A Guide to Using Employer’s Appraisal Material

These appraisal documents were obtained from a variety of companies who employ Bioscience graduates in discipline specific and in discipline non-specific roles. They have been edited to focus largely on the new graduate, joining the company immediately after graduation. Material applicable to more senior posts has been removed and what is presented is directly applicable to the new graduate during their first year in employment.  Companies use this material in developing, rewarding and promoting their graduate employees and it therefore gives information about what the companies value in graduates.

The appraisal papers can be used :

1.	BY TEACHERS.  To develop their courses and the curriculum. Inspection of the contents of the appraisal papers give an indication of what skills knowledge and attributes companies value in their graduates. The questions then becomes
•	… to what extent is your course delivering these things within the curriculum?
•	… to what extent do you help students to identify these things within their extra-curricular activities and to maximize their opportunities?
•	… how could your curriculum be changed to better prepare students for the appraisals they will encounter in their first employment?

2.	BY TEACHERS.  To develop exercises which will enable students to appreciate what is valued by employers and therefore towards what objectives they should be directing their career and course management activities. There are several activities which are appropriate:
•	…. Using one of the appraisal papers get the student to appraise themselves given that their objective in their ‘job’ is to get a 1st class degree.
•	…. Get the students to compare two or more of the appraisal schemes and to define the common features.
•	Get students to role play the appraiser and the appraisee roles.
•	Get students to fill in the forms for the job to which they would aspire and then to think about how there could strengthen their performance and the different areas. 

3.	BY STUDENTS.  Simple inspection of the appraisal schemes will inform students what to expect when they go into first employment and therefore help them perform better.

4.	BY STUDENTS Just by reading through one of the appraisal schemes student see what employers value and therefore to what ends the student should be directing their course/work/activity management effort.