Graduates miss out on jobs because they are risk averse and struggle to recover from setbacks.

Research by Ernst & Young and the Centre of Applied Positive Psychology (Capp) tested the employability skills of 1,000 UK university students.

Out of the 60 strengths tested for by the survey, the top five student skills were: taking pride in their work, problem solving, being true to themselves, building relationships and having a sense of humour.

They were weakest in: resilience, time optimisation, showing courage at overcoming their fears, taking risks, and making themselves the centre of attention.

Stephen Isherwood, of Ernst & Young, said: "A good degree from a respected university no longer guarantees students’ a job. We interview over 3,000 bright graduates every year, but only about 25% have the all-round skill set that we recruit for.

"Relationship development and problem solving are key attributes that we look for in our trainees. But the candidates who end up with job offers also demonstrate determination and resilience, and are able to work hard and thrive in difficult situations. We need to know that they are going to be able to cope if they are sent half way across the world to work on a client project."

He added: "You don’t need to have thrown yourself out of a plane to demonstrate to an employer that you have a sense of adventure or are resilient. Think about examples from your work experience placements or even your part time job. It could even be an occasion where you dealt with a difficult customer in a busy restaurant, whilst working as a waiter."

Ernst & Young and Capp’s top 10 employability tips:

1) Take some risks and make mistakes - employers are happy to hear about when things go wrong, as long as you have learnt lessons.

2) Do something that makes a difference - don't just focus on your studies. Employers want to see that you've used your drive and initiative to do more than the average.

3) Shout about your part-time jobs - if you work on a checkout you are delivering client service, in a business and working in a team.

4) Develop your commercial awareness - if you want to work for a commercial organisation you need to show you are interested in business.

5) Study hard - your academic results demonstrate your intelligence, work ethic and ability to solve problems.

6) Find out what you are good at - different jobs require different strengths and you will be much more motivated and successful if you are playing to your strengths.

7) Learn to work to deadlines - we don't live in a perfect world and you will have to deal with time, budget and resource constraints effectively.

8) Develop people skills - rarely does anyone work in a silo, you need to show you can work well with others and deliver results collaboratively.

9) Be positive - organisations want people who can deal with setbacks and overcome challenges.

10) Become self-aware - if you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, your likes and dislikes, you can grow and develop effectively.