How do I identify my skills?

Identifying skills and upskilling

Find out what talents you already have, what skills you want to improve, and how you can get the abilities you need for professions that interest you so that you may apply for those positions.

Types of skills

Employers are looking for a diverse range of:

hard skills, or job-specific talents. These may be obtained via either formal training or by experience.

The term "soft talents" refers to transferrable abilities such as working in a team, communicating effectively, and solving problems.

Identify your talents

You may do the following things to find out what kinds of hard and soft skills are required for occupations that interest you:

Make sure you read the job description.

Have a peek at some of our available positions.

Have conversations with individuals you know about their work.

To evaluate your current level of expertise and determine which areas need improvement, you could:

Consider the tasks that are required of you in your present position.

Consider your previous experiences in terms of both schooling and employment.

Consider the knowledge and experience that you've picked up in your day-to-day existence.

Talk to individuals who are familiar with you outside of your professional life to get a different point of view.

Make a list of your accomplishments as well as the areas in which you feel you might perform better.

Please complete our skills assessment to help us determine your areas of strength.

Improve your talents

You may strengthen your candidacy for the job you desire by improving the abilities that employers value most. Acquiring new talents gives you the potential to go on an entirely new professional path.

Work on your skills gaps

You might focus on improving any of the following:

digital talents

talents in interacting with others, such as those gained via volunteering

talents that may have become obsolete for a variety of reasons, such as a lengthy absence from the workforce

talents in either communication or numbers

interview skills

Instructional Classes & Seminars

You may improve your talents by enrolling in a class, serving as an apprentice, or gaining experience on the job.

Talking to an advisor may help you figure out what the next step in your journey should be and whether or not you should pursue more education. You might also try getting in touch with your neighborhood:

colleges

library

companies that give training

Jobcentre plus

jobseeker help schemes

Taking a class does not have to include devoting one's whole life to the endeavor. There are several adaptable methods of education, such as:

online instruction

classes that are brief

Classes in the evening

Find a class to take online.

Make use of The Abilities Toolkit to get access to free courses of a high standard that will assist you in developing your skills.

Participation in volunteer efforts and gainful employment

Giving your time to a cause that interests you may be a great way to learn new skills and get valuable professional experience. In addition to that, it's a great chance to give back to the community and assist others.

You may get additional information about volunteering from the following sources:

NHS Volunteers

Do IT

Volunteering Matters

Through the National Council of Volunteer Organizations, you may get in touch with local volunteer centers (NCVO). There are other organizations such as Citizens Advice that you might contact.

Learn on your own.

You are able to further your education and educate yourself without the assistance of another person. You could:

Make advantage of books and CDs of the "teach yourself" kind.

Podcasts produced by many professional organizations may be listened to.

View videos through the internet.

Participate in online forums devoted to specialized talents, such as cooking or maintaining motor vehicles, for example.

Listen to and watch enlightening programs on the radio and television.

Install some useful applications on your mobile device or tablet.

Develop a strategy for your future career.

When selecting what measures to take next, it's a good idea to give yourself some SMART objectives to work toward. These need to be in there:

particular

measurable

achievable

related

time-bound

You will be able to devise a strategy if you keep these things in mind. Consider the amount of time you are able to devote to achieving your objectives, taking the following into account:

personal circumstances

both professional and private obligations

Focus on getting a job or a certification that is attainable for someone with your level of ability and experience.

You need to be adaptable with your professional strategy.

In order to better manage your time, you should design a strategy that includes both long-term and short-term objectives. You need to give some serious consideration to the many ways in which you may advance your professional goals.

It's possible that the chances you have for volunteer work and job experience won't line up perfectly with the kind of work you want to pursue. However, having the appropriate experience and training will make your job applications and CV more compelling to potential employers.

For instance, you could be interested in doing volunteer work with persons who have disabilities. It's possible that the only field that might provide you job experience is caring for the elderly. This will nonetheless provide you with applicable abilities that are applicable to the field in which you want to work in the future.