How to weave your skills into a job application

Impress employers when you are applying for a job. Be aware of the ‘employability skills’ employers say they are looking for.

Australian employers were surveyed to find out what they really think are the types of personal aptitudes and skills required in work. The answer, written up as an ‘Employability Skills’ report, gave a clear indication that employers have moved on from just requiring technical skills, to seeking personal attributes (or qualities) and broad skills like self-management and initiative.

A skill is the ability to perform a specific task, and a personal attribute is a personal quality.

Key Skills identified by employers as important are listed below.

Communication: Contribute to productive and harmonious relations between employees and customers

Teamwork: Contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes

Problem-Solving: Contribute to productive outcomes

Initiative and Enterprise: Contribute to innovative outcomes

Planning and Organising: Contribute to long-term and short-term strategic planning

Self-Management: Contribute to productivity and personal growth

Learning: Contribute to ongoing improvement and expansion in employee and company operations and outcomes

Technology: Contribute to effective execution of tasks

Personal Attributes identified by employers as important are:

• loyalty
• commitment
• honesty and integrity
• enthusiasm
• reliability
• personal presentation
• commonsense
• positive self-esteem
• sense of humour
• balanced attitude to work and home life
• ability to deal with pressure
• motivation
• adaptability
  

How can you use this information?

Now that you are aware of the skills and attributes listed above, think about how you can demonstrate them to an employer in your job applications.

Do you have those skills and attributes?

To be someone who possesses all of these personal skills and attributes seems a daunting challenge – ‘the super human being of the workplace’. If you were to claim directly that you possess each of these qualities how would your application be viewed? Over the top? Unrealistic? Pretentious? Possibly all three. However, NOT to identify the skills and personal attributes you do have would be underselling yourself.

Time to learn how to sew

When viewing a tapestry from a distance (a broad perspective), a clear picture is formed. On closer inspection one can see how individual threads are pulled together to make the tapestry.

In your job application, you need to consider how you are going to portray the broad picture of your skills and personal attributes to convey as many skills and attributes from the above list as possible.

Examples

Take the following significant accomplishment listed in a résumé:

‘During the last five years, I assisted in improving the reading ability of primary school students who required additional support and motivation to learn, which I demonstrated by introducing a series of successful cooking workshops as a method to teach reading and life skills.’

This statement conveys that the writer has not only communication, teamwork, problem-solving and self-management skills but also the personal attributes of loyalty, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation.

Another example from a cover letter states:

‘Prior to my TAFE studies I worked in various roles including administrative and receptionist roles and assisted with the family’s successful lawn and garden service business. This demonstrates my commitment to professional development, my capacity to contribute to varied work teams and to plan and organise a range of activities.

These statements support the writer’s ability to plan and organise their life, learn new skills, work in a team environment and use their initiative and enterprise skills. It also indicates they have personal attributes that include loyalty, commitment, enthusiasm, motivation, adaptability and the ability to contribute to the work/life balance of their family.

How to develop your ‘tapestry’

When you are applying for jobs, keep the list of skills and personal attributes handy and think about how you can weave your employability skills into your job application. This takes time but will help you to convey a more realistic picture of the strengths and attributes you will bring to a prospective employer.

Remember that it is advisable not to over-exaggerate your skills, and you must be prepared to offer proof for everything you say in your application.