Understanding and Assessing Your Skills
Soft skills
These skills are needed in all workplaces. Examples: Be on time, work well as part of a team, work independently, communicate effectively, think critically, etc.)
2. Hard skills or “technical skills.”
More specific to an occupation or workplace. Examples: Use Excel, Operate CNC Machinery, Interview an job candidate, write policies, frame a house, etc.
Whether soft or hard, skills are transferable; they can be used in more than one workplace.
Example: Your ability to measure as a carpenter, may be equally as valuable if you changed to a career in culinary or in a science lab. The ability to manage time, a soft skill, may be useful as a Project Manager or as a Bus Driver.
SKILLS for the WORKPLACE
Videos:
Learn more about skills:
- O*NET Online Skill categories and definitions
- The Top 60 Soft Skills at Work
- Hard or Soft Skill Jeopardy
Assess your skills
- Skills Matcher – Rate your skills from Beginner to Expert in 40 categories. You’ll be able to see occupation titles that match your skills as well as wages, education requirements and employment outlook for each title.
- mySkills myFuture – Enter your current or past job. You will be shown a list of careers that use similar skills. Allows you to Compare Skills that are commonly used in both your current job and your selected occupation. Find job listings, businesses, and training in your area.