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What Skills You Have to Offer Employers
Identifying your skills,
knowledge and personal attributes
All of us have skills and abilities to offer an
employer. The task we have is to identify those
skills/abilities to an employer when doing our
resume or conducting an interview. We may
have all the skills in the world but how
does an employer know what they are unless we
identify them. Many times it’s difficult
to identify these attributes in ourselves and
even harder to record this on paper.
Employers expect graduates to recognize the
skills that they have - in particular those that
are needed to complete the requirements of the
position. Let's look at some of the skills we
need to identify for the employers.
They are looking for people with skills and
traits such as:
•Communication
•The ability to work as part of a team
•Time management
•Problem solving
•Flexibility
The following is a list of some of the skills
which employers of graduates need and expect
from job applicants:
•Research - an indication of an ability to
research yourself, a particular job or
organization, or the employment market
generally. Have you established clear &
realistic goals which match what you have to
offer?
•Analysis - identifying key needs & assessing
your ability to meet them.
•Decision Making - what is & isn’t relevant to
include.
•Planning & Organizing - preparing a clear,
concise & relevant document.
•Communication - use of appropriate language.
Getting information across convincingly & making
a good impression.
•Clerical/Technical - demonstrating an eye for
layout & design by presenting a document which
is balanced and easy to scan or read thoroughly.
Must also have perfect grammar, spelling &
structure.
Personal skills & experience
The following is an example of what a 21 year
old student has had successful experience in as
outlined in their resume.
Financial management & administration:
Kept books in association with accountant
Controlled income/expenditure - bank transfers,
loan repayments
Monitored/reconciled cash flows & bank balances
Filed documentation
Prepared wages, PAYE, GST returns
Taken responsibility for cash register balances
Analysis, planning & decision-making:
Set up a computer based cash management system
Researched and analyzed literature and
statistics
Evaluated irrigation systems proposals
Controlled farm inventories & bar stock
Arranged investment mortgage finance
Organized machinery maintenance
Planned cultivation & harvest cycles
Scheduled work & met deadlines
Communication:
Listened & contributed in meetings & classroom
discussions
Capital property transactions
Made public presentations to groups of 30+
people
Handled enquiries & complaints
Trained temporary staff
Wrote reports, essays & proposals
Negotiated direct sales with retailers for
purchase of stock
Worked effectively in group situations &
followed instructions
Leadership & Supervision:
Employed services of lawyers, trades people &
contractors
Organizer & office holder in various clubs -
including the set up of an investors’ club
Supervised full & part time employees
Coached/trained sports teams
Computing:
Microsoft Word
Excel
Power Point
Quantitative Systems for Business
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Access
C ++
Java
Minitab
SPSS
Competencies - the following are examples of
what you could include in your resume:
Analytical skills (ability to) -
•identify key components of an issue or problem
•relate practical applications to technical &
theoretical knowledge
•recognise alternatives, problems &
opportunities
•test assumptions & revise conclusions in the
light of new experience
Skills in innovation: (ability to)
•anticipate needs
•bring in fresh perspectives & new ideas
•identify & develop opportunities to increase
effectiveness
•think creatively, imaginatively & in abstract
terms
Decision making skills: (ability to)
•identify & give appropriate weighting to all
relevant factors
•make logical & considered decisions & support
with appropriate evidence or rationales
•ensure that decisions made are consistent with
goals
Research skills: (ability to)
•obtain information efficiently
•identify & use appropriate sources of
information e.g. people, literature
•access scientific literature
•take & catalogue notes
•prepare bibliographies
Manual skills: (ability to)
•use tools of trade safely & competently
•observe good work and housekeeping practices
•undertake the variety of tasks required of the
job
•maintain equipment & tools of trade
Organization skills: (ability to)
•establish priorities & plan and organize work
according to those priorities
•delegate work & allocate resources
appropriately
•organize work either on an individual basis or
as part of a work group
•monitor & evaluate performance & adjust to
changed circumstances
Clerical skills: (ability to)
•use appropriate office equipment as required
•follow common formats & layouts for
correspondence & reports
•devise & access filing systems
Job knowledge:
•understanding of terminology, principles &
practices applicable to the job
•able to follow required industrial regulatory
or technical guidelines
•knowledge of issues, problems or necessary
changes appropriate to the job
•demonstrate organizational and interpersonal
skills
•recognize an employer’s needs
Specialist knowledge:
•detailed knowledge of equipment, systems or
administrative procedures
•tertiary qualifications necessary to undertake
duties of the job
Environmental knowledge -
•understanding of trends & attitudes prevailing
in industry & the community
•knowledge of the industrial relations climate
of an organization
Interpersonal skills: (ability to)
•gain the co-operation & acceptance of others -
clients, colleagues & other professionals
•make an effective contribution as a member of a
work group, team or task force
•represent & negotiate on behalf of an
organization
•provide sound leadership & motivate staff to
produce results
•focus on performance rather than personality
when relating to others
•be socially, culturally & ethically sensitive
Maturity: (ability to)
•do a thorough job with limited supervision work
within the constraints of an organizations rules
and regulations
•work effectively & remain clam and flexible
under pressure
•seek assistance from others when required
•share & encourage the sharing of information
about problems, successes & decisions
•be adaptable & make independent judgments
Motivation: (ability to)
•set goals and reach them
•take the initiative and maintain a high energy
level
•demonstrate a positive attitude to self and
others
•enjoy challenges and take reasonable risks
Technical skills & specialized knowledge:
•typing, shorthand, speed-reading
•product knowledge
•EEO regulations
•basic accounting/budgeting
•wage law & employee benefits
•computer programming
•real estate appraisal
•legal experience
Communication skills:
Written
Leadership
•clear concise & accurate reports
•inspiring enthusiasm in others
publicity materials
•handle crisis & emergencies well
letters & proposals
•willingness to take responsibility
speeches/presentations
•initiating new ideas & procedures
Verbal/Interpersonal/Human relations skills:
•clarifying issues in logical & concise manner
•ease in obtaining information from others
negotiating issues
•counseling/coaching on individual basis
giving clear instructions
•ability to influence others to see your point
of view
•asking clear direct questions
•understanding & using organization politics
training others
•resolving personal conflicts with others
•conducting interviews
•justifying your actions to subordinates
Administrative/planning and organizing
skills:
•ability to implement decisions
•developing, implementing & controlling a budget
•attention to details
•scheduling a sequence of events
•gathering accurate pertinent data
•knowing how to evaluate priorities
•developing time saving working procedures
•defining departmental goals within
organisational goals
•ability to co-ordinate large numbers of diverse
activities or events in a short period of time
•creating & maintaining files, data records,
financial information
•gathering information and arranging it in a
clear interpretable form
•ability to meet deadlines under pressure, work
at a fast pace. |
