The skills you need
Obtaining key skills will make you stand out to prospective employers.
Employers are keen on real skills and recognise the importance of them. They need staff that will be good communicators, number and IT literate, flexible, reliable and willing to improve and build on the skills they already have.
There are six main key skill areas and these are:
Communication
This is when you are good at taking information in by reading something or listening carefully to what is being said. It also shows that you can provide accurate information either by speaking or producing a document.
Application of number
This is when you are confident with numbers and can use them effectively. You will be comfortable about using them and able to solve problems quickly and accurately.
Information communication technology
This is when you are able to deal with new technology, use computers and other technical equipment to produce and present accurate data.
Working with others
This is when you can show that you work well using your own initiative as well as being able to work well as part of a team. You will have great interpersonal skills, you are good with people from a wide range of backgrounds and will be able to manage your own workload and recognise when and where improvements can be made.
Improving own learning and performance
This is when you can recognise your weaknesses and make the appropriate steps to improve them. You will be learning throughout your time at school or college and the more you do the more you will improve.
Problem solving
This is when you can use your own initiative to work and solve problems. You will be able to provide information and describe the problem and be able to recognise a problem when it occurs.
You probably already have lots of these skills without realising and key skills are a way of formalising them to give you a qualification that employers recognise.
By taking the right approach to your day-to-day living, studying, socialising, part time work, holiday jobs or voluntary activities you demonstrate key skills that are appealing to employers. A good example of this is if you get a part time job as a shop assistant. This shows the skills of financial awareness when handling money, communication with customers and also customer care.
Once you start thinking about what you can do (rather than what you can’t!) you’ll feel a lot more confident about your job prospects.
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