Understanding what skills you have will help you future - proof your career and work out the kind of roles and job tasks you would enjoy doing.

Part Two: Skills

If I were to ask you right now what your skillset is, would you be able to tell me?

Do you find it hard?

A lot of students do, and often underestimate themselves, but if you find it hard, how will an employer be able to work them out? The best way for an employer to work out what you bring to the table is by looking at your skills and what they helped you achieve, so moving forward, it needs to something that you can talk about easily.

That's where a skills audit comes in really useful because no one knows you better than you know yourself. A skills audit helps you assess your skills, those you have, those you love using so much that they have become strengths, and those you would like to develop or improve.

Soft versus Hard skills

There are two main kinds of skills: hard skills and soft skills

Things like qualifications and technical skills are hard skills, things you train or study for and although they are important, they are not everything. There is another piece to the puzzle. Employers also look for the invisible so-called soft skills. You can think of your hard skills as the building blocks of your career and think of your soft skills as the transparent superglue that holds it all together, they're super-important. Working on your soft skills can really tip the scales in your favour when job hunting and interviewing. They can also get you hired; it will be the candidate with the best soft skills that employers will usually perceive as most rounded and able to hit the ground running. They can even make up for lack of direct work experience! How's that for good news!

Soft Skills are human skills

Soft skills are among the tops skills for any job in any industry, and a key leadership potential indicator. They are also essential for self-leadership because before you can lead anyone else, you need to lead yourself. They are the skills which will help you communicate, build relationships, work well with others, be solution focused, be creative, be flexible, the skills you would use every day in your role to perform well in any kind of business environment with others. You'll find examples in the Suggested Reading section.

Practice makes perfect

The good news is that anyone can develop their soft skills through experience. In fact, most skills can be developed with a little effort so if you find there is a skill you want to develop, or one that is not as strong as you would like, you just need to practice it. Put yourself into situations which will get you to develop those skills. You can do this at university but also in your personal and social life.

How can I start?

• Start from where you are, your academic course: What skills is your academic course helping you develop?
• Any kind of work experience: Think about part time roles, temping roles, internships, summer jobs, working for your family, volunteering, work placements or work shadowing, positions of responsibility? How are they challenging and stretching you?
• Extra-curricular activities: Think about your hobbies, any sports you play, any societies or clubs you belong to? What skills are they highlighting?
• We all have blind spots and often don't recognise things in ourselves that people who know us well can spot a mile away. So, speak to people and ask them what they see in you.
• What did you love doing as a child?
• Look for patterns in the things you do that give you energy.

Once you have done that:

What 5 skills are you great at and what is the evidence for that?

• I am great at...because...
• I am great at...because...
•  My friends say I am great at...because...
• My family say I am great at...because...
• My course mates say I am great at...because...

When you recognise your skills and strengths, you also notice any weaknesses allowing you to address them if you want to. This helps you grow in self-awareness; quality employers are always on the lookout for.

Suggested Reading

> 90 Examples of soft skills

> Skills health check

> Soft skills and successful leadership

> Understanding and evaluating skills

By Anna Gordon - Certified Business Coaching Psychologist ABP CBCP