Here's a crucial career checklist for Singaporean fresh graduates

In reality, there are a number of factors that influence how readily employable graduates are after their studies aside from their own preparation – country and culture, universities, government involvement, and the interaction between companies and universities.

Culture and Countries – we frequently see differences in cultural attitudes towards the purpose of tertiary education. In China ( and historically Singapore), for instance, coursework is more theoretical than being hands-on though there’s been a gradual shift over the years. Graduates who have the opportunity to do on-the-job training as part of their coursework can more readily apply their knowledge and skills after graduation.

Universities– universities such as the National University of Singapore (NUS) have links or partnerships with industry, and are thus able to customise coursework and training to match the expectations of those companies and industries. Again, this reduces the gap between theory and practice and ensures graduates are more ready for the challenges of the workplace.

Government involvement– the Singapore government has put in place support mechanisms, talent strategies and other structures such as the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) to nurture a strong local talent pool for the various key sectors such as the financial and healthcare services.

Company engagement– there’s a massive difference in company approach to graduate recruitment. Some organisations – for instance, L’Oreal – actively engage graduates through innovative campus activities, competitions and so on. Others act as guest lecturers, industry and subject matter experts in conjunction with universities.

A tertiary qualification indicates to employers that a graduate has the capability and capacity to learn to a certain level. The qualification itself – and associated grade levels – are certainly a yardstick for future capability; however there are a number of individual traits which are favoured by employers.

Language Capability- multilingual candidates are in short supply; being able to speak multiple languages is a valuable bonus.

Collaboration – graduates need to be able to work in a real or virtual team, and collaborate with others in the same location, or further afield.

Learning agility– graduates who demonstrate an ability to quickly learn and adapt to new conditions are favoured.

Learning continuation– a degree is not the endpoint of the education process. Those graduates who demonstrate a passion and desire to continue to learn and develop are valued.

Determination and resilience– the professional world is hard work. Those graduates who are committed, resolute and determined are favoured.

Innovation and curiosity– the pace of change is accelerating across all sectors. Those graduates who can bring fresh approaches or innovative views to an organisation – and are prepared to ask ‘why’ – can provide a level of agility and freshness to a company.