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3 Career-Making Skills You Might Not Know You Have

Do you feel like you are lacking the professional experience you need for a particular job?  Chances are, you’re not considering all of your talents and related experience. You can use responsibilities of your daily life, including projects, hobbies, sports and anything else, to identify skills that can be applied in the workplace, called “Transferable Skills.” There are three main types of transferable skills that are necessary in any line of work, and you won’t want to overlook them when filling out a job application or sitting down for an interview.  

 

1. People Skills

People Skills are defined by your ability to interact with others, and they make you valuable in any organization. These include the ability to work in a team, communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills. If you have led a club in high school, or you have a knack for forming positive, long-lasting relationships, then you should be able to interact with your coworkers and supervisors in a positive and constructive way. Your transferable skills statement might be:

“I have leadership experience and strong interpersonal skills.”  

Your ability to communicate and interact with others in your daily life are sure to relate to skills needed in your job of choice!

 

2. Task Skills

Task Skills are skills that determine your ability to physically handle tasks assigned for a job. These can include your level of organization, time management, and your ability to use technology and to problem-solve. If you always turned school assignments in on time, or you are familiar with technology, having put in hours playing video games, you should be able to meet deadlines at work and have the ability to quickly learn about new technologies. You may come up with a skill like:

“I consistently meet deadlines and have proficient technical skills.”

Most people have hobbies or habits through which these task skills shine! It just takes a little digging to find out what they are.

 

3. Personal Skills

Personal Skills are your internal drivers, something within your biological code that defines your work ethic. Personal skills include your initiative, motivation, integrity, adaptability, and other similar qualities. When someone offers you a responsibility, do you naturally want to take it on? If you have a hobby like writing, do you always finish the work that you start? If so, you can bet you will be motivated at work and will finish your projects. Your transferable skills statement might look like this:

“I am a self-starter who always sees assigned tasks through to the end.”

Dig deep inside of you, and see what you come up with as your personal skills!

 

As a program participant in the MVI Workforce Program, you will have the chance to break down these three skills even further, self-assess your current strengths and weaknesses at our “Transferrable Skills” Job Club, and to work with a Workforce Development Specialist to learn how to properly analyze and present your transferable skills to an employer.

Call 412-464-4000 x.4001 to register for the Workforce Development Orientation!