Soft Skills and Employability in Finance BUSM500

Dissertation topic

To explore the perceptions of postgraduate on the importance of soft skills in securing a job in Finance within London

Chapter 1: Introduction 1500

Technical knowledge alone is no longer enough to ensure professional success in today's fast-paced job market. Employers increasingly prioritise candidates who demonstrate robust soft skills, including interpersonal, communication, and behavioural competencies which encourage effective workplace interactions (Robles, 2012). The acquisition of these competencies helps workers to build effective professional relationships thus enhancing teamwork and increasing workplace operational efficiency. Traditional domain-specific learning has been at the center of higher education institutions yet a debate concerning program effectiveness in developing soft abilities required for career success increases (Succi & Canovi, 2020). career advancement alongside employment prospects of graduates heavily depends on the mismatch between educational training and hands-on requirements of their professional work.

The study found that Job Outlook 2019 NonMember shows soft skills contribute to 85% of employment success while hard skills only generate 15%. The employment prospects and career advancements of individuals depend extensively on their display of soft skills as verified by this statistical evidence. The results of surveys conducted among employers demonstrate their ongoing dissatisfaction with the insufficient soft skills displayed by graduating students because these attributes fail to match industry standards (LinkedIn Learning, 2020). Soft skills provide better and more dependable information about hiring success and career advancement opportunities compared to technical academic achievements according to Heckman and Kautz (2012). Businesses pursue workers who possess knowledge-based expertise and additionally value professionals who demonstrate flexibility in addition to problem-solving capacities alongside emotional intelligence because these attributes help them handle complex modern financial situations.

An examination of postgraduate learner attitudes toward soft skills importance for career acquisition must focus on the finance sector of London. The leading finance position of London features an intense employment competition that lets successful soft skills dramatically increase candidates' job opportunities. The research tackles the mismatch between what graduate students see in themselves and employer operational standards to enhance financial sector work skillknowledge.

1. Research Aim

This paper aims to explore postgraduate students' perceptions of the importance of soft skills and how these skills influence their job search. Additionally, this study examines the relationship between soft skills development, graduate preparedness, and labour market integration, thereby enhancing the theoretical discussion on employability and providing practical guidance for the formulation of higher education. This is motivated by a graduate's perception of their readiness in soft skills. Although employer perspectives are widely documented, insufficient attention is paid to the experience graduates gain as they transition from academic work to the professional level and to assessing their own soft skills readiness (Jackson, 2014).

2. Problem Statement

The rapidly growing competition in job markets beyond industry proficiency extends to acquiring employment in the finance sector. Workers in the finance sector value soft skills like communication together with critical thinking capabilities and teamwork skills because these abilities drive career development (Jackson, 2023). Research thoroughly analyzes how employers expect graduates to handle soft skills but provides limited information about how graduates see their own skill readiness and soft skills affect their job market success.

The research investigates how postgraduate finance students view soft skills importance for getting financial sector employment in London. The research employs graduate insights to determine how well universities equip students for work readiness and address any discrepancies between student self-perception and employer evaluation standards. The detection of current training deficiencies will help develop better educational programming and professional training initiatives (Kavanagh, 2024).

The research material applies directly to university graduates shifting into professional careers and those managing university employability initiatives. The analysis of critical soft skills according to graduate evaluations combined with assessments of graduate confidence levels will enhance understanding of employability standards and workforcedevelopment.

3. Research Questions

RQ1: What soft skills do recent graduates believe are most important to securing a job in finance?

RQ2: How do these perceptions align with what employers expect in this field?

RQ3: How well do graduates think they are prepared for the important soft skills that employers seek?

4. Research Objectives

• To investigate which soft skills postgraduate finance students in London believe are required to obtain employment within the financial sector.

• To examine tracks how well graduate students gauge their soft skills in comparison to what employers actively seek.

• To evaluate how postgraduate finance students rate their readiness to use important soft skills as they begin their first professional roles.

• To develop proposals that assist educational institutions with enhancing their skill development frameworks and career readiness initiatives.

5. Significant of Research

Employability literature development benefits from this study because it concentrates on how graduates perceive skills instead of workplace expectations. Numerous research studies acknowledge soft skills importance according to employers but graduate perceptions regarding their competence in these skills remain poorly examined. Higher education institutions can assess their student preparation for employment through analysis of student self-perceptions.

Workers currently need specialized knowledge and skills combined with essential soft qualities including communication and adaptability as well as leadership competence to succeed in the competitive workplace environment (Konstantina Skritsovali, 2023). The study investigates the level of financial skills that London-based finance graduates perceive in themselves compared to employer requirements. The study will reveal inadequacies which will enable curriculum developers alongside professional training programs to strengthen graduate employability. Knowledge about graduate perceptions of soft skill functions enables policy leaders and university officials to create a more comprehensive workforce readiness framework with industryleaders.

6. Methodological considerations

To ensure that a clear and balanced picture of the research issue is established and that the study is manageable when conducted at the masters level, this research is going to be limited to finance graduates who have pursued their postgraduate studies in London, United Kingdom. This particular population was targeted to ensure that participants had enough experiences in the transition from college to employment with an added factor of organization image. Seven areas of soft skills to be explored will be determined from the literature review namely; critical thinking skills, communication skills, teamwork, emotional quotients, flexibility, timed management skills and leadership skills (Rai, Deng, Lin, & Fan, 2023). This way a general approach is substituted by the seven competencies mentioned above.

Securing quantitative data would be done through administration of a structured and self-developed online questionnaire through sites like survey monkey, google surveys. The questions in the survey will be twenty and they are tailored towards finance postgraduates who are either actively job hunting or are in employment within the financial companies in London. Criterion sampling and snowball sampling techniques are to be merged so that many participants will ensue. Finally, the information that will be collected will be assessed in order to identify patterns in perception and readiness level. They will also be useful in making recommendations on the enhancement of postgraduate training in soft skillstraining.

7. Outline of Dissertation

The dissertation follows a five-chapter organization that presents an ordered study of postgraduate views about soft skills in the finance profession:

Introduction

The introduction section of this dissertation will define the background research by explaining why soft skills matter for financial sector hiring needs. The section will explain the research problem while presenting both aims along with research objectives for the study and its important aspects.

Literature Review

This research undertakes a detailed evaluation of published materials which examine the relationships between soft skills and workplace employability and employer requirements and graduate preparedness. This part evaluates existing research about soft skills in finance together with general job market dynamics before detailing the research-facing issues.

Methodology

The research design is explained in this chapter together with the reason for choosing quantitative methods. The approach will reveal methods for selecting participants together with procedures for data acquisition and statistical analysis guidelines. The study contains a discussion of ethical factors along with its research boundaries.

Findings and Discussion

The study will present investigation outcomes which show important patterns regarding how postgraduates understand soft skills. The research findings will compare results to expectations from employers as explained in previous studies. The following part will examine how any discovered gaps affect graduate perceptions combined with an evaluation of possible determinants causing these student attitudes.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The dissertation's conclusion summarizes its important findings while demonstrating their value to institutions of higher education along with their employers and their students of finance. The paper will deliver concrete advice to enhance postgraduate soft skills education while proposing additional research avenues forthissubject.

Chapter 2: Literature Review 35000

2.1 Introduction

This is a thesis that aims to ensure that it identifies the attitudes that postgraduate finance students in London hold about soft skills concerning employment in finance industries. The professional competencies, which todays employers are seeking include technical skills in specific fields such as financial modelling and risk assessment alongside; communication skills, the ability to work in a team, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and networking skills. This work stems from a common understanding of self-efficacy and employer expectations for financial jobs to understanding how postgraduate finance programs can aid the students in managing their courses with optimal soft skills in the complex and pressurizing financial market.

2.2 Theoretical framework

2.2.1 Enhancing Education for Career-Ready Finance Graduates

Managing people skills, also known as soft skills, are vital determinants of the employment status of an individual in various industries including the finance sector. This study determined the perceived importance of a set of soft skills to adequately meet the enhancing needs of postgraduate students in finance specializing in London. It is therefore important to mention that communication is one of the most valued soft skills (Acharya et al., 2023). Business and financial communication is critical in management since it plays a vital role in passing over information down, up and across organizational levels using both written and oral communication. Managers expect financial professionals to be in a position to present their ideas and support them simply and elaborately depending on the level at which they are communicating; be it at the high level such as the board of directors, to the lower level such as the financial department subordinates (Arnold, 2022). Several postgraduate students are aware of this and therefore seek to develop their communication skills through the departments academic presentations, group discussions and functions.

Other employability skills that postgraduate students recognize as important for the finance job include teamwork. They are very much involved in activities that require teamwork, including investment banking and financial analysis. As a result, teamwork skills are valued since most of the time, financial decisions are made based on the inputs from various specialists, work together in organisations. Most postgraduate students participate in group assignments and activities to enhance group performance (Daniel, 2022). However, some of the students remain anxious to move from campus academic teaming to professional teamwork in pressure-boiling environments, which make some of them consider internships or part-timejobsessential.

Other essential employs include critical thinking skills and abilities to solve problems, which are also highlighted by postgraduate finance students. They are inclined to different changes and risks that surround the financial activity, thus, it is essential to have personal skills to evaluate the situation, make conclusions, and make right decisions. Most learners have recognised that worksheets, simulations, and particularly case analyses, financial models are effective in the development of analytic thinking (Dauber & Spencer-Oatey, 2023). At the same time, there are some who complain that real-life application is dearth in traditional education thus making them to supplement their knowledge with additional certification, simulations and joined the investment club.

Flexibility has become a critical facet of organizations since the emergence of the COVID-19 and global instabilities that have affected the economy. Saying that finance specialists are facing a lot of uncertainty when managing the financial challenges, they must change the actions frequently. As expected, finance postgraduate students recognize that employers appreciate such attributes as versatility, the ability to manage change, willingness to use technology, and stress tolerance (Guidotti, Demarie, Ciaccioni, & Capranica, 2023). It is a skill that is purposefully developed by many students by taking courses that introduce them to such tools and practicing them using the programming languages like Python or R and live market scenarios. However, there is understanding that flexibility is best done while applying it, where students begin to realize that internships, mentorship, and other forms of professional practice are crucial in the acquisitionofflexibility.

Forecasting abilities, numerical skills, interpersonal and communication skills, and specifically networking skills are also valued in the realm of the finance discipline. It must be appreciated that postgraduate students within the London region understand that, the allure of the finance sector jobs is that they obsessively require a qualification as well as contacts (Guidotti, Demarie, Ciaccioni, & Capranica, 2023). Usual activities that students use in relationship marketing involve attending networking events, joining finance societies and interacting with alumni. A few of them stated some concerns about not being confident while networking and comprehended it as being a possibility for development.

2.2.2 Employer Expectations vs. Graduate Perceptions on Soft Skills

A major concern that is observed is the mismatch of perceptions of soft skills that the postgraduate finance students possess and the soft skills that are sought by employers. Employer expectation is higher than what students think they have in terms of competencies to enable them secure a place in the finance sector jobs, not only do employers require education qualification and theoretical knowledge but other factors as well (Gunarathne, Senaratne, & Herath, 2021). London based postgraduate finance students are fairly certain of their skills as evident in the course content, financial models as well as quantitative analysis. As for the soft skills, their self-estimates do not always correlate with employers expectations.

One of the most conspicuous differences is therefore often observed in communication skills. Often students feel quite comfortable with the academic writing style and skills in presenting the results of research; however, employers might expect something more similar to business writing, persuasive communication with the clients, communicating to the top management, and so on (Hosain, Mustafi, & Parvin, 2021). Certain of the students have admitted they are challenged by the issue of adopting the terms and putting the argument in layman terms, which is imperative when one is working in the investment banking and finance consulting profession. Also, relating to employability skills, the employers stress such skills as listening and negotiation that many learners claim they have acquired little of.

Another point where peoples perception is likely to go astray from reality is teamwork. Students in their postgraduate studies often undertake group projects because they consider this to help their teamwork abilities. However, work teamwork is more challenging in that individuals have to deal with actual people and other issues in the course of the task planning, conflict of personalities, and timeliness among other factors (Ioulia Papageorgi et al., 2023). Employers require such staff, who could work in a diverse cross-functional team, while the students may be over-estimating the cross-functional team readiness. This leads them to effectively self-reflect and contemplate their abilities when comparing academic teamwork with experience obtained during an internship.

Appreciation of critical thinking and problem-solving is important for both, students as well as employers even though disparities exist in approaches towards them. Some postgraduate finance students reckon that their academic activities, especially in finances and especially financial analysis and financial strategy, enable them to develop sound analytical skills (Jean-Baptiste RG Souppez, 2023). However, employers tasks include real-life problem-solving; employers demand students to make decisions under certain conditions and constraints. Some of the students have noted that it is difficult for them to combine their skills in solving routine academic problems with less well-defined challenges which present themselves in practical workplaces and business contexts.

Another area related to strategy and action plan where the Polish hosts are considered to be different from other countries is adaptability and resilience. A large number of students share the self-perception of flexibility, as they can change software and study new tendencies in the field of finance. However, employers look at the adaptability issue in a broader perspective in the sense that they expect the candidates to manage changes in the market, changes in laws and regulations, and even other events that were not foreseen (Kinsella & Waite, 2020). Of course, adaptability is valued in this case, but certain postgraduate students seem to doubt their capability to properly function in a high-stress, fast-paced environment of the financialfield.

Career networking and management of professional relationships are some of the areas where the distance between the students perception and employers expectations is the greatest. All the participants acknowledged that networking is relevant in their school life as postgraduate students but they lack the skills of engaging in professional networks (Kwarteng & Mensah, 2022). Some of them include the use of networking, which means reaching out to people through events and through the social media platform that is Linked In among others in as much as students employ these strategies, what they do not understand is the importance of building strong relationships and how to capitalise on that connection appropriately. Employer on the other hand want applicants to have confidence when it comes to networking and managing relationships especially because those are key sales and career in the field of finance.

2.2.3 Postgraduates' Career Readiness for Soft Skills

The effectiveness with which postgraduate finance students use soft skills during their first professional experience becomes key to their early career success. Hiring recruiters along with employers demand candidates who demonstrate sound financial modeling abilities and risk assessment skills together with communication skills and capability for teamwork and adaptability in addition to problem-solving and emotional intelligence (Mahmud & Wong, 2022). The preparedness of postgraduate students differs regarding their workplace skill execution according to their academic experience and practical business exposure and individual development activities. Finance graduates encounter specific issues when they attempt to use their theoretical education for real-world workplace situations particularly during client meetings and negotiations as well as cross-departmental teamwork. Students recognize soft skills matter however they doubt their capability to effectively use these skills particularly when working under financial pressure at investment banking or asset management or corporate finance divisions. One of the reasons for this perception lies in the content of the postgraduate finance programs since most of this programs curriculum is centered on enhancing technical skills while addressing relatively little on how one can develop appropriate interpersonal and managerial skills in a structuredmanner.

However, the use of group projects, case analysis, and presentations seems to have limitations, as they sometimes fail to mimic real-time work environment, relationships within the finance sector, or the pressure. As much as some of the students are fully prepared to express their thoughts and ideas on matters that relate to finance in academic settings, they fail to communicate efficiently with other individuals, including clients, senior management, and regulators (Malan & Dyk, 2020). Written communication skills, especially when it comes to presenting a clear, coherent and strategically compelling message on financial related information is very relevant to roles in financial advisory, equity analysis and strategist jobs. Finally, interpersonal skills are also essential in finances major since most companies require their employees to work in group and handle conflicts that arose in the process. It is for this reason that several stakeholders reveal that, despite the factual simulation projects help inculcate teamwork as a key element among students, no opportunity is given for dealing with the amounts of pressure that is inherent in work environments in the financial sector. On the other side, the first-year students who had internship experiences show higher confidence in their soft skills not only because they have learned from real life business experiences that entails flexibility, assertiveness, and persuasiveness but experienced real life business challenges (Mistry, 2021). Therefore development of knowledge and skill readiness tests latest disparities in postgraduate finance education so that graduates require basic skills rather than master skills to enter in this field of work force.

To address this gap, structured soft skills training should be included in the university and other institutions of learning as part of the offering in the finance study field. These may include workshops, mentorship, and or practical trainings that can be in form of internships and industry attachment. Other useful activities are connected with role-playing negotiations, business simulations, case study competitions and so on which enable students to use their knowledge in actual business settings (Moult, McKinley, & Yeates, 2021). Therefore, improving the learning network, holding the guest speakers from industries, or organizing joint projects with financial organizations can effectively fill the gap between academiaandbusinesses.

In addition, more effort should be taken by postgraduate finance students in practicing soft skills outside the classroom. The interpersonal skills and the problem-solving skills would improve when they are involved in extracurricular activities, leadership positions in student financing societies and attending professional development courses (Murrar, Batra, Paz, Asfour, & Balmakhtar, 2021). There are also few more reasons which enhance workplace readiness and these include: receiving feedback from the mentors and other professionals, practicing interviews by going for mock interview and, improving on ways of delivering message.

In the end, the work experience required to narrow the gap between last known finance postgraduate student and contemporary financial occupation calls for a broad solution. Appropriate technical skills as well as soft skills is likely to increase chances of employment as well as contribute highly towards career success among finance graduates. It is therefore important that educational institutions, the industry, contemporary students formation, and other similar stakeholders create abilities that will enable the upcoming generation of professionals in the field of finance to meet the challengesofthefuture.

2.2.4 Essential Soft Skills for Finance Graduates' Employment

The educational institutions therefore need to incorporate comprehensive soft skill development mechanisms required in the professional workplace into postgraduate finance programs to ensure their graduates meet market demands and expectations. Typically, the content of the benchmarks focuses on quantitative analysis tools and theoretical frameworks and does not offer a great deal of room for learning processes that develop interpersonal and managerial skills (Rico et al., 2022). To this effect, there is a need for universities to incorporate structured soft skills training as part of the courses offered in the universities to ensure that students are exposed to similar skills throughout their studies in the universities, which would include leadership skills, negotiation skills, conflict-solving skills and adaptability skills among others. Therefore, one may use business games, staged situations and real-life business operational cases as some of the ways of teaching. These strategies help to develop problem-solving and communication skills in simulated work situations, which will make it easier for the students to overcome the business environment. In addition, institutions should engage students in internship, industrial attachments or mentorship programs so that students are prepared to face the challenges at the workplace. This arrangement helps students cooperate with financial firms and solve real-life problems that enhance student confidence in their skills and workexperience.

In addition to curriculum developments, efforts in career development should be scaled up to enable the students to acquire competencies relevant to the workplace. This indicates that while career services within universities can provide workshops that seek to assist students in resume writing, they are not able to offer specific instructions on how to job interviews, methods of networking and business etiquette (Sari Puspa Dewi et al., 2023). There should be organized lectures from financial experts, panel discussions with the leaders of the finance companies and sectors and practice mock interviews to enhance students interpersonal and presentation skills. Thus, incorporating soft skills tests and assessment alongside with the development of individual learning plans to the scope of career counseling with the participation of students will give them more opportunities to be aware of potential flaws and practice on the subject, enhancing their communication, leadership, and teamwork proficiencies. In addition, universities should encourage students association to finance related student bodies and organizations, AP competitions and finance case challenges. The mentioned activities enable the students to enhance the essential leadership skills, teamwork and build their network of contacts (Sari Puspa Dewi, Wilson, Duvivier, Kelly, & Gilligan, 2023). Further, engagement of alumni to establish mentor ship programs would help create awareness to the students mainly the expectations of the industries, and tips towards the right working strategies for a particular position. Consequently, by complementing technical training through the contemporary skill development model, educational institutions will be in a position to prepare the postgraduate finance students to succeed in competitive financial markets suchasinLondon.

2.3 Conceptual framework

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

(Source: Self-created)

Hypothesis theory add?

2.4 Research Gap

Studies about employability skills show little focus on soft skills although most academic research focuses on technical competencies within financial industries. The relevance of financial modelling risk assessment and quantitative analysis to job readiness has been extensively studied but researchers have paid minimal attention to postgraduate finance students' perspectives about soft skill importance in employment search. Postgraduate students' perceptions about their skills match employers' expectations in the finance sector yet lack sufficient identification in overall analysis.

Previous studies analyzed soft skills in diverse employment applications but did not focus on the financial sector. Research on soft skill competency for career advancement in business and management fields confirms their importance but might not precisely represent the distinct recruitment criteria that finance employers maintain in volatile work settings such as investment banking, asset management and corporate finance (Yong & Ling, 2023). Research currently fails to examine how well postgraduate students meet the particular demands which financial professionals need because of changing markets and complicated financial information sharing with different types ofstakeholders.

The current literature demonstrates limited examination of how academic curricula for postgraduate finance courses link soft skill development to their programs. The analysis of employability frameworks shows gaps but quantitative research about the success of current educational curricula to develop interpersonal collaboration and leadership and networking practices remains limited(Hosain, Mustafi, & Parvin, 2021). While the technical competencies of students have been evaluated using course work and internships, the development of skills or lack of it by education institutions has not been well investigated. Few studies connect employer perspectives about needed competencies to similar measurements of postgraduate student self-assessments which creates gaps in understanding workforce readiness of new graduates.

The relationship between experiential learning through internships and mentor programs and industrial placements on improving soft skills remains undercomplete. Although researchers have documented practical educations advantages the available empirical evidence remains insufficient for understanding the impact of these experiences on student performance in professional financial contexts. Postgraduate finance students encounter specific obstacles during their shift from academic team dynamics to performing critical financial duties with professionals according to existingresearch.

2.5 Summary

The study reveals that the awareness level of the soft skills possessed by postgraduate finance students is still low, and it also reveals the expectations of employers in the finance sector. On the same note, employers care more about technical skills; however, interpersonal skills including communication, interpersonal skills and flexibility are valued most. Hence universities need to have structured soft skills enhancement programs and practical experiences such as internships and mentorship. Indeed, it is possible to state that the strengthening of technical and soft competencies enables educational institutions to ready students for further successful jobs in a financially competitiveenvironment.

Chapter 3: Research methodology: 1500

3.1 Introduction

This chapter provides a definition of the methodological technique that was applied to investigate the viewpoints of postgraduate students on the value of soft skills in the process of finding work in London's finance industry. The research makes use of a positivist perspective and a quantitative method which is in line with the objectives of the study which are to collect empirical data and extract generalizable patterns through the use of statistical analysis. A structured questionnaire was utilized as the major instrument for data collection since the study placed a strong focus on acquiring attitudes and self-evaluated skills from representatives of a varied range of people (Arnold, 2022).The justification for this analytical approach is in the fact that it is suitable for examining quantitative variables such as perceptions readiness and alignment with employer expectations within a sample that is statistically valid. The subsequent parts provide an explanation of the study design the sampling strategy the creation of the equipment the methods of data collection the ethical concerns and the methodology and approaches to data analysis.

3.2 Research Philosophy and Design

3.2.1 Research Paradigm

The research is positioned within the positivist paradigm which is a school of thought that asserts knowledge can be objectively quantified and that empirical methods may be utilized to investigate social processes. According to the purpose of assessing student perspectives and self-assessed preparation for employment soft skills this is in line with the current situation(Barkas et al., 2021). The research makes use of a deductive methodology which involves drawing on previously published works in order to formulate hypotheses which are then tested using the data that has been gathered.

3.2.2 Research Approach

The study methodology that was utilized was a deductive quantitative approach. This choice is in line with the objective of assessing theoretical assumptions that have been formed from previous research (Robles 2012, Succi and Canovi 2020) about the significance of soft skills in terms of employability. Pattern detection comparison of demographic variables and statistical hypothesis testing through the use of inferential methods are all made easier with the collection of quantitative data.

3.2.3 Research Strategy

An approach known as a cross-sectional survey was utilized in order to collect data at a certain point in time. For the purpose of formulating education and career readiness strategies in the ever-changing London financial job market this model offers an approach that is both cost-effective and practical for gaining a glimpse of postgraduate viewpoints.

3.3 Population and Sampling

3.3.1 Target Population

The target audience is comprised of postgraduate students master's level who are either now enrolled in finance-related programs at higher education institutions in London or have just completed such programs (Gunarathne et al., 2021). Participants were required to have graduated within the past twenty-four months or to be in their final semester of postgraduate studies and they were required to have either begun or planned to begin the process of looking for work in the financial industry.

3.3.2 Sampling Technique

The application of a non-probability sampling method more precisely a combination of purposive and snowball sampling strategies was applied in order to get access to a participant pool that was both relevant and diverse. (Hosain et al., 2021). By using snowball sampling which exploited professional and academic networks to boost sample diversity and representation particularly among working graduates purposeful sampling ensured that individuals who met the eligibility conditions were included in the sample.

3.3.3 Sample Size

In accordance with the Cochran technique for continuous data and taking into consideration the anticipated postgraduate population in the London region the target sample size was determined to be n = 120. It is because of this that appropriate statistical power and generalizability may be achieved across comparable urban financial labor markets(Kinsella & Waite, 2020).

3.4 Data Collection Method

3.4.1 instrument Development

A self-administered online questionnaire was the major instrument for data collection. This questionnaire was developed with Google Forms and evaluated for reliability and face validity with ten postgraduate finance students(Mahmud & Wong, 2022). The final version of twenty closed-ended questions that use five-point Likert scales ranging from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree" to determine the degree of agreement with statements concerning the value of soft skills preparation and their connection to professional achievement.

3.4.2 Survey Distribution

The survey was disseminated from Mid-April to End of April 2025 through the use of email invitations posts on LinkedIn mailing lists for university alumni and academic forums. The research purpose the guarantees of anonymity and the projected time commitment 1012 minutes were all mentioned in a cover letter(Mistry, 2021). For the purpose of encouraging higher response rates weekly reminders were distributed.

Saunders onion add?

3.5 Data Analysis Plan

The statistical package SPSS version 28 was utilized for the quantitative data analysis. An initial data cleaning and descriptive analysis were performed on the dataset in order to provide a summary of the demographics of the participants and the frequency of their evaluations of their soft skills.

Following this inferential statistical test were utilized in order to evaluate the relative relevance of soft skills through the comparison of mean scores that were obtained. Differences in perceptions across different demographic groups for example t-tests and ANOVA findings. Pearson's r coefficients were used to analyze the correlations between self-reported readiness and employment status. The purpose of this study is to analyze the underlying characteristics of perceived clusters of soft skills by doing factor analysis. In order to assess the internal consistency of the survey constructs a Cronbach's alpha test was employed with the target ? being more than 0.70 (Srinivasan & Thangaraj, 2021).

3.6 Ethical Considerations

Ethical standards have been developed by the British Educational Research Association BERA and the research was carried out in accordance with those guidelines. Before beginning the process of data collection the Research Ethics Committee of the organization was contacted in order to get ethical permission(Wu et al., 2023). Listed below are some of the core ethical behaviors that are mentioned: In addition to the fact that their participation was entirely voluntary participants were provided with a comprehensive information paper that outlined their rights confidentiality and the exploitation of their data. This was carried out in order to get their free and informed consent. During the process of gathering data no personally identifying information was acquired and the data was anonymized before being submitted and stored in a file that was encrypted(Acharya et al., 2023). A high level of anonymity and confidentiality was maintained.

It is possible for participants to withdraw from the competition at any moment prior to the deadline for participation. Due to the fact that the information was stored on a server that required a password to access Data Security will guarantee compliance with the laws of the GDPR.

3.7 Limitations of Methodology

Ethical standards have been developed by the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and the research was carried out in accordance with those guidelines. Before beginning the process of data collection, the Research Ethics Committee of the organization was contacted to get ethical permission. Listed below are some of the core ethical behaviours that are mentioned: In addition to the fact that their participation was entirely voluntary participants were provided with a comprehensive information paper that outlined their rights confidentiality and the exploitation of their data (Malan & van Dyk, 2020). This was carried out in order to get their free and informed consent. During the process of gathering data no personally identifying information was acquired and the data was anonymized before being submitted and stored in a file that was encrypted. A high level of anonymity and confidentiality was maintained (Yong & Ling, 2023).

It is possible for participants to withdraw from the competition at any moment prior to the deadline for participation. Due to the fact that the information was stored on a server that required a password to access Data Security will guarantee compliance with the laws of the GDPR.

3.8 Summary

The methodological framework that underpins the study endeavour has been defined more in this chapter. The evaluation of postgraduate finance students' soft skills in terms of getting employment was carried out using a positivist and quantitative methodology. Methodological integrity and coherence with the study purpose are ensured by the deployment of meticulously prepared surveys, appropriate sampling procedures, and tight ethical standards. The findings of the empirical research that was conducted using this method will be presented and analyzed in the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Data analysis, Result/Findings 2500

Validity and Reliability -Chapter4

The items on the survey were assessed by three professionals with expertise in higher education and finance to ensure that the content was genuine. Improvements in clarity organization and time efficiency were made possible by pilot testing with a group of postgraduate students that were involved. In this study construct validity was evaluated using exploratory component analysis in a retrospective manner.Cronbach's alpha was used to confirm the reliability of the instrument which revealed that all of the subscales exhibited good reliability. These subscales were Communication ? = 0.82 Adaptability ? = 0.78 Teamwork ? = 0.80 Leadership ? = 0.76 and Critical Thinking ? = 0.81(Rai et al., 2023).

Chapter 5: Discussions 1000

Chapter 6: Recommendations and conclusions 1000

Self-Reflection statements 1000 (goal1-6)

Research Questions 20

1. What is your age range?

• Under 25

• 26 -30

• 31-35

• Over 35

2. What is your gender?

• Male

• Female

• Prefer not to say

3. What is your current status?

• Enrolled postgraduate finance student

• Recent graduate within the past 12 months

4. Which University did you attend/ are you attending?

• (Open-ended)

5. Do you have prior work experience in the finance sector?

• Yes

• No

6. How important do you believe soft skills are for securing finance job in London?

• Most important

• Moderately important

• Least important

7. Rank the following soft skills in order of importance (1=Most importance, 7=Least importance)

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Teamworking

• Emotional Intelligence

• Flexibility

• Time Management

• Leadership

8. Which soft skill do you consider the most essential during finance job interview?

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Teamworking

• Emotional Intelligence

• Flexibility

• Time Management

• Leadership

9. How do you think employee value soft skills compared to technical skills?

• More than technical skills

• Less than technical skills

• Equal importance

10. Do you believe strong soft skills influence long -term career growth in finance?

• Yes

• No

11. How confident are you in your communication abilities for professional settings?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Moderately confident

• Slightly confident

• Not confident at all

12. How confident are you in working within diverse team in a professional finance setting?

• Very confident

• Somewhat confident

• Moderately confident

• Slightly confident

• Not confident at all

13. Rank your level of preparedness in the following soft skills (1=very preferred, 7=Least prepared)

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Teamworking

• Emotional Intelligence

• Flexibility

• Time Management

• Leadership

14. Did your postgraduate course include structured activities to develop soft skills?

• Yes

• No

• Unsure

15. How often did your course work include group projects, presentations, or simulations to enhance soft skills?

• Very frequently

• Frequently

• Occasionally

• Rarely

• Never

16. Were you assessed on your soft skills during postgraduate course (e.g., in presentation, group work)?

• Yes

• No

17. Did you receive constructive feedback on your soft skills from instructors or peers during your course?

• Yes

• No

18. Which method do you find most effective for developing soft skills?

• Internships

• Workshops

• Case Studies

• Mentoring

• Role Plays

19. Do you think universities should place more emphasis on soft development for finance student?

• Yes

• No

20. What additional support would you recommend to help finance student develop soft skills?

• (open-ended)

Bottom of Form

Reference:

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Glossary:

NACE - National Association of Colleges and Employers

Word count: 12000

1. Introduction: 1500

2. Literature Review: 3500

3. Research methodology: 1500

4. Data analysis, Result/ Findings: 2500

5. Discussions :1000

6. Recommendations and Conclusions: 1000

7. Reference APA system

8. Appendices

9. Self-Reflection statement: 1000 (include in first appendix)