5. I keep New Year's resolutions. 1 2 3 4

6. I have a strong personal need to succeed. 1 2 3 4

7. I have new and different ideas. 1 2 3 4

8. I am adaptable. 1 2 3 4

9. I always give the best of myself. 1 2 3 4

10. I am intuitive. 1 2 3 4

11. If something can't be done, I find a way. 1 2 3 4

12. I see problems as challenges. 1 2 3 4

13. I take chances. 1 2 3 4

14. I'll gamble on a good idea even if it isn't a sure thing. 1 2 3 4

15. To learn something new, I explore unfamiliar subjects. 1 2 3 4

16. I can recover from emotional setbacks. 1 2 3 4

17. I feel sure of myself. 1 2 3 4

18. I'm a positive person. 1 2 3 4

19. I experiment with new ways to do things. 1 2 3 4

20. I'm willing to undergo sacrifices to gain possible long term 1 2 3 4
rewards.
21. I usually do things my own way. 1 2 3 4

22. I tend to rebel against authority. 1 2 3 4

23. I often enjoy being alone. 1 2 3 4

24. I like to be in control. 1 2 3 4

25. I enjoy meeting new people and networking. 1 2 3 4

9 15 1
Column Total:
18 45 4
Total Score:


67

http://mvp.cfee.org/cgi-bin/scorequiz2.cgi
This print screen is of an entrepreneurial questionnaire to assess my skills.
According to this questionnaire I have got a good foundation on which to
develop my skill. It is important for me to now my strengths and weaknesses
for being and entrepreneur because I can use my strengths to my advantage
and improve on my weaknesses to help me be better all round.
I found that my strength in both questionnaires are that I am persistent. This
is a key skill for being employable because if you aren’t hard working then it
doesn’t matter how good you are at the skills you are you won’t get for
because you won’t use them because you are persistent enough.
I found that the main area I want to improve is that creativity. I didn’t score
highly in either questionnaire in this area. I feel that it is an important skill as
well because without this it is a lot harder to be successful at opportunity
seeking. I am going to improve this skill by making more ideas in group
meetings, realistic or not so people could work of the ideas if there is a bit of
the idea that could work.


If you scored over 75: ENTREPRENEURIAL

You are a success already! Your powers of creativity and imagination will
ensure that you go through business (and life) without a care, making a
roaring success out of everything you do. You want to be in control and are
prepared to cope with anything that stands in your way. Good luck and don’t
forget to keep on learning!

If you scored between 59 and 75: ENTERPRISING

You are well on your way to developing a true entrepreneurial mindset and
will easily be able to adapt your skills and attributes to any employment
context. You demonstrate a positive way of thinking and would prove an
asset to any organisation large or small. To become a successful business
owner you may need to consider how you might handle insecurity and risk.

If you scored between 47 and 59: EMPLOYABLE

You certainly show signs of being able to identify your own skills and have
many that would be valuable to employers. You have potential to run your
own business but need to push yourself if you want to demonstrate
entrepreneurial capability. You may want to identify and improve your skills
in areas where you lack confidence.

If you scored less than 47: UNSATISFACTORY

Self-employment is probably not for you. You will probably be happier and
more successful working for someone else and being told what to do.
However even working for someone else means you need to demonstrate
more of the above attributes. Work on becoming more self aware and reflect
on the skills you need to become more employable and more enterprising
and take action to develop them.

There are alternative entrepreneurial self-assessment tests on-line at:

http://mvp.cfee.org/en/selfassesscharacter.html
www.liraz.com/webquiz.htm
www.potentielentrepreneur.ca/client/questionnairenewsection1en.asp


Sharpen your enterprise skills

Here at Leeds Metropolitan University, we feel that there are eight key skills
that can be practiced to demonstrate and/or enhance your enterprising
behaviors and attributes. The following are the enterprise skills that this
workbook aims to help you put into practice.

Entrepreneurial Description To work on
Skill this skill
turn to
page
1 Opportunity Opportunity seeking and grasping. 9
Seeking 10 (27) Action orientation. Preference of
67.5% learning by doing.

2 Initiative 1 (3) Taking initiatives to make things 12
75% happen. Achievement of ambition.

3 Creativity 7 (16) Creative problem solving. Putting 15
57% things together creatively.

4 Self confidence Managing autonomously. Taking 18
10(28) 70% responsibility for and ownership of
things. Self confidence and self
belief
High internal locus of control.
Holistically Managing
business/projects/situations.
Strategic thinking

5 Perseverance 6 Seeing things through. 21
(18) 75% Hardworking. Determination.

6 Networking 1 (3) Networking effectively. 24
75%

7 Judgment 3(7) Using judgment to take calculated 27
78% risks. Intuitive decision making
under uncertainty.

8 Selling 2(6) 75% Persuading, Negotiation, Proposing. 30


STAR

Having looked at the skills on the previous page, can you identify those skills
you would like to develop?

One way of identifying which of those skills you need to develop and work on
is by trying to evidence each skill in a STAR format.

Imagine you were in an interview and your prospective employer asks you to
give an example of a time when you have displayed this skill. What example
could you give?

Think about your experiences in university, school, work, social or any
setting where you have been able to demonstrate this skill.

Situation
Describe the situation you were in. What was the specific event or set of
circumstances in which you found yourself?

Task
Describe the task you needed or wanted to accomplish. What was your
strategic goal or mission, what did you want to achieve?

Action
Describe the action(s) you took and keep the focus on you and your
contribution even if it was a team activity.

Result
What happened? What were the outcomes – positive and negative? What
did you learn?

As an example look at the following extract from Duncan Bannatyne’s
autobiography “Anyone can do it: My story” published by Orion Books
2006.


Skill One: Opportunity Seeking

An example….

Situation
I noticed that most of the kids at the high school had bikes and, as the only kid
without one, I felt incredibly left out. I had been asking my dad almost all of my
life for a bike but his answer was always the same – we were still poor – so I
decided that if he couldn’t buy me a bike then I’d have to buy one myself. I knew
a couple of kids at school had paper rounds, so I thought I’d get one and save up.

The local paper shop was known as Jenny’s newsagents, after its owner, I went in
and asked for a paper round but Jenny looked down her nose at me and said,
“there’s none available” I didn’t believe her and instinctively knew that she
thought I was a scruffy urchin who couldn’t be trusted. I also knew there were
people in Clydebank who wanted a paper delivered because my mum was one of
them.

Task
So I told Jenny, “My mother wants a paper delivered but no one delivers in our
street.”
“Well you can’t create a paper round for just one house” she replied, “How many
houses do you need?” I asked, Jenny looked me up and down, and thought for a
second about a number that would put me off. “One hundred” she said. And that
was it. I made my mind up that I was going to find a hundred households that
wanted a paper delivery. From that moment on I was a small boy on a mission to
buy his first bike and I rushed home to get a pencil and paper.

Action
I wrote my mums name at the top of the list and then started knocking on doors,
asking if anyone wanted a paper delivery. I started with the neighbours who all
knew me, and when they said yes I grew in confidence and carried on knocking
on doors until the evening. I ended up in streets I didn’t really know, cold calling
complete strangers, not that I knew it was called cold-calling in those days. I had
to knock on about 150 doors to get my 100 names, but by the time it was getting
dark I had them.

Result
As soon as I woke up the next morning I went straight back to Jenny and asked
again for the paper round. This time she had no option but to say yes. It was my
first taste of entrepreneurialism, and looking back, I can see that it was also my
first mistake in business: I now realize that my list of names was very valuable to
Jenny and I should have sold it to her rather than giving it away. Still we live and
learn.


Skill One: Opportunity Seeking

Having an open mind. Exploring
everywhere…all the time. Action
orientation. Questioning.

“An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and
sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who
drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing
development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas
of life”

Creating Opportunity by Jim Rohn

There are opportunities everywhere; all you need to do is get into the habit
of looking for them. As you go through your daily routines – bus, train, work,
university, gym, pub, shops etc – think a little deeper about what is around
you. Think about the products and services you and your friends and family
encounter…

Ways to practice…

• Ask some of your family and friends for their list of complaints about
university, accommodation, their jobs, services they have been
unhappy with, products they cannot find etc
• Pick one or two you agree with and try brainstorming with a friend or
mind mapping to generate some ideas of how to address these issues
(see page x for further information on mind mapping)
• Write down everything you think of – no matter how crazy it may first
appear – then review and refine

Practice these opportunity spotting skills constantly for a set period of time.
Make some notes as you go along to remind yourself when you have
practiced spotting opportunities, regardless of whether you think you have
found a new opportunity or not. At the end of this time, write up your
experiences in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result).


Skill: Opportunity Spotting

I recognised that there was a swimming
Situation competition at my local swimming club. This
Describe the situation competition would be a charity event to try
you were in. What was and raise money. The competition is called
the specific event or Swimfest but wasn’t well known. I decided to
set of circumstances in make a point of sale for Swimfest.
which you found
yourself?

I wanted to make there be more people to
Task know about the competition so more people
Describe the task you will attend. It would also count to my A level
needed or wanted to design technology practical assessment so I
accomplish. What was wanted to get a good grade to.
your strategic goal or
mission, what did you
want to achieve?

I would have to go to the manager of the
Action Swimfest and update him on the ideas, design
Describe the action(s) of the point of sale and he also came to visit
you took and keep the will I was making the point of sale to make
focus on you and your sure was how he wants it.
contribution even if it
was a team activity.

I made the point of sale to the way the
Result manager wanted so he was happy and I got a
What happened? What good grade
were the outcomes –
positive and negative?
What did you learn?


Skill Two: Initiative

Taking the lead to make things happen.
Achievement of ambition.

You can use your initiative in any situation and it can be defined in a variety
of ways such as: “a beginning or introductory step” or “readiness to embark
on a new venture”.
(www.dictionary.com)

Have a look at the following example.

Situation

Mary was interested in research right from her undergraduate diploma but
found her work as a nurse and later, after retraining, as a midwife did not
provide many opportunities for research. However she saw the need for
alternative treatments and interventions for new mothers.

Task

Mary needed to work on her own initiative to find alternative ways of
pursuing research, whilst continuing her current job.

Action

Mary found a series of funders, including the NHS Executive Research
Fellowship Scheme, and by the Smith and Nephew Nursing Foundation Trust.
Mary adds: 'It's not easy looking for funding; you've got to believe in yourself
and your ideas. You might have some doors close but you just find one that
will open.' Mary also needed to persuade her managers that a short term
secondment was practical

Result

Mary’s research has been fruitful in changing practices and in developing new
treatments/interventions. One of her ideas: a 'Maternity Cooling Gel Pad',
used to alleviate perineal trauma associated with stitches after childbirth, is
now a commercial product known as the 'femepad' and is available for
women from most high street chemists, Mothercare and the National
Childbirth Trust.


Ways to Practice

Think of some occasions when you have shown initiative. These may be in
university, work or at home and may be times where you have gone above
and beyond what was expected of you.

Think about situations you have been in that have prompted you into action
or given you an idea that you have implemented. For example someone
working part time in a bar may show initiative by suggesting a new process
that means customers are served more quickly.

In a job interview situation, employers will often ask you to describe a
situation where you have used your initiative and what the outcome of that
situation was.

For a set period of time make some notes as to remind yourself when you
have shown initiative, regardless of whether you think the outcome was
positive or negative. At the end of this time, write up your best experience in
the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result).


Skill Two: Initiative

I used to work for my parents making the eggs
Situation ready for selling to do this they had to be
Describe the situation grade to separate the different size stamped
you were in. What was and then boxed into boxes
the specific event or
set of circumstances in
which you found
yourself?

I had to do all this work so it was ready for the
Task eggs to be sold
Describe the task you
needed or wanted to
accomplish. What was
want to achieve?

I made the layout more effective so that it
Action would be a lot quicker and easier for the jobs
Describe the action(s) to be done
you took and keep the
focus on you and your

The work as done a lot faster with less hassle
Result of getting things muddled up
What happened? What
What did you learn?


Skill Three: Creativity

Creative problem solving.
Putting things together in a new
way.

Creativity is the ability to do old things in a new or different way, or to see
new solutions to problems. The more creative you are, the more good ideas
you generate and good ideas are vital for business success.

Creativity Myths…
• Creativity is rare?
o Everyone has the capacity to be creative, but creative
expression is less common.
• Creativity is for high IQ’s?
o Intelligence is not necessary for creativity
• Creativity can’t be learned?
o Everyone can learn to express greater creativity by developing
skills and competencies.

Lessons from Creativity research…
• Learn to pay attention to and preserve your ideas
• Failure is invaluable, because it causes ideas to compete
• Broad training is important so that diverse ideas can compete
• Well designed physical and social environments can stimulate
ideas

Ways to practice and develop your creativity

• Avoid negative “self talk”. If you are continually saying that you are
not creative or you have no imagination, then these words will turn into a
self fulfilling prophecy. Be conscious of the fact that you have ideas within
you – they just need to be uncovered.
• Be “unlimited” - Get into the habit of seeing no boundaries; decide that
there are no taboos. Have the belief that with a bit of focus you can find a
creative solution to all of your problems. This is the foundation for a
creative thought process
• Be Future-Focused - Creative ideas invariably come when you ‘look’ into
the future. Have a go at mind mapping your future – both short and long
term. Take a blank piece of paper and start with your goal in the middle,
e.g. become a millionaire / run a social enterprise / achieve work/life
balance etc. See over the page for an example of mind mapping the
problem of how to make more money. Go to www.mind-mapping.co.uk
for more help.


• Capture your ideas – carry round a small notebook and pen with you at
all times. If you are struck by an idea, you can quickly note it down.
When reviewing your notes, you may discover about 90% of your ideas
are daft or unworkable but don't worry, that's normal. What's important
are the 10% that could be brilliant.
• Exercise your brain by reading a lot, talking to lots of different types of
people and disagreeing with people – arguing/ debating can be a terrific
way to give your brain cells a workout.
• Decrease your stress levels, stressors such as noise, interruptions,
clutter, routine and mundane tasks can all seriously decrease your ability
to be creative. Try to minimise these and allocate time in your day for
relaxation, free thinking, and daydreaming.
• Get out of your comfort zone. Expose yourself to a variety of new
activities and situations that are different to your usual routine. By giving
yourself a change of scenery, you give your creative, right brain a chance
to rejuvenate.

Car boot Visit Business
Visit www.business-start-
E-bay Link
up.biz
friends Sell some Start a
of my stuff business

How can I make
some money?
Mum?
Get a part- Borrow some Dad?
time job money?

Visit Job-shop Get a student
loan

Example of a mind map

Have a go at practicing some of these ideas for a set period of time. Make
some notes as you go along to remind yourself when you have been creative,
regardless of whether you think this creativity will turn out to be useful in the
future. Think about projects where you have worked differently to improve
something. Bear in mind that this skill is about more than having physical
creativity - it’s about thinking of how things can be done differently. You can
demonstrate this by giving examples of times when you came up with new
initiatives, which challenged existing practices.

At the end of this time, write up your experiences in the STAR format
(Situation, Task, Action, Result).


Skill Three: Creativity

In design technology for my practical I had no
Situation brief so I could design anything as long as I
Describe the situation found a client and it was new. I designed and
you were in. What was made a trolley/cart with one big wheel to help
the specific event or move rugby equipment easily quickly and have
set of circumstances in easy access to them
which you found
yourself?

I had to make the cart/ trolley that was new
Task innovative and practical for the moving on a
Describe the task you rugby pitch, fold up and fit in the boot of a car
needed or wanted to and also to be able to carry the heavy weight
accomplish. What was of the equipment.
want to achieve?

I only used one big wheel so it is more
Action manoeuvrable and is easier to move on grass
Describe the action(s) pitches

The end product was successful and I used it
Result on a few pitch and it was a lot easier than
What happened? What moving things like prams etc
What did you learn?


Skill Four: Self confidence

Managing autonomously.
Taking responsibility for and ownership
of things. Self belief. High internal locus
of control. Holistically managing
business/projects/situations.

Self confidence is a key entrepreneurial skill for success. It is about the belief
in yourself and your own abilities and that belief will enable you to make
decisions, explore new ventures and take calculated risks.

Ways to practice

Building self confidence at any stage in your life is based on success and
positive experiences. Here are some ideas to develop your self esteem over
time:

• Firstly write down what self confidence means to you by listing all the
things you will be able to do once you have the confidence you need.
These should be positive statements and relate to something tangible, like
making a particular phone call, saying something to a particular person,
giving a presentation, speaking up in a situation etc

• Then allocate some time to sit and write down all your key achievements
and skills gained over the last five years – include educational, sport,
social – anything that has happened in your life that you are proud of or
that you feel you have learned something from.

• Seek positive feedback by asking friends, family, peers, colleagues etc to
each name three positive things about you. It might sound embarrassing
but you’ll be surprised at the good things you will learn about yourself.
Once you recognise these you can start to use them to help you. Positive
reinforcement of your behaviour, attitude and abilities will help support
your own self belief.

• Once you have been through the above three activities, you should be in
a position to see where the gaps lie and areas where you need to develop.
Please refer to the Futures Workbooks ‘Your Skills’ and ‘Personality and
Values’ for further help with this.

• Set yourself a small, realistic goal in line with the above, keep this goal
attainable and contained and don’t overextend your expectations of
yourself the first time out. Then achieve that goal and feel good about it.


• Next, set a slightly larger goal, something a bit bolder and enough of a
stretch to put you slightly out of your comfort zone. Achieve that goal and
feel even better. And so forth until you’re in a slow and steady forward
march, building self-confidence step-by-step.

Practice some of the methods above, or some of your own, for a set period of
time. Make some notes as you go along to remind yourself of the situations,
regardless of whether you think the outcome was positive or negative. At the
end of this time, write up your experiences in the STAR format (Situation,
Task, Action, Result).

Skill Four: Self Confidence

In a big national cup game for my rugby team
Situation I said that I would play in a position that I had
Describe the situation only played there twice before.
you were in. What was
which you found
yourself?

I had to play I a completely different position
Task to what I am used to but I had the confidence
Describe the task you that I will be good enough to do well in that
needed or wanted to position
want to achieve?

I played the whole 80 minutes of the match
Action and the coaches were very impressed with
Describe the action(s) how well I did play especially because they
you took and keep the said before the start of the game that I will
focus on you and your probably only play for half the game in that
contribution even if it position

the coaches were very impressed with how
Result well I did play especially because they said
What happened? What before the start of the game that I will
were the outcomes – probably only play for half the game in that
positive and negative? position
What did you learn?


Skill Five: Perseverance

Seeing things through. Hardwork.
Determination. A project champion.

Perseverance…

“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.
Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you
do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of
themselves.” ~ Dale Carnegie

• Learn never to give up!
• If at first you don’t succeed, try try again…
• If at first you don’t fail, you won’t succeed
o In the USA, banks often look for a number of previous business
failures before granting new loans to potential entrepreneurs.

The power of perseverance should never be underestimated. Many people
have achieved great success in the face of huge odds by refusing to give up
and by continuing regardless towards their goals.

Here are some facts about a well-known man who used perseverance to
overcome the odds and finally achieve his goals!

Beginning at age 31 up until age 60, this man failed in business twice, was
defeated in legislative races twice, survived the death of a loved one,
suffered a nervous breakdown, lost three congressional races, lost two
senatorial races, one vice presidential race and was finally elected President
of the United States at age the age of 60.

This man was Abraham Lincoln – and his fighting spirit epitomises the word
perseverance!

Another example closer to home is writer Joanna Rowling, author of the
Harry Potter books, who persevered against the odds. She wrote her first
book when she was a penniless single parent with a small daughter, living on
benefit. She wrote her book by hand, sitting day after day over a coffee in a
café while her daughter slept in her pushchair next to her. When she finally
finished her book, after many months, she sent it off to an agent who
rejected it as being too long for children. Joanna’s reaction was not to change
her book; she simply sent it off to other agents until she found one who
loved it. The rest as they say is history and Joanna is now one of the richest
and most successful women in the UK.

Ways to practice…


• Stay up late (or get up early) and get an assignment done before it’s
due (use the extra time to make it better instead of finishing it off)

• Try a sport or activity which requires perseverance (walk to University,
go for a bike ride, a run, climb a hill, do an hour-long gym class)

• Read an entire book that you feel will be useful for your future career,
cover to cover, in one week or less.

• Pursue any ideas or innovations you may have had with friends,
family, tutors or work colleagues. Persuade and influence them of your
great idea and work on achieving your goal no matter how small it
may be.

Practice your perseverance skills by the methods above, or some of your
own, for a set period of time. Make some notes as you go along to remind
yourself when you have persevered, especially when others have given up,
regardless of whether you think the outcome was positive or negative. At the
end of this time, write up your experiences in the STAR format (Situation,
Task, Action, Result).


Skill Five: Perseverance

In rugby I played for the men’s age group
Situation because they were low on numbers. There was
Describe the situation a lot of injuries in that game so we didn’t have
you were in. What was any replacements. The game was very close
the specific event or and important because of the rivalry. Ten
set of circumstances in minutes into the second half I got hit by a lazy
which you found which broke my nose. I played on till the end
yourself? of the game with the broken nose because
there was no replacements

We wanted to win the game because it was an
Task important game. I had to stay on because
Describe the task you there was no chance that they could win with
needed or wanted to one man down
want to achieve?

I played for 30 minutes with a broken nose in
Action game that was full of injuries because the
Describe the action(s) game was very tense

I played on and we ended up winning the
Result game
What happened? What
What did you learn?


Skill Six: Networking
A supportive system. Informal
interaction.
Increased access to opportunities

Networking…

Networking is an essential skill for employment and self employment.
Networking is the process of building contacts and support networks to assist
you at all stages in your career.

Ways to practice….

• Try talking to someone new, spark up a conversation with someone on
the bus or standing next to you in a queue, find out a little bit about
them: how many siblings do they have? What is their job?
• Draw up a mind map of your current contacts (sometimes called
friends!), how many are you in touch with right now? How many do
you need to get back in touch with? Send them a short email or letter
getting back in contact.
• Join the professional body for your chosen occupational area, go along
to one of their meetings or events and meet some new people.
• When you wear a name tag make it visible so when you shake hands,
the nametag is right there next to your face so that it can be read
easily.
• Consider joining an e-networking platform and then invite friends,
family and colleagues to join.
• Use other electronic forums: Facebook; myspace and blogs to sell your
skills and get to know new people.
• Use work experience and volunteer work to meet new people, don’t be
frightened to ask for new contacts. If you have a part time job while
you are studying it may be useful to find out how the company
operates as a whole, not just your section. Appear interested and
enthusiastic to learn about what other job holders in the company do.

Whenever you get the opportunity practice your networking skills for a set
period of time. Make some notes as you go along to remind yourself when
you have tried to network with someone regardless of whether you think the
outcome was positive or negative. At the end of this time, write up your
experiences in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result).


Skill six: Networking

Some examples..

In self employment

Tom Savage, creator of Blue Ventures and Bright Green, is a social
entrepreneur who after leaving university worked as an innovator of ethical
entrepreneurial ideas supporting community based conservation. He feels
that using established on line networks such as MySpace and Facebook is a
crucial part of becoming and being an entrepreneur. For more information
about Tom go to:
www. starttalkingideas.org/news_and_features/ambassadors/young_entrepreneurs/tom_savage

In job hunting

“I spent a month doing work experience at several different broadcasting
companies, and whilst at the BBC I was offered some freelance work
answering the telephone. I also offered to spend one day a week working
voluntarily as a Researcher and then after a few months began to be offered
paid work as a Researcher. Everyone told me and its true- work experience is
key. It will help you build up a list of contacts that can give you advice, let
you know of job opportunities or even recommend you for a job.”

2006 Graduate of Bristol University. Source: Careers Service, University of Bristol

Simon has recently completed a postgraduate course in Film and Television.
He attended a one day job hunting course run by the Careers Service. During
the course students talked to each other about their aims and objectives and
what they were hoping to achieve. Simon was sitting next to an American
postgraduate student who had just completed an MA in Business
Administration. The American student was from Los Angeles and had worked
for two film studios before coming to England. He had numerous contacts in
the industry and during his time there had worked in casting and HR
departments. He had seen hundreds of CVs from hopeful applicants. At the
end of the job hunting course he suggested they both went out for a drink so
he could talk about his experiences and share ideas about CV preparation for
the film industry. Simon has now added another useful name to his network
of contacts.

Source: AGCAS


Skill: Networking

I have had to make an e portfolio on personal
Situation development profile. This is where everything
Describe the situation will go to show what I have done
you were in. What was
which you found
yourself?

I had to choose three different skills to
Task improve from three different areas
needed or wanted to
want to achieve?

I went into detail of what the skills are that I
Action needed to improve how to improve them and
Describe the action(s) why I need to improve them

My course leader said that it is the best e
Result portfolio he has seen in the whole time of him
What happened? What teaching PDP
What did you learn?


Skill 7. Judgement

Using judgement to take calculated
risks. Intuitive decision making under
uncertainty.

How do you make decisions?

It is important to understand and be able to reflect on your approach to
making decisions. Are you very intuitive or impulsive or do you agonise over
the options and alternatives? Maybe you take a different approach depending
on what the decision is and what impact the outcome of the decision will
have on you and others around you.

Entrepreneurs are often cited as being very intuitive and able to make
decisions with no fear of the risk involved. Often this is far from the truth and
it is the “calculation” of that risk that determines the decision.

Analyse your own style

Take two or three different types of decisions you have made over the last
few months and answer the following questions.

Example Decision: To come and study at Leeds Met

Why did you make that Because it is big university and I was very
decision? impressed with the campus

How did you make that I came to one of the opening days and I was
decision? very impressed at all of the university campus

What processes did you I looked at different campuses and leeds mets
go through to make that was the best by far
decision?

Who did you talk to? I talked to my family and friends to find out the


general opinion of leeds and leeds met

Where did you get the By talking
information needed?

How did it feel? Good

At the end of this time, write up your experiences in the STAR format
(Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Refer to Futures Workbook – Decision Making and Problem Solving for more
help, activities and exercises to support you in this skill development


Skill: Judgement

The last move of the game in rugby it was a
Situation scrum and we were in the quater final of the
Describe the situation cup. We were losing buy 4 point so we needed
you were in. What was a try.
which you found
yourself?

We had to score a try or we would loose
Task
needed or wanted to
want to achieve?

I chose to call the move and I said that I
Action would be the person who will get the ball
Describe the action(s)

I went through the first tackle and off loaded
Result the ball and we scored to win the match
What happened? What
What did you learn?


Skill 8. Selling

Persuading, Negotiating,
Proposing.

Sales…
• Face to face selling will be a vital skill for you in the future, whether or
not you go into business for yourself.
• BUT….You do not have to be a sharp-suited, fast talking ‘salesman’ or
‘saleswoman’ in the conventional sense.
• You do need to be comfortable to persuade others to be interested in
you /your product /your service.

Ways to practice…
• Car boot sale, sell some stuff at University
• Part-time job which involves selling or promoting
• Have a look at some of the many hundreds of books, tapes, websites
etc. with loads of advice on how to sell.
• Practice “selling” yourself e.g. for real at a job interview or pretend
with a willing friend who will challenge you. Visit the Careers Service
and use “The Interviewer” DVD to give you real life practice.

Two most important rules for negotiating…
Rule # 1
• Everything is negotiable.
Rule # 2
• In business you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you
negotiate.

Ways to practice…
• Ask for student discount in places you don’t think they offer it yet (but
should!)
• Next time you buy something, try to negotiate a little (price, delivery,
after-sales support)
• Go to shops who are willing to haggle (independents as opposed to big
chains)


An Example from a Leeds Met student…

Situation

After being fed up of being skint I wanted to make some money and quick. I also
wanted to try my hand at entrepreneurship and to see if I could do what Sir Alan
Sugar did – which was to double my money in a matter of days.

Task

To achieve this goal, I needed to track down a product which was (a) accessible,
(b) cheap to purchase and (c) something of value to students. After 20 minutes
of Google searching, the penny dropped and Flash USB memory sticks became
the obvious answer.

Action

Now that I had my product, all I needed to do was understand and eliminate my
competition. Co-incidentally the university was also selling USB memory sticks
and for the prices they were charging, this may as well have been day light
robbery. On this basis, given that I had done well to negotiate a good unit price
for the sticks, I was able to undercut the university and in return make a healthy
profit.

Result

Although, I did not double my money in a matter of a day, I did come close to
achieving this in a matter of weeks. This goes to show that entrepreneurship isn’t
just all about business forecasting and extensive market research, but is actually
having the courage to take that initial risk. If I did lose my initial investment, yes,
it would have been a shame but whilst going through this process I picked up
sales, negotiation and planning skills. These are skills of which that make up a
successful entrepreneur.

Whenever you get the opportunity, practice selling & negotiating for a set
period of time. Make some notes as you go along to remind yourself when
you have tried to sell someone something, or negotiated, regardless of
whether you think the outcome was positive or negative. At the end of this
time, write up your experiences in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action,
Result).


Skill: Selling

Before university I used to deliver eggs for my
Situation parents. We used to deliver to a lot of pubs
Describe the situation and shops. On the way delivering I got a call
you were in. What was saying the a big order wasn’t having their eggs
the specific event or and there had been a mistake with the amount
set of circumstances in of eggs so I had to sell the eggs to other
which you found people.
yourself?

I had to sell more eggs to people that had
Task already ordered a set amount
needed or wanted to
want to achieve?

I persuaded them in to buying more
Action
Describe the action(s)

I sold all the eggs to people that had already
Result agreed to only take the set amount
What happened? What
What did you learn?


Developing Your Plan of Action

Where are you now? What are your attributes, skills, experiences, values in
relation to enterprise?

Go back over the eight skill areas and identify the main skills where you feel
confident and competent at. Summarise these in the spaces below:

I feel confident and competent in these enterprise skills

The skills that I feel confident in are networking, perseverance, judgment and
initiatives

Even though the score says that I scored most in judgment I feel that my
main strength is perseverance. I feel this because I am very hard working
minded and determined. I feel I am confident in networking because I am on
social networking sites like facebook.

Where would you like to be in the future? Now think about the enterprise
skills that you feel need some improvement. Summarise these in the space
below and say how you will go about doing this.

I would like to improve these enterprise skills

Skill How I intend to do this By when?

creativity By adding new and innovative ideas to group April the 15th
meetings even if they aren’t practical

April the 15th
opportunity By improving creativity I will be able to choose
seeking more opportunities that probably wouldn’t have
come up if hadn’t


Now you have made some steps to improving your “enterprise capability”
you may want to think about the bigger picture.

Create an action plan to achieve both your long and short term goals;

o Are your goals SMART? Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic, Timely
o Do you have a contingency plan?
o Review your plan regularly.

My long term vision is….
to be more creative in making ideas if they are realistic or not. Runco
(2007) suggests that to be creative original and effectively expressive

The steps I need to take to achieve this vision are:

Action By When? Who will How will I
support me know I’ve
in this? succeeded?
Now a little bit about the The day before The group If I have ideas
brief so can think about group meeting that match to
rough ideas the brief
No innovative ways on The day before The group If I have ideas
doing things group meeting that match to
the brief

Some useful websites for action planning and goal setting are:

www.windmillsprogramme.com
www.prospects.ac.uk

Refer to Futures Workbook on Action Planning for more advice or visit your
careers service for a one to one appointment to discuss your plans.


Resources and further information

Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)
www.agcas.org.uk

Bannatyne, Duncan, Anyone Can Do It: My Story, Orion 2006

Enterprise Insight: Creating an Enterprise Culture 2004

Leeds Metropolitan University Business Start Up
www.leedsmet.ac.uk/business-start-up

Leeds Metropolitan University Careers Service
www.leedsmet.ac.uk/careers

Leeds Metropolitan University Futures workbooks 1-6
www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources

Leeds Metropolitan University Institute of Enterprise
www.leedsmet.ac.uk/enterprise

National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship
www.ncge.com

Parks, S (2004) Start Your Business - Week by Week London: Pearson
Books.

Prospects
www.prospects.ac.uk

The Windmills Programme
www.windmillsprogramme.com

www.mind-mapping.co.uk

Runco, M (2007). Creativity. London: Elsevier inc.

Other Topics in the Series

There are several topics in the Series of Futures workbooks looking at self-
assessment, job selection methods and effective communication with
employers. They are available to download from
www.leedsmet.ac.uk/careers/siteindex


Assessing
Your
Skills
Other Your
Selection Personality
Methods and values

Decision
Graduate Making and
Interviews
Skills Problem
Solving

CV’s and
Letters to
Job Search Employers

Work
Experience


Graduate skills

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