Discovering your skills - Strategic career management and employees development

Knowing what skills you have to offer can help you identify specific industries or organizations where your strengths might be a good match for the employer’s needs. How you feel when using these skills is also important. If you enjoy work that requires certain skills, then look for opportunities to use them, even if you have to develop those skills over time. If you have high proficiency in a skill that you do not enjoy using, try to limit how much you’ll need to perform these types of tasks. When you excel at a skill but don’t enjoy using it, we call it a “burnout skill.” You don’t have to avoid burnout skills altogether but you shouldn’t choose a career just because you will be good at your job.

To do: SKILLS INVENTORY

Rate yourself in the following skill categories using the scale below and then circle the skills that you enjoy using and put an X through any “burnout” skills (skills in which you excel and therefore use a lot but do not actually enjoy using)

1 = Strong ability in this area

2 = Some ability

3 = Enough ability to get by with help from others

4 = No ability at all

Verbal-Persuasive

__ Writing: Express myself in written forms of communication. 2

__ Talking: Relate easily to people in ordinary conversational settings. 1

__ Speaking: Deliver a talk or address an audience. 2

__ Persuading: Able to convince others to believe something I hold to be true. 2

__ Selling: Convince others to buy a product/service I am selling. 2

__ Dramatics: Portray ideas or stories in a dramatic format. 2

__ Negotiations: Bargain/discuss with goal of reaching agreement. 2

Social

__ Social ease: Relate easily in situations which are primarily social in nature. 2

__ Dealing with public: Relate effectively with a variety of people who come to an

establishment for information, service or help. 2

__Appearance/Dress: Dress presentably and appropriately for a variety of interpersonal situations or group occasions. 2

__ Accepting negative feedback: Able to cope with criticism. 2