Identify All the Skills You Already Have
Identifying your work skills is a good idea in these situations. Which one fits you?
- You'd like some new assignments at your job, using skills you haven't used there before.
- You want to continue to make yourself valuable to your current employer.
- You want to advance at your job and need to describe what you can do.
- You've been out of the workforce for a while and want a job now.
- You're exploring other possible jobs for the future.
- You do lots of things outside of work; why not get paid for using those skills on the job?
- You want to try different work before it's too late.
- You tried retirement, but want to return to part-time work now.
- You're dreaming of your own small business on the side.
You also might just be curious. Or, if you're down in the dumps, a frank look at all your skills can get you moving toward your goals.
The Types of Skills
A skill is the ability to perform a task or carry out a responsibility. There are many different ways to define skills. One way is to group skills into three separate types:
Knowledge skills
You have these skills because you have learned how to do something. You learned by experience or in a school or training setting. You may use these skills at work already, or you may use them in other parts of your life.
For example, in addition to skills you already use at work, you may know about gardening, the political process, decorating, community resources, or speaking Spanish.
Personal skills
These help you work and cooperate with other people. They make you productive.
For example, you may be persuasive, a good negotiator, upbeat, detail-oriented, patient, humorous, or adaptable.
Experience skills
These skills relate to tasks you have actually performed or responsibilities you have carried out. They are listed on resumes and can be transferred from job to job.
For example, your experiences may include coaching, assembling, planning, filing, motivating, coordinating, repairing, or supervising.
Your Skills
An easy way to figure out your skills is to complete these three sentences:
"I know…"
For your knowledge skills, list all the subjects you know. For
example, "I know ecology, fashion, and tax law."
"I am…"
For your personal skills, list all your personal traits. For
example, "I am generous, resourceful, flexible, and
candid."
"I can…" For your experience skills, list results-oriented abilities. For example, "I can repair small appliances, problem-solve, organize events, and teach."
Think about all the roles you play, in your home, family and community, and as a volunteer, friend, and worker. Show your list to three other people who know you well. They can add the skills you have forgotten. Or, you can ask others to make their own lists of your skills. They are likely to notice skills that you take for granted.
If you feel stuck, pick out an achievement that you feel good about. Write about what you did, just as you did it, step by step. Show your story to someone else. Together, mark all the skills you used in your achievement.
Using Skill Identification Tools
A skill identification tool gives you a list of skills to choose from, instead of thinking them up on your own. Checking off your skills from a list may help you realize how many skills you have.
Many career exploration books include lists of skills.
A Web-based skill list lets you pick your skills first, then match them with occupations.
The Skills Search on "O*Net Online" is thorough and easy to use. This tool is from the U.S. Department of Labor. It matches your skills with skills needed in nearly 1,000 occupations.
The O*Net skill descriptions are short but complete. You select the skills you have in the categories of basic, social, complex problem-solving, technical, systems, and resource management. You get a list of occupations that most match your skills.
You can click on each occupation to find out more about it. You may not have thought of the jobs that come up. And you may not even be interested in them. But the jobs list is sure to get you thinking about your skills in a new light.
If you want more detailed information, find a counselor to help you at your local Career One-Stop Center. Most of their services and tests are free, though there may be a cost for some. There, you can take the O*Net Ability Profiler. Ask for both the paper-and-pencil test and the apparatus section, in which you actually perform coordination and dexterity tasks. The Ability Profiler measures nine job-related abilities:
| Verbal ability | Clerical perception |
| Arithmetic reasoning | Motor coordination |
| Computation | Finger dexterity |
| Spatial ability | Manual dexterity |
| Form perception |
You then link your abilities to the skills needed in 1,000 occupations. Your scores show how your skills compare to those of the general population. The higher your skill score, the better you would be able to perform the jobs requiring that skill.
Additional Resources
O*Net
Online Skills Search
Assess your skills and match them to occupations. This
easy-to-use tool makes it fun.
O*Net
Ability Profiler
Ask a counselor at your local Career One-Stop Center to give you
the O*Net Ability Profiler. This tool helps you plan your work
life by showing your skills in nine job-related areas. You then
link your skills to actual jobs.
Find Your Local Career
One-Stop Center
Put in your zip code to get the Center closest to you. These
Centers provide a full range of employment and benefit services.
Many of the services and tests are free.
Books
Find these books online at Barnes and Noble.com
Targeting the Job You Want, Kate Wendleton, The Five O'Clock Club, 2000. Use the Seven Stories exercise to review your accomplishments. See the skills you use the best and enjoy the most. This takes some work, but gives amazing results.
