Before beginning any job search, first create an inventory of employment skills. List your:
- Hard Skills (objectively measurable skills, such as ability to use Page Perfect 6.0 software)
- Soft Skills (subjectively measurable skills such as ability to organize)
- Transferable Skills (skills that can be used in a number of different jobs such as writing ability, telephone etiquette skills, etc.)
Identification of your hard, soft and transferable skills will come from a review of past learning functions (course work, etc.) and past work experience. The short exercises in this brochure will help to identify specific skills developed through projects completed for classes, training activities, seminars, workshops, and past work experience.
A complete exploration of past work experience areas (paid and unpaid) will be the first place to start. Past work experiences will provide you with lists of employment related skills, especially transferable skills. Many transferable skills can be found through the completion of the following exercises.
(Please complete as many boxes as necessary, use additional sheets of paper if needed.)
MOST RECENT WORK EXPERIENCE
- Job Title:
- What did you like most about this job?
- What did you do best?
- What did you like least about the job?
- What was your biggest accomplishment?
NEXT WORK EXPERIENCE
- Job Title:
- What did you like most about this job?
- What did you do best?
- What did you like least about the job?
- What was your biggest accomplishment?
Now that you have completed the information about two recent work experiences, determine if you have worked on any special projects (name these and list what part you assisted with); what equipment you used (office or other); and what knowledge you developed.
It is also important to explore what you "liked least". What can be learned from identification of the "least liked" aspects of the work experience? Often the knowledge of work "liked least" will provide you with the most valuable information concerning your employment goals. Focus on what you learned from the "liked least" work, rather than focusing on the negative aspect(s) of the experience. Good examples of how you overcame a barrier or achieved success in meeting these negative aspects of work can be used in interviews to show employers that you are not someone who quits easily.
Now take an additional sheet of paper and complete these same review tasks for your other past work experience in chronological order.
The next step is identification of skills developed while participating and completing course work, class projects, and other training or seminars. Complete the boxes with the two most recent "Learning Functions" such as your two most recent school courses, seminars, other training functions or workshops.
For now, it is permissible to limit this exercise to those in which you did your best and liked the most. For a more extensive review of skills developed through learning functions use additional sheets of paper and include all of the learning activities.
NAME OF LEARNING FUNCTION
- Title:
- What knowledge base did you develop?
- What did you like most in the course?
- Did you use any equipment? What?
- Name an important project you did?
If you list skills developed (such as leadership, organizational skills, marketing techniques, public presentation/speaking, writing, group facilitation) do so only when you can write down a clear example of how you can exhibit this skill either on a resume or during an interview.
NAME OF LEARNING FUNCTION
- Title:
- What knowledge base did you develop?
- What did you like most in the course?
- Did you use any equipment? What?
- Name an important project you did?
Now list information about whether you were on a team or working individually? Answer the question, Do you have any examples of your work or completed projects that reflect your skills and efforts? After you complete this skills assessment, you will be ready to develop your resume and other job search tools to reflect your skills and abilities.
