Whether you are writing a CV or some supporting information, completing an application form or preparing for an interview, at some point in the application process you will need to demonstrate to your potential employer that you have got the right skills, personal attributes and experience for the job that you are interested in doing.  The advice that follows will help you do this. 

      

skills that employers typically value

Employers look for all sorts of skills and personal qualities when they recruit people.  Our experience, however, has shown us that they typically expect their employees to posses the following to some degree: 

·         communication and presentation skills

·         an ability to cope well with change

·         an awareness of diversity and cultural issues

·         influencing and negotiation skills

·         innovation and creativity

·         interpersonal and relationship building skills

·         leadership skills

·         high levels of personal motivation

·         planning and organisational skills

·         problem solving skills

·         project management skills

·         show initiative and be pro-active

·         team working skills

·         time management and personal planning skills

 

Which of the above-mentioned personal qualities and skills have you got?  Make a list of them.

 

your other ‘work-related’ skills

Now take a piece of paper and write down all of your ‘work-related’ skills (i.e. skills that are useful in the workplace). 

Read through your list and group all of the similar words and skills together. 

Now, create some generic ‘skill headings’ that describe your groupings.

 

writing effective examples of your skills, experiences and achievements

Once you have identified all of your skills, you need to create short some examples of each one.

 

plan and structure your examples       

A ‘good example’ will include the following information:

1)   a qualification statement – this is a short summary of how you have demonstrated, or are demonstrating, the skill that you are writing about

2)   a brief description of what you do (or have done) to demonstrate the skill that you are writing about

3)   a reason why you needed to use the skill that you are writing about

4)   an explanation of what impact your actions have had on others

5)   audience – your examples should include details about who you have worked for (or with) when you demonstrated the skill that you are writing about.

 

Space permitting, your answers could also include:

6)   feedback received – if available and appropriate, your examples can include one or two examples of positive feedback that you have received as a result of your actions

 

NB: Not all of the headings listed above will apply to all of your examples, so only use the headings that are applicable to the skill that you are writing about.

 

focus on delivering a clear message

Your examples should be written in a clear and concise way and they should include words that are comprehensible and appropriate.

It’s better to use short sentences and bullet points than try to elaborate or verbose.  

 

choose your words carefully

Think about your text and make sure that you chose your words and phrases carefully.  

For example, if you say you have an ‘ability to analyse statistics’, you are not actually providing any evidence that shows you have physically analysed any statistics; you are only implying that you have the ability to do it.  

 

demonstrate the breadth of your vocabulary    

Try not to keep using the same words and phrases in your examples; vary your text and demonstrate the breadth of your vocabulary to your potential employer.

 

write about your skills in a positive way  

Your examples should portray your skills in a positive way, so use plenty of positive adjectives and verbs to bring your text to life.

 

provide measurements for your achievements and successes

Your examples should include plenty of measurements; employers like to see facts and figures that will support your text.  Measurements can include things like: sales figures (in currency and/or percentage terms), budgets that you have been responsible for and cost savings that you have made. 

 

include lots of ‘golden nuggets’ in your examples

Your examples should include lots of ‘golden nuggets’; these are interesting facts that will grab your reader’s attention and will leave them wanting to know more about you.

 

are your examples good enough?         

Once you have finished writing your examples, look at each one and ask yourself if it’s good enough to demonstrate the skill that you have written about.  If any of your answers are not good enough, then re-write them