The competition for graduates to get a job is tight. As there is an overabundance of academically qualified graduates entering the job market every year, employers are likely to hire the most workplace-ready candidates. Accordingly, academic excellence should come together with the soft skills method that is useful for job handling. Several employability skills have been identified which become employers’ preference of suitable candidates. This paper proposes the conceptual framework towards the employability skills mastered by fresh graduates towards the expectation of employers, namely leadership skills, interpersonal skills and information technology skills. It is hoped that the proposed conceptual framework may contribute to the body of knowledge as additional references for scholars. Besides, it is hoped to significantly impact the curriculum review in the higher education institution.
Bejakovic, P., and Mrnjavac, Z. (2020). The importance of digital literacy on the labour market, Employee Relations: The International Journal, 42(4), 921-932.
Belderbos, T. (2019). The employability of international branch campus graduates: evidence from Malaysia, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 10(1), 2042-3896.
Dierdorff, E. C., Rubin, R. S., and Ellington, J. K. (2021). Interpersonal skills, role cognitions and OCB: Exploring mediating mechanisms and contextual constraints on role enactment, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 129(103604).
Drummond, D., and Rosenbluth, E.K. (2015). Competencies can bridge the interests of business and universities, Working Paper, 2015-02, University of Ottawa.
Gratton, L. (2016). Rethinking the manager’s role, MIT Sloan Management Review, 58(1), 24-27.
Guzman, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., and Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0, Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550.
Hart Research Associates. (2013). It takes more than a major: employer priorities for college learning and student success, Liberal Education, 99(2), 22-26.
Hecker, I., Spaulding, S., and Kuehn, D. (2021). Digital sSkills and Older Workers: Supporting Success in Training and Employment in a Digital World, Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Klus, M. F., and Muller, J. (2020). Identifying Leadership Skills Required in the Digital Age, Working Paper, CESifo, 8180.
Laar, E., Deursen, A. J. A. M., Dijk, J. A. G. M., and Haan, J. (2020). Determinants of 21st-Century Skills and 21st-Century Digital Skills for Workers: A Systematic Literature Review, SAGE Open, 1-14.
Lievens, F., and Sackett, P. R. (2012). The validity of interpersonal skills assessment via situational judgment tests for predicting academic success and job performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, 460-468.
Mawson, M., and Haworth, A. C. (2018). Supporting the employability agenda in university libraries: A case study from the University of Sheffield, Information and Learning Sciences, 119(1/2), 101-108.
Parry, E. and Strohmeier, S. (2014). HRM in the digital age - digital changes and challenges of the HR profession, Employee Relations, 36(4).
Rich, J. (2015). Why TEF must measure employability not employment. Retrieved from www.hepi.ac.uk/2015/12/10/employability-degrees-value.
Rosenberg, S., Heimler, R., and Morote, E. (2012). Basic employability skills: a triangular design approach, Education + Training, 54(1), 7-20.
Tajuddin, S. N. A. A., Bahari, K. A., and Al Majdhoub, F. M. (2022). The expectations of employability skills in the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the communication and media industry in Malaysia, Education + Training, 64(5), 662-680.
Teng, W., Ma, C., Pahlevansharif, S., and Turner, J. J. (2019). Graduate readiness for the employment market of the 4th industrial revolution: The development of soft employability skills, Education + Training, 61(5), 590-604.
Wang, Q. (2010). Using online shared workspaces to support group collaborative learning. Computers & Education, 55(3), 1270-1276.