SKILLS PERSONAL QUALITIES Learning to describe your skills

SKILLS & PERSONAL QUALITIES

Learning to describe your skills will help you to: • INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO AN EMPLOYER • WRITE YOUR RESUME AND COVER LETTER • PREPARE A CALLING CARD • ANSWER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Types of Skills Job Specific Skills - Technical Transferable Skills What can you do? I can……………… Skills Most Canadian Employers Want Personal Qualities or Attributes What kind of person are you? I am………. . .

Job Specific Skills sometimes called hard skills or technical skills that we use for one job skills that we usually learn from courses at school or training on the job Examples: Preparing statistics Navigating an airplane Drafting blueprints Operating a chainsaw

Transferable Skills sometimes called soft skills or personal management skills general skills that you can use for many jobs skills that you learn from your family, your life experience, your hobbies or at work and in school very valuable for employers Example - Organizational skills Nurses, delivery drivers, accountants, all need to be well organized.

Skills Canadian Employers Want Academic Skills Personal Management Skills Teamwork Skills Communicate positive attitude work with others Critically think responsibility plan and make decisions in a group learn adaptability show leadership

Personal Qualities When you have the right personal qualities, you will fit in to the organization. Sometimes we call these personality traits or attributes.

Examples of Personal Qualities patient creative accurate persistent empathetic calm A calm and persistent troubleshooter Accurately processed documents Patiently instructed clients with disabilities

Nurse Job Specific Skills starting an intravenous taking a blood sample sterilizing equipment recording patient charts Transferable Skills good oral and written communication skills well organized and able to multi-task Personal Qualities empathetic, gentle, trustworthy

Gas Station Attendant Job Specific Skills knowledge of all safety regulations and WHMIS Symbols processing credit card and debit card transactions check oil Transferable Skills fixing and repair machinery working well without supervision anticipate problems Personal Qualities polite, outgoing, reliable

Scientist Job Specific Skills laboratory procedures scientific calculations chemical properties Transferable skills handling dangerous materials safely planning troubleshooting Personal Qualities innovative, methodical, openminded

Receptionist Job Specific Skills operate a multi-line phone use a computer and appointment scheduling software identify the names and functions of all departments in the company Transferable Skills working under pressure good communication skills solving problems Personal Qualities cheerful, friendly, courteous

Lifeguard Job Specific Skills swimming 100 metres life saving techniques first aid and CPR Transferable Skills thinking clearly in a crisis calming people problem solving Personal Qualities alert, conscientious, energetic

Musician Job Specific Skills reading a score of music knowing all major and minor scales understanding tempo Transferable Skills listen intently cooperate as a team member Personal Qualities creative, disciplined, focused