Newsletter 5 - Your essential skills

Read the list of skills that have been identified as most valued by employers, and try this exercise.

Communication and IT literacy - word-processing, spreadsheets, the internet

Self-management - managing your own time effectively, taking responsibility for your actions, ready to develop and improve on the job

Team-working - cooperating, contributing to discussions, respecting others

Business awareness and customer awareness - knowing what makes a business successful, and understanding the importance of customer satisfaction

Problem solving - using your brain and imagination to deal with everyday problems.

Observe yourself through one day and rate yourself on each skill. Make a note to pay attention to any that need attention. If you're brave enough, get someone else to rate you, giving you evidence of what they've observed for each comment.

You'll find that just paying attention to the skills improves your performance, and deciding to develop them can help even more.

These skills will help you to be a valued member of staff, or to move easily, even in today's climate, to a good new job.

April 2009

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