Developing career resilience in graduates

Employers view resilience as a 'key characteristic', so how can careers professionals ensure that graduates develop this increasingly important skill?

Key findings

• In attempting to define career resilience, careers professionals identified a complex combination of personal self-efficacy, perseverance, confidence, ability to overcome obstacles and willingness to move forward as key features.
• Using existing interventions such as one-to-ones, modules and employability awards were seen as the most effective ways of developing resilience.
• Some reported that a lack of buy-in from academic staff made it difficult to embed development within the curriculum.
• Wider structural constraints were highlighted as particular challenges for addressing resilience, such as the composition of the student population.
• Many of the professionals interviewed expressed a desire for more specific training on resilience related tools and activities.
• A common theme throughout the interviews was the need for an integrated and holistic approach to developing resilience in students and graduates.
• The changing role of the careers professional in HE and the unsuitability of a one-size approach were some of the themes that emerged when considering the challenges faced.

About the report

This HECSU-funded research report explores the definition of career resilience among careers professionals in higher education, and the strategies/practices/frameworks/activities undertaken by careers professionals to develop career resilience in graduates. It also examines the challenges faced when developing career resilience in graduates.

The authors are Tracy Scurry from Newcastle University, Ciaran Burke from University of the West of England, and Ann Smart, John Blenkinsopp and Sarah Stephenson from Northumbria University.