Dreamfedjob - Turning unemployed into employed.What is a Skill?
A skill is something you can do well right now. An employer hires you because of your skills. These skills tell the employer if you have the necessary background and experiences to do a good job. Everyone has skills. What are yours?
Knowing your job skills allows you to plan a more effective job search. You will have greater success by picking job openings that match what you have done before and what you already know how to do. If there are not a lot of jobs using your skills, you might want to consider retraining. Try to match what the employer is looking for with the skills you have learned from other jobs. By thinking about your skills in advance, you may choose jobs better suited to you, be more confident in interviews, write better résumés, and find a job that is more satisfying. Be sure to ask about training opportunities on our website and at your local career center. You can also explore community services and the local technical school for training.
Knowing Your Skills Three Types of SkillsResearch says that the most common interviewing mistake is not being able to talk about job skills. Why? Probably because the job seeker does not take the time to think about all the things he/she does every day in the workplace. When you know how to do something, you do it automatically. Try to remember any training you had to learn your last job. During this time you were learning job skills. Don't be shy. It is not bragging to talk about what you can do when it is the truth.
Three Types of Skills
To complete a task, there may be many steps that require various skills. These skills can come from life, work, or education. A good way to organize skills is to divide them into three basic types: job-related skills, transferable skills, and self-management skills.
Job-related skills are abilities that you learn in a particular job or type of job. These relate to four different areas: data, people, things, and ideas.
- Data relates to numbers of any kind (percentages, frequency, and money), research, codes, or surveys.
- People include what kind of people you work with (coworkers, customers, vendors, etc.) and what you do with, for, or to each of them.
- Things refer to tools, machines, or pieces of equipment you know how to use.
- Ideas are suggestions you came up with to make the job easier, more efficient, or more profitable.
Transferable skills can be used in a variety of jobs. They are skills you can transfer from one job or career to another without much training. In an interview you may be asked to describe a time when you used a certain skill. Some examples of transferable skills are:
- write clearly
- file records
- handle money
- organize tasks
- gather information
- teach others
Self-Management skills tell the employer if you would fit in with the personality of the company, the management, and the coworkers. You may be asked when you have used one of these skills, so be sure to pick those you have used. Some examples of self-management skills are:
Make a list of your skills in each category, then select the top three from each group.
Next, think of specific examples showing how you used that skill on the job. Use the five steps below to write a strong example of your skill.
- Identify and name a skill.
- Give an example of where and how you used this skill.
- Describe the example by answering “who, what, when, why, and how”questions.
- Strengthen the example with numbers, dollars, savings, or profits.
- Give the results, or how the employer would benefit from your actions.
Practice presenting each example as if you are speaking to an employer. That's how you sell your skills. The ability to identify, explain, and prove your skills can make the difference between getting the job or not getting it. To be successful, you must be able to talk about yourself and your skills.
What Skills do Employers Want?According to a recent survey, employers consider these 10 skills and qualities very important in the workforce:
- communication skills
- computer skills
- customer care skills
- team-working, flexibility
- practical and technical skills
- quality control
- learning skills
- problem-solving skills