How To Perform a Skills Self Assessment

Most people have a hard timing understanding their skills. But one of the things that can make you stand out to an employer is your list of skills. If you don't provide a complete list or you fail to include a few key details, you do yourself a disservice. Find out how to perform a skills assessment and include all the right skills on your resume.

Think About Your Job Description

One of the best ways to decide your skills is to carefully consider your job description. Make a long list of everything you do in your daily job. What are your requirements, and what skills do they take? Typically, the skills that are the easiest to identify are the ones that come from your list of job duties.

Common skills related to a job description include computer literacy foreign language fluency, and customer service. No matter what industry you may be in, you should be able to link a few skills to your job description. If you have to, think back to the first time you applied for your current position. What was in the job description?

When you write down your skills, be very specific. Sure, you might be proficient at Excel. But what specific things can you do in Excel? It's the little details that make all the difference.

Focus on Soft Skills

You should also emphasize your soft skills. While hard skills matter, soft skills carry even more weight. These are skills that you learn on-the-job. While you can take a course in digital marketing, you can't measure your ability to handle written communication or to respond to customers.

If you aren't familiar with soft skills, take some time to research them. Then, think about which soft skills you have and how you can portal those skills. Do you have leadership abilities that you developed over time? Think about specific examples that highlight your abilities.

To an extent, hard skills matter. But most managers place even more of a focus on soft skills. You can truly stand out from other job applicants by highlighting your soft skills. Think about the ways in which you adapt to challenges and you resolve conflicts. Then, add those ways to your resume. They could be what sets you apart from everyone else.

Consider Your Past Reviews

In the past, you've probably received some constructive criticism. If you have records of past employee reviews, read them. Think about what strengths your prior employers cited.

At the same time, think about all of your weaknesses. If you paid attention to the reviews, you probably took steps to improve your weaknesses. Be sure to include some of the steps you took to improve weaknesses as skills. You may have taken an online course, focused more on an aspect of your work, or worked with a mentor. In any case, your efforts improved your quality of work. They also show that you're open to constructive criticism.

Ask Others for Feedback

For the most part, people are hesitant to get feedback about their work. They might not want to hear negative remarks, so they never ask for a performance review or ask how to do better.

However, this makes it extremely difficult to understand your skills. You should speak to past managers and coworkers to understand what makes you succeed or fail. Whatever you do, avoid asking for this feedback from friends or family members. They probably won't have anything negative to say.

For the best results, ask someone who will be honest about your performance. Take any criticism with a smile and avoid any defensive feelings you might get. Remember, the criticism will help you explain and develop skills to include on your resume.

Take an Online Test

One of the best ways to find out about your skills is to take an online test. If you take the DISC or Myers-Briggs test, you can gain insight into your personality. The result is a better understanding of your emotional intelligence, traits, and motivations.

Oftentimes, these tests reveal skills that people never realized they had. You can add to the skills section of your resume and find out some useful facts about yourself by taking these assessments.

It's worth mentioning that self-assessments aren't always 100% correct. After you take the assessment, you should take some time to think about yourself. Was the assessment correct, partially correct, or completely wrong? Even if it was wrong, your thoughts could help you determine your skills.

Look at Job Listings

If you look at job listings in your industry, you may be able to find out about which skills belong on your resume. Do a general search for listings related to your job, and take notes. Write down the job requirements and necessary skills.

After you find out what's desired, think about your own skills. Do any of them overlap with the job listings? If so, be sure to include them on your resume. It's important to appeal to hiring managers by using the right skills. If you have a skill that has more than one title or name, include the description listed in the job listings. The companies could be scanning resumes based on certain keywords.

Today, many companies use applicant tracking systems. This is what makes your skills so essential. If you have the right skills, these bots will move your resume forward.

What Skills Do You Have?

Don't make the mistake of underestimating your skills. If you're in the market for a new job, take the time to perform a skills assessment. When a hiring manager looks at your resume, they will place close attention to your skills.

While skills aren't the only thing an employer cares about, they do matter. Why take the risk of having an unappealing resume? If you include the right skills, you could rise to the top of the resume pile. It may only be a few days before you get a job interview and a job offer.