"to be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure" (Dr P Hawkins)
As a student or graduate in today's competitive and ever changing work environment where "a job for life" is a rarity, you may want to consider the concept of enterprise whatever career path you decide to follow. It is not just about starting your own business; enterprise skills or attributes are as useful in employment as they are in self employment.
What is enterprise?
Enterprise is a mindset or a set of attributes or skills that will help you achieve your full potential and enable you identify opportunities and make things happen. It can be about business, setting up new ventures or using your talents to the full within an employment context.
What are enterprise skills?
Initiative, flexibility, leadership, creativity, risk awareness, resourcefulness, confidence, responsibility, opportunism, energy, vision, commercial awareness, business skills, determination, networking, committed to self development and learning..
These are just some of the terms used to attempt to define enterprise and with these attributes you should be successful in any organisation - small or large and in the right context these skills may lead you to self employment, especially if you desire independence and control over your destiny.
Given the recent trends in working patterns there is an increasing probability that students will be self employed, freelancing or running their own projects/business at sometime during their working life. For some professions in the creative sector self employment is extremely common. It's all about employability!
Enterprising graduates will tend to have more career success as their skills and flexibility of approach are applicable to any employment situation. An "enterprising" cast of mind can be a considerable asset in any employment and can ensure you have the competitive edge when securing your first job after university and then when you want to develop your career in the future.
Graduate employers see enterprise skills as essential when recruiting and are often quoted saying that they are somewhat lacking in many applicants. It's not just the large corporate and blue chip companies that value these skills however, many small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) recruit graduates and need to see evidence of students flexing their "enterprise" muscles through work experience, participation in projects, sports and competitions or taking a responsible role in clubs and societies.
Recent studies show that at least 45% of students expressed an interest in starting their own business at some point in their future. Self employment isn't always the answer straight after graduation, but thinking about those enterprise skills that may one day assist you to create your own venture is vital to ensure your success in whatever you do now and in the future.
