Figure out your skills: a helpful guide before building your CV
No one has their lives figured out. And no one can see themselves clearly. This is a problem, especially for young adults on the cusp of entering the professional world. That imposter syndrome can strike hard whenever you have to present yourself in a positive way, whether in your CV or at a job interview. You can take some of the pressure off if you identify what you are good at what you do before you even sit down to type your CV. Today, let’s figure out your skills.
What types of skills do employers look for?
When you are at a job interview, there are two things the recruiters look for.
- Soft skills
- Hard skills
Soft skills
According to Indeed, soft skills are “are interpersonal and behavioural skills that help you work well with other people and develop your career”. These skills are things that you pick up as you go through life, and include aspects like communication, creativity, teamwork, critical thinking, empathy and problem-solving. These traits are difficult to teach, yet necessary for both the individual and the company to succeed.
Hard skills
Hard skills, on the other hand, are technical knowledge or training you gain in a classroom, or even during internships. These skills are job-specific and you can study to acquire them. Afterwards, it’s a matter of practising and repeating these skills to maintain and enhance your skillset. Skills like proficiency in multiple languages, data mining, programming language proficiency are hard skills.
How can you figure out your skills?
What are you skilled at? When you try to find the answer to that, you should focus on the skills that are necessary for the job you want.
There are several methods you can use in order to find out what and where your skills lie in. Most of these methods rely on self-reflection. However, you can also use outsiders’ perspectives in order to discover or affirm your skills.
- Carry out a skill assessment
- Look at your previous jobs
- See the opinions of trusted friends and family
What are your skills? Perform a skill assessment to find out
A skill assessment can be tricky to perform. It’s difficult to be subjective when you scrutinise yourself. Many job seekers fail to consider what skill sets they bring to the table. And of the people who do, they either overestimate or underestimate their talents. That’s why a skill assessment if done correctly, can help you find out what you are skilled at.
Consider these steps as you begin to assess your skills;
- Consider the job description – the job posting has a list of requirements specific to the job. See how these requirements align with the skills you possess. In that way, you can be more specific when you talk about your talents and skills in the resume.
- What soft skills do you have? – these skills are a valuable commodity for job seekers. However, the way you phrase these on you CV also matters. Words like ‘excellent teamwork skills’ or ‘able to adept’ are becoming meaningless buzzwords. So show the hiring managers how you’ve put those skills to use in the past.
Seek your trusted acquaintances’ opinions
Sometimes people close to you know you better than you do yourself. That’s because we don’t always recognise our own strengths. If you are unsure about your judgement, ask your previous managers and colleagues to list what you are good at. What are the tasks you performed best? Which of your attributes do they consider to be the best? The opinion of other professionals can help you to figure out your skills. However, be sure to only seek the opinions of people who are impartial and objective.
Take a trip down memory lane
Your previous jobs can also help you to determine what your skills are. What kind of jobs experiences have you had so far? How did you solve any problems and issues you faced during those times? Asking yourself questions such as hose can help you narrow down on which of your skills, habits or traits have been useful to you in your career. It will also give you a starting point in trying to figure out your skills.
You know your skills. How do you brush up on them?
Let’s say you managed to figure out your skills. But they may feel unpolished or as if they are not enough. So how and what can you do to brush up on them? And what are some skills you may have that could possibly need improvements?
- Digital skills – Digital skills can constantly change. So if you feel like your knowledge is beginning to get dated, you can always enroll in an online course to brush up on your knowledge.
- People skills – If you have problems with interacting with other people, your communicaion skills might not be the best. You can join volunteer programmes, or even Toastmasters International or similar to overcome this issue.
- Interview skills – Believe it or not, there are certain skills that help you get through an interview successfully. If you are nervous in front of the hiring managers, no matter your qualifications, you won’t make a good impression. In order to overcome the issue, consider attending a few mock interviews with people you are comfortable with.
- Technical skills – If you feel like your technical skills are not enough, or that they are too outdated, you can always get new training.
Some things to consider
- Be realistic – even if you sit down to figure out your skills, it’s not a guarantee that you will get a job right away. The trick is to set realistic goals. When you are looking for jobs, look for positions that align with your current skill set. That is ot to say that you should not aim higher. However, it is much better to find a job that you can perform with excellence and continue to improve your skills while being employed.
- Be flexible – when you are looking for jobs, be flexible. Don’t get stuck on the kind of job you want and ignore the kind of job you are perfect for. These jobs may not be what you prefer. And you certainly don’t have to stay in that position for ever.
