Do You Know Your Skillset? Tips to Identifying Your Skills

Do you know your skillset?

It is important to be aware of one’s skills so that you are aware of what you can bring to a company. These skills are what make you unique in comparison to other potential candidates applying for the same position. We are in an era where technical skills are evolving at an unprecedented pace but there is also a crucial need for ‘soft skills’ (americasucceeds.org). These set of skills can be transferred from one job to another. Soft skills are general characteristics, relevant to personality traits. Examples of soft skills include critical thinking, problem solving, communication, adaptability, etc. Whereas hard skills, also called technical skills, are job-specific, relevant to each position (resources.workable.com). Examples of hard skills include Microsoft Access, JavaScript, management, software development, etc.)

Here are some tips to identify your skills:

1. Make a list of soft and hard skills and choose the ones you strongly believe you possess.

2. Look at a job opportunity you would potentially apply to and assess if you have any of the skills needed to be successful at that job.

3. Assess your past job experiences and list the skills you used at your previous jobs.

4. Ask other people for feedback or advice. This is helpful because often we may struggle in recognizing our own skills whereas an employer or professor or even a friend or family member can recognize your skills right away.

5. Take free self-assessment tests available for free online or answer various questions that will allow you to identify your skills.

(https://www.careeraddict.com/assessing-skills-career)

Identifying your skillset will help you thrive in your place of employment. These skills will set you apart from others and you can always take the skills you’ve learned from one place to another.

~Hena Saleem

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