Employability skills are the transferable skills that help someone get a job, do it well, and progress. They include communication, teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability: the skills employers consistently say graduates lack, regardless of their degree.
For universities, they’ve become a measure of success. Graduate outcomes affect rankings, funding and student recruitment, and students increasingly choose institutions on the strength of their careers support. Yet most employability skills are learned by doing, and that’s hard to scale.
Our data shows where the gaps are. Across 24,913 practice sessions by students at 155 universities and colleges on VirtualSpeech in 2026, students scored well on teamwork, empathy, and listening. They scored lowest on showing the impact of what they’ve done (4.9 out of 10) and, in interviews, on knowing the organization they’re applying to (2.7).
This guide covers the ten employability skills employers want most, what student practice data shows, how universities develop these skills, and how to measure them.
10 employability skills employers want, with examples
1. Communication
Explaining ideas clearly in writing and out loud, adapting to the audience, and choosing the right channel. Example: summarizing a group project for a client in a two-minute update.
2. Teamwork and collaboration
Working well with people who think differently, sharing credit and handling disagreement constructively. Example: agreeing a fair split of work when a teammate falls behind.
3. Problem-solving
Breaking a problem down, weighing options and making a decision with incomplete information. Example: finding a workaround when a supplier misses a deadline.
4. People skills: listening, empathy and respect
Active listening, empathy, assertiveness, open-mindedness and good manners: the skills that build trust with colleagues and customers. Example: calming a frustrated customer by acknowledging the problem before solving it.
5. Adaptability
Staying effective when plans, tools or priorities change. Example: switching a presentation to a video call at short notice and still landing the key points.
6. Digital skills
Using workplace software, data and AI tools confidently and responsibly. Example: using AI to draft research, then checking and improving it before sharing.
7. Organization and time management
Prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines and managing competing demands. Example: planning a dissertation alongside a part-time job.
8. Leadership
Taking responsibility, motivating others and giving useful feedback, at any level. Example: running a student society event and briefing volunteers.
9. Commercial awareness
Understanding how organizations make money, who their customers are and what affects their market. This includes the business skills employers expect: negotiation, networking and basic financial sense. Example: researching an employer’s products, competitors and recent news before an interview.
10. Professionalism and self-presentation
Being reliable, making a good first impression, and presenting your skills convincingly in applications and interviews. Example: answering “Tell me about a time…” with a clear STAR story that ends in a result.
What student practice data shows
Students are better at the interpersonal side of work than the self-presentation side. Across 24,913 practice sessions in 2026, students scored highest on teamwork (6.5 out of 10), empathy (6.3) and problem-solving (6.2). They scored lowest on showing the impact of what they’ve done (4.9) and, in job interviews, on knowing the organization (2.7).
That gap matters, because self-presentation is what employers see first. A student who works well in a team but can’t describe a teamwork success with a clear result won’t get the chance to show it.
What universities ask students to practice also shows where employability work happens:
| Type of practice | Share of student sessions |
|---|---|
| Leadership, feedback and teamwork conversations | 25% |
| Job and admissions interviews | 22% |
| Presenting, pitching and debating | 12% |
| Customer, sales and negotiation conversations | 7% |
| Open conversation practice | 5% |
| Healthcare communication | 3% |
| Institutions’ own scenarios and other topics | 26% |
For more on interviews specifically, see our report on what students get wrong in job interviews.
How universities develop employability skills
1. Embed them in the curriculum
Employability works best when it isn’t an optional extra run only by the careers service. Business schools and other faculties increasingly build practice into modules: a negotiation roleplay in a business course, a patient conversation in a nursing program, a pitch in an entrepreneurship class. Students practice in context, and it counts toward their course.
2. Make practice the default, not the exception
Workshops explain what good looks like, but skills improve through repetition with feedback. One-to-one appointments can’t scale to every student. AI roleplays and mock interviews let every student practice as often as they need, with feedback on each skill.
3. Prepare students for the conversations they’ll actually face
Use realistic scenarios: interviews built on a real job description, a difficult conversation with a manager, a presentation to a skeptical audience. Practice that mirrors the real thing transfers better.
4. Teach self-presentation explicitly
Our data shows students struggle most to present their own experience. Teach employer research, the STAR method and how to link experience to a role, then have students practice it out loud. Our STAR method guide is a ready-made resource.
5. Involve employers
Employer panels, mock assessment centers and live briefs give students a realistic standard to aim for, and help faculty keep teaching current.
6. Time it to the student year
Schedule practice ahead of the moments that matter: career fairs, internship application deadlines and graduate recruitment season.
First impressions and networking
Many employability skills are judged in the first few minutes: at a career fair, a networking event or the start of an interview. Worth teaching students explicitly:
- Greet people well: a confident hello, a smile, and using the other person’s name.
- Make eye contact and use open body language.
- Listen more than you talk. Ask about the other person before pitching yourself.
- Say something specific. A short, prepared introduction (an “elevator pitch”) and a question about the employer show genuine interest.
- Be on time, and speak clearly and at a steady pace.
- Dress for the context. Check with the organizers or the employer’s own photos. Smart-casual is the safe default for most networking events, and comfort matters, since students may be standing for hours.
How to measure employability skills
Employability is often measured by activity: workshops attended or appointments booked. Practice data lets universities measure skills instead.
- Pick the skills that matter for your students’ target careers, such as communication, interviews and teamwork.
- Set a baseline early in the year with one realistic practice activity per student.
- Track skill scores, not just completion, and look for the weakest skills across each cohort.
- Re-assess before key moments, such as recruitment season, and report the change.
- Connect it to outcomes such as internship offers and graduate employment, where you can.
Frequently asked questions
What are employability skills?
Transferable skills that help someone get a job, do it well and progress, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability and self-presentation.
What are examples of employability skills?
Summarizing a project clearly for a client, resolving a disagreement in a team, finding a workaround when plans change, and answering an interview question with a clear example and result.
Which employability skills do students lack most?
In our 2026 data from 24,913 student practice sessions, showing the impact of their actions (4.9 out of 10) and, in interviews, knowing the organization (2.7) scored lowest.
How can universities develop employability skills?
Embed practice in the curriculum, give every student realistic practice with feedback, teach self-presentation explicitly, involve employers, and time activities to the recruitment calendar.
How we did this analysis
We analyzed 24,913 AI roleplay sessions completed by students at 155 universities and colleges on VirtualSpeech, from January 1 to October 13, 2026, across interviews, presentations, leadership and teamwork conversations, customer and healthcare scenarios. We grouped scenario-specific scores into nine broader skills. “Knowing the organization” is scored in interviews only. We excluded anonymous free-trial sessions, internal and test accounts, and sessions with no valid score. Scores come from AI, not human assessors; we are running a study comparing them with certified coaches. All data was anonymized and aggregated.
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