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Skills Audit

According to Friends Provident in its latest Visions of Britain 2020 report, conducted with the Future Foundation, the ‘grey workforce’ will grow significantly, with an extra two million people aged 55 and above in the workplace (7.16 million people compared with 5.14 million today). And a lack of talent and skills shortages in the workforce will ensure that these older workers are more valued in the future than today. In addition, the recession has vividly demonstrated the value of experience, and the research predicts employers will place more of a premium on those with years under their belts.

I wanted to kick off with this research because it’s relevant to a sector of the workforce that I believe feels the most vulnerable in times of increasing job insecurity. If someone has faced redundancy or seen a major decline in demand for their particular sector, it’s hardly surprising they undervalue their skills. But that’s the disadvantage of seeing yourself as a ‘job title’, and not identifying the individual skills you have, experience, and which skills are transferable. Retraining or full time education is simply not an option for many individuals, who need to be earning today and capitalizing on the skills and experience they already have.

I’ve coached clients who are evaluating what training or graduate course to take, are starting out on the career ladder, changing career, returning to work after a career break, and clients who have been somewhat brutally been cut adrift after twenty years of loyal service. One consistent factor I see is that individuals either overlook the skills they already have, or fail to effectively promote those skills. Preparing a skills audit will allow you to review the skills you already have, reveal skills you may have forgotten, and help you find ways to both demonstrate and improve on those skills.

With many traditional routes of employment grinding to a standstill, there’s a real need to look at new ways of working. For some people that will involve becoming self employed, starting their own business, moving to new employment, and finding ways to subsidize a drop in existing income. If ever there was a time to be resourceful, utilise your skills and show initiative – it’s now! Let’s begin by looking at common employment skills which cover basic skills, people and social skills, and personal qualities and skills.

What Skills Do Employers Want?

Employers want basic skills such as literacy, numeracy, and certain jobs will require specific qualifications, along with an established degree of skill. It’s useful to list all your qualifications, training and certificates, but also to expand on this. For example if you have an A level in English, think of ways that you can demonstrate this e.g. can you write clearly and speak clearly? You’d be amazed how many employers immediately dismiss a candidate for a job because their CV has spelling mistakes, poor grammar, or is full of convoluted waffle. Equally at an interview; a candidate will be overlooked if they don’t communicate clearly, or are unable to explain things in a precise way. Don’t take anything as a given when it comes to your skills, or you’ll risk underselling yourself. Some individuals have a good ability to pass exams, but lack the ability to apply skills in the workplace. You’re more than your qualifications and hard core skills, industry surveys have shown that 45% to 75% of technical projects fail. Many are either substantially over budget or past deadline. An inability to communicate well, interact with others, collaborate, inspire and motivate others, are all common problems employers see on a daily basis. They are crucial skills that will always be in demand and will give you the edge in a highly competitive workplace.

With every hard core skill and qualification you list, back it up with evidence of how you apply that skill. By doing this you’ll also uncover the skills you may be overlooking. For example, how many times have you seen a job criteria include ‘team player?’ It’s the indirect code for asking you if you get on with people, or are a complete pain to be around. Standard question, which always gets a pretty standard reply, but you can do better than a standard reply by supporting what you say. You may be a person with fantastic people skills, who not only works well in a team, but is a great team player: organised, supportive, visionary, has great leadership skills. You may be involved in charity work, community projects, and voluntary work.

You may need to remind yourself of self-reliance skills you’ve previously demonstrated. Times when you’ve seized an opportunity, taken on a challenge, been persistent, had a plan of action. Perhaps you’ve demonstrated good networking skills, built up strong contacts, taken initiative, made that phone call, gone the extra mile. I’m going to leave you with a list of skills, see how many you can match and support with a brief description. In my next blog I’ll be looking at techniques to improve communication skills and giving you some top tips from our team of coaches.

Match Your Skills To The Following List

Literacy skills

Numeracy skills

IT skills

Team player

Organization skills

Technical/specialist skills

Leadership skills

Motivational skills

Reliability

Ability to meet deadlines

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Self-reliance skills

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