Proposed Title - Essential Components of Employability: Skills, Behaviors, and the Path to Success
Employability Skills
A variety of factors influence a person’s employability, which encompasses the ability to find and adequately perform in a job. Employability skills are often categorized into two main areas: job-seeking skills and soft skills. Although technical expertise is essential, success in the workplace often depends on a person’s ability to engage effectively with others and navigate the job market.
Job-Seeking Skills
Job-seeking skills are those necessary for pursuing and obtaining employment. Examples include career exploration, job search techniques, resume development, completion of applications, and interview preparation. These skills focus on the logistical aspects of finding employment. A review of employment interventions by Wissel and colleagues (2022) found that over fifty of the 140 studies examined incorporated job-seeking skills and elements.
Soft Skills
Soft skills encompass more complex and abstract abilities that shape how well people interact with others. These skills are critical for employability; a survey conducted by Ju et al. (2012) found that often employers cite social skill difficulties as a primary reason for not recruiting candidates with disabilities, even when these workers possess adequate technical skills. Below are some examples (though not an exhaustive list) of soft skills often regarded as vital to employability.
● Time management
● Work ethic
● Dependability
● Punctuality
● Communication
● Problem-solving
● Attendance
● Good work habits
● Respect
● Teamwork
● Integrity
● Honesty
Through their review of existing studies, Wissel et al. (2022) found that about half of the employability interventions included components focused on soft skills.
Employability Behavior Domains
Another way to consider the essential components of employability is by examining the specific behaviors people should exhibit in the workplace. The skills associated with employability are meant to elicit these behaviors within the employment environment. A popular framework puts behaviors into four different domains (Carter & Wehby, 2003): general work behaviors, work performance behaviors, task-related social behaviors, and non-task social behaviors.
The table below outlines each domain along with examples of behaviors that can be categorized into each.
| Behavior Domain | Domain Description | Example Behaviors |
|---|---|---|
| General work behaviors | Promote professionalism in the workplace across a variety of employment positions | ● Arriving on time ● Communicating with an employer when sick or running late ● Demonstrating enthusiasm for the job ● Refraining from personal business while on the clock |
| Work performance behaviors | Non-social behaviors related to productivity | ● Following directions within an appropriate amount of time ● Focusing amid distractions ● Working without direct supervision ● Completing work of good quality |
| Task-related social behaviors | Interactions directly related to fulfilling the job expectations | ● Asking for help when needed ● Accepting constructive feedback from supervisors or co-workers ● Asking for clarification when they do not understand what to do |
| Non-task related social behaviors | Interactions unrelated to completing the job task | ● Using and understanding appropriate humor ● Listening to others ● Disagreeing without arguing |
Importance of Skills and Behaviors for Employability
Employability encompasses skills that extend beyond technical expertise; all components are important for maintaining employment. Employability skills facilitate specific workplace behaviors aimed at increasing both task independence (i.e., mastery of general work behaviors and work performance behaviors) and social integration (i.e., mastery of non-task-related and task-related social behaviors; Gilson et al., 2022).
As noted above, employability skills play a critical role in the transition to the workplace. Since individuals possess these skills to a varying degree, employability training serves as an effective intervention to help people enhance their skills and increase their employability.
Conclusion
Employability is critical for people to acquire and maintain employment. A crucial aspect of employability is the development of skills that assist people with disabilities in both finding work (i.e., job seeking skills) and succeeding in their roles (i.e., soft skills). These employment-related skills are important because they help people refine specific behaviors that enhance their job performance. One useful framework categorizes these behaviors into general work behaviors, work performance behaviors, task-related social behaviors, and non-task related social behaviors. By developing skills in each of these domains, individuals can increase their overall employability. Together, job seeking skills, soft skills and behavioral domains form a comprehensive picture of employability, showing that practical behaviors, job seeking skills, and soft skills are all necessary for success in the workplace.
References
Carter, E. W., & Wehby, J. H. (2003). Job performance of transition-age youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Exceptional Children, 69, 449–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290306900404
Gilson, C. B., Whirley, M. L., Carter, E. W., & Schutz, M. A. (2022). Teaching employment skills to people with intellectual and developmental disability. In J. L. Matson & P. Sturmey (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorder (pp. 1559-1579). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1008/978-3-030-88538-0_69
Ju, S., Zhang, D., & Pacha, J. (2012). Employability skills valued by employers as important for entry-level employees with and without disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 35(1), 29–38.
Wissel, S., Shenk, M.
