If you were asked right now to list your skills, what would your list look like? It might be a short list, not because you do not possess many skills, but simply because you have never been asked to identify them and are not accustomed to thinking or talking about them (especially if you have spent a long time in academia). Each person has approximately 700 distinct skills in his or her repertoire. However, most people have trouble identifying their skills and, even when able to do so, feel uncomfortable describing them. What’s important to remember is that what sets you apart as a candidate are the specific examples you can provide that prove the skills you claim to have. Having a realistic understanding of your skills will enable you to pursue occupations that you are qualified for and that you will enjoy.
A skill is a demonstrated ability to do something well. Skills can be learned and developed in a variety of ways: through academic or vocational training, self-study, hobbies, or on-the-job activities. In the labour market, skills are the currency used by workers in exchange for pay, so the more you develop your skills, the more marketable you will be.
There are different kinds of skills, and different ways to categorize them. For our purposes, they fall into two main categories—technical and transferable skills.
Technical skills are skills you have learned how to do for a specific professional purpose. The first thing many people associate with technical skills is ability with software and computers. Programming in C++, conducting statistical analysis using SPSS, and mapping in GIS are certainly technical skills, but so are sampling techniques, being able to use specific equipment in the lab, and preparing financial statements. At the same time, writing a research paper to specifications, or formatting documents according to different citation methods are also technical skills.
Transferable skills, on the other hand, are skills that you are using in multiple domains of your life anyway. So, for example, you are communicating with other people all the time, so communication is a transferable skill. Transferable skills can often feel more difficult to quantify and prove. Especially people with a more technical background tend to underestimate the value of transferable skills to employers. In fact, when employers are surveyed, the top skills they are looking for (and often have difficulty finding) tend to be transferable skills, such as communication, interpersonal skills, intercultural skills and project management.
Connected to, but different from skills are personal attributes. Personal attributes are qualities or characteristics that are a part of what make you who you are. Examples include having a positive attitude or being enthusiastic. They tend to be related to skills, since certain collections of personal qualities (such as enthusiasm and approachability) often allow the individual to develop more effective interpersonal skills, but they are not considered to be the same thing.
Employers want to hire people with the best combination of the transferable and technical skills (and personal attributes) required to be successful in the role they are trying to fill.
A recent study done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveyed thousands of employers to determine the seven most sought-after competencies they were looking for in new employees, something they refer to as “career readiness.” According to NACE, career readiness is the “attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies” that broadly prepare university graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.
Read the full NACE article. Compare this to a recent Canadian study done by the Conference Board of Canada.
Throughout the course of your degree you will have likely developed and demonstrated many of the top skills employers are looking for in employees today. You may have acquired or used these skills through working on group projects, conducting experiments in the lab, or writing research reports.
Select your faculty from the two lists below to first uncover some examples of the skills you may have already used or are currently developing through your degree and second samples of how you can clearly articulate how you demonstrated these skills.
Use this worksheet to help you identify and record more examples of the top skills employers are looking for, and how you are developing these skills in your degree.
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Information Technology Application |
Utilizing software systems to examine human movement |
Oral/Written Communications |
Writing scientific lab reports |
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving |
Designing systematic literature reviews |
Teamwork |
Presenting research results in a group |
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Information Technology Application |
Programming/writing code |
Leadership |
Acting as a group project lead |
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving |
Critically evaluating policies/legislation |
Teamwork |
Managing projects/communication within a team |
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Information Technology Application |
Utilizing software to conduct data analysis |
Oral/Written Communications |
Presenting technical knowledge to a non-technical audience |
Top Skill |
Example from My Degree |
---|---|
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving |
Designing appropriate scientific experiments |
Oral/Written Communications |
Demonstrating an understanding of the scientific method |
Information Technology Application
Utilizing software systems to examine human movement
Oral/Written Communications
Writing scientific lab reports
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Designing systematic literature reviews
Teamwork
Presenting research results in a group
Information Technology Application
Programming/writing code
Leadership
Acting as a group project lead
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Critically evaluating policies/legislation
Teamwork
Managing projects/communication within a team
Information Technology Application
Utilizing software to conduct data analysis
Oral/Written Communications
Presenting technical knowledge to a non-technical audience
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Designing appropriate scientific experiments
Oral/Written Communications
Demonstrating an understanding of the scientific method
Visit the University of Waterloo’s Find out More page to further explore the transferable and technical skills and personal attributes you are developing through your specific program.
Explore the helpful resources below to assist you in further identifying and articulating the skills you are developing and using in your degree.