Explore Your Skills

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Skills are learned abilities. Explore Your Skills is Part Three of Discover U in Ten Steps and part of a self-assessment to uncover hidden talents. Find a free printable self-assessment form at the Brand and Purpose Toolkit.

ASSESS current skills. Do you have the top skills that employers want? When you know what your skills are, you can match them to careers. Find free online tools to explore skills at List.ly. The Skills Center at CareerOneStop is a great place to start identifying your skills.

Types of Skills – Identifying your skills at dol.georgia.gov describes these skills:

1. Job skills are specific to an occupation, like special computer software or reading blueprints.
2. Transferable skills are general work skills like the ability to use a computer program or writing a report.
3. Self management skills are personal qualities like being analytical or reliable.

More Skills

• Work Skills like customer service and meetings
• Leadership Skills like teamwork and providing feedback
• Soft Skills like communication and working with others
• Computer Skills like word processing and email
• Life Skills like goal setting and time management.

See The Work Skills Toolkit for more information.

The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identified skills needed for success in the world of work. They categorize skills as: Basic Skills, Thinking Skills, and Personal Qualities. People Skills are included at Career Key. Try an online assessment of SCANS skills or a printable assessment.

Look at your work experience and list the different skills you have used. You can look at it two ways:

1. Specific to general: what job duties were performed? what projects were accomplished? What transferable skills and self-management skills were demonstrated? or
2. General to specific: How have you demonstrated self-management and transferable skills in your work?

IDENTIFY a target skill to develop. Which skill, if improved, would have the most impact? Use a development plan and find learning activities to set a goal for developing the skill.

DEVELOP the skill. Find many resources at Develop Work Skills and The Development Center at the Daily PlanIt Sticky Wiki.

DESCRIBE skills. Learn how to describe your accomplishments with specific examples at Marketing U.

Discover U in Ten Steps

1. Discover your heroes
2. Identify your strengths
3. Explore your skills
4. Examine your beliefs
5. Look at your values
6. Develop a mission statement
7. Learn about your personality and interests
8. Think about your talents and goals
9. Tell your story
10. Express yourself

Brand and Purpose Toolkit at Resources

About dailyplanit

I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.