Your Skills and Abilities Can Determine Your Life

A skill may be defined as the capacity to perform a task well. Usually, skills are
developed over a time through experience or training. A skill may be useful for
doing a work in a number of jobs. Skill can also be used in learning. Ability may
include aptitude, intelligence, physical ability, skill and expertise.
What are the various skills that employers expect from you?
There are many important things that you should do for job seeking. ne among
them is to find out those skills and abilities that you can add to the work force.
!our skills and abilities are some of your most precious assets and you should
not overlook them.
In the ob market you are expected to possess three types of skills namely
technical skills, transferable skills and personal skills.
!" #echnical Skills
These are the speciali"ed knowledge and skills needed for performing certain
duties. A few examples of technical skills are word processing, driving forklift,
flower arrangement, bookkeeping, nursing and gardening. All these are broader
skills and each of them includes a number of specific skills that a person must
possess for completing those technical tasks.
$" #ransferable Skills
These are the basic skills needed for performing a range of tasks. These skills
shall be #transferred# from one work area to another. $xamples of transferable
skills are money handling skills, problem solving, customer service, organi"ation
and communication.
%" &ersonal Skills
These are the individual %ualities you possess. These %ualities are personality,
attitudes, and style of operation and work habits. A few examples of personal
skills are the ability to work unsupervised, to work under pressure, being
trustworthy, reliable and honest.
&ore often, we care more about our technical skills because we can identify
them easily. Though technical skills are essential, you need more than just the
ability to perform certain task. This is because employers will also look at the way
you approach a work and how you interact with others
What is the situation in the ob market?
'hen you go out in the job market after getting free from colle'e, it can be a
frightening aspect particularly when you are looking for a job that is completely
strange from that kind of the job that you are used to do. (t is a common
perception that employers show interest in persons who have experience with
some techni%ues or those who were doing similar kind of work previously.
)owever after doing some research you can find out %uickly about the number of
opportunities that are available to you if you are able to exhibit certain skills
essential for doing the job.
It is unfortunate that most of the individuals end up sellin' themselves
short (hen attemptin' to list or express the skills that they have) !ou may
find it much tougher to convince a potential employer that you are the right
candidate for the job that he offers, if you are not confident about your skill set
and if you lack the understanding of those skills, which are transferable into new
markets. (t is here that your capability in identifying your own skills and interests
will help you in bridging the gap and showing to the employers that you are over
%ualified for the post you look for.
*o( can you identify and develop your skills?
*. You can make an analysis of your skills) Those accomplishments from
the very educational %ualification to your past achievements are to be
analy"ed. !ou can also add your achievements in your past job. This
helps you to understand about yourself in a better way.
+. Do not hesitate to mention your skills (hen you apply for a ob) &ost
of the time, interviews are to know about your %ualifications, flexibility,
interpersonal relationship and so on. So, it will be an advantage if you
could mention your skills in your application. 'hy do the companies
conduct interviews, (t is to know about all your different skills.
-. If you are asked at the time of intervie(+ (hy you prefer to (ork in
that company, you can provide your genuine answers. Tell them you are
interested with the company.s genuine production. (f you have any special
knowledge of any particular making, you can put it forward. (t will make a
great impact on the minds of the employer. &ore than that keep yourself
positive, confident and of course pleasant.
What are the other employability skills?
The following skills are considered as /skills sought by the employers0 1 A survey
conducted by the Australian 2ational Training Authority.
Communication and Interpersonal ,elationship-
$ffective communication skills, listening, managing conflicts and cultural
differences are considered in this area of expertise.
Leadership and #eam(ork-
3roviding direction is expected from you, it is called as leadership %uality. Select
the skilled people according the job re%uirements and provide the work towards
achieving desired results.
Initiative and &roblem Solvin'-
!our readiness and openness to face new challenges in your work is expected.
This should be further continued with proper reasoning and logic analysis to
resolve the problems that you face in your work place.
&lannin' and .ana'ement-
!ou need to make priorities, meet the targets and cope up with achieving desired
results. The balance in different situations and good physical and mental health is
important for a tireless service.
Accuracy and experience-
3eople those who have good experience in a particular field will be able to
complete the job within a limited time than those who do not have good
experience. Accuracy too, depends on the experience in many cases. 4e precise
in approach towards your tasks and have an eye for every detail.
/lexibility and Creativity-
Ability to ac%uire new skills through study, experience and training re%uires for a
successful growth of any concern. The candidate needs to be flexible according
to situational demands, adjust ones approach and welcome new ideas, methods
and challenges.
#echnolo'y and Computers-
'ork with new technology and show proficiency with re%uired computer
programs.
Can your continued reflection help you to improve your abilities?
5ontinued reflection helps you to update yourself in each and every work. (t is to
be done everyday, especially on the day where you had different experiences, or
any difficulties. (dentifying your skills the employers take them for granted. (f you
have a clear understanding about your skills and more confident when you
approach employers then you can enable yourself to explore realistic work
options. !ou must be able to reflect continually. That helps to keep moving
upwards with corrections of your mistakes.
&ersonal Attributes
Why do personal attributes play a considerable role?
(f you are very skilled but not honest and straight forward, it would be hard to
keep yourself in a place for a long time. A committed employee will be placed in a
higher position at many times than the really skilled person. &any skilled people
might experience a similar kind of situation. f course, the skills are respected.
The personal attributes expected by employers are as follows6
4alanced attitude to work
7eliability
Adaptability
5ommonsense
Sense of humor
)onesty
5ommitment
8oyalty
3ersonal presentation
3ositive self esteem and confidence
&otivation
(ntegrity $nthusiasm and
Ability to deal with pressure
This article is the property of http://www.iGuides.org