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clemson.edu/career
CENTER FOR CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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IDENTIFY YOUR SKILLS
Are you wondering what you have to offer your next employer? If
you are unsure of your skills, now is the best time to stop and
make a list. The ability to identify and articulate your skills will
be necessary in order to land your next job, obtain a promotion
or positive performance appraisal and to evaluate the suitability
of your chosen career field.
A skill is simply an ability to do something, whether it is recently
acquired or an ability that you have had for years. Skills can be
things you do only with a great deal of difficulty or they can be
things you do effortlessly, without thinking. Skills include such
things as your natural abilities, “knacks” for certain things,
special talents, “know-how” and training you have acquired.
Many people think that they do not have any employable
skills because they forget those skills that are second nature,
or because they limit the definition of skills to “technical
expertise.”
This information is intended to acquaint you with the total
definition of skills and is based on the work of Sidney Fine,
the researcher of skills with the
U.S. Government’s Dictionary
of Occupational Titles
. Sidney Fine identified and defined the
following three types of skills:
SELF-MANAGEMENT OR ADAPTIVE SKILLS
Description:
These are skills (sometimes described as
“personality traits”) that allow you to perform the day-to-day
tasks associated with work. They involve self-control in dealing
with people, time and your environment.
Examples: Punctual, persistent, conscientious, imaginative,
loyal, sincere, efficient, dependable, industrious and tolerant.
TRANSFERABLE OR FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
Description:
These are those instrumental skills that can be
used in a wide range of work situations. They are generally skills
that are natural or those that have been cultivated through
experience or education. They are related to working with people,
data or things.
Examples:
People:
Communicating, negotiating, teaching, supervising,
leading.
Data:
Developing, organizing, planning, analyzing,
computing.
Things:
Handling machines or manual skills, general
computer skills.
WORK CONTENT SKILLS
Description:
These are skills that are primarily related to working
in a particular field. They are therefore job-specific. The “technical
skills” that some people report not having are included in this area.
These skills are obtained through formal education or training.
Examples: Computer programming, playing an instrument, taking
blood pressure, utilizing accounting principles, interpreting
a standardized test, typing legal documents, repairing a car,
operating a cash register, tailoring suits, styling hair.
CATEGORIES OF SKILLS
Skills can also be divided into categories that designate what
you would be working with: people, data (information) and
things. These categories are typically used to indicate the
day-to-day tasks associated with a particular job. For example,
a teacher deals primarily with “people” skills (training), some
“information” skills (organizing) and a few “thing” skills
(handling of office equipment).
A FINAL WORD ON SKILLS
Many of these skills can be attained at any time and in a variety
of settings. They do not have to be learned on a job for you to
claim that you have them. Therefore, you do have employable
skills. You need to identify those that you have and like to use
and develop a list of concrete examples that demonstrate those
skills. Once you have accomplished that task, you will be better
able to convey in a job interview what you can do and why you
should be the person who is hired.
MARKETING YOUR LIBERAL ARTS DEGREE
In today’s world of work, the sky is the limit! The highlight
of your liberal arts degree is the preparation it gives you for
lifelong learning. Your studies have allowed you to explore
many topics, and once you graduate, you can apply these
studies in more ways than you can imagine. Skills gained
through liberal arts coursework will never become obsolete.
Almost every profession requires you to communicate (written
and spoken), solve problems, adapt to new situations, analyze
information and interact with diverse people. These skills are
highly valued by employers and are the highlight of your liberal
arts education. It has been reported that 38% of today’s CEO’s
majored in the liberal arts! There is value in your liberal arts
education. Your task is marketing your skills.
MANAGE YOUR RESUME