Communicating in the future: career prospects for graduates in English for professional communication / Afiza Mohamad Ali

What does it mean to be employed? What kind of skills, knowledge or attributes are needed to ensure that a graduate gets that job and stays in that job? Employability is not merely about securing a job, but it is about a wider range of skills and attributes which are learned and expanded to qualify graduates to succeed in their working life cycle. College or university learning can provide the important and initial platform and advantages for students in their future careers. Time and again, reports on employability of graduates have highlighted that a commendable degree is not enough for one to be employed, as competition is steep, and many jobs will be made redundant in the fast future. This can be exacerbated by the still prevalent COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the global economy catastrophically, resulting in a huge loss of lives and livelihoods. This economic and social disruption has devastated jobs and put businesses at risk or to a halt by the millions. Based on her 25 years’ experience as an English language and communication lecturer and professional, Assoc Prof Dr Afiza Mohamad Ali shares some useful employability tips and advice on future career paths as well as qualities that would potentially make English graduates especially in professional or international communication, stand out from the rest.