Nadine Haughton
Contributor

Taking up from where we left off, it is critical to have a list (by category, as discussed) of what you consider to be your skills. What did you find more challenging, identifying the skills or categorising them?

Research shows that in interviews, persons often have difficulty responding adequately to the questions, 'Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses'. This is because they have not properly assessed their skills.

Categorising skills
Think of how you would describe the particular skill to an interviewer, being cognisant of the 'words' that will make it applicable to the job at hand.

Good oral and written communication skills - Good at public speaking and report writing.

People person - Team player, motivator.

Organised - Adept at project management and meeting deadlines.

I recall one of my first interviews with a senior marketing manager when I was fresh out of college. I spoke about not liking emergencies. Confused, she questioned this, considering the field I had entered.

My communication at the time was flawed. My intention was to show that I was always forward thinking to ensure that the probability of an emergency would be reduced, but I was not able to communicate this effectively. You might want to take suggestions from your friends in marketing and communication on how to play with words. Help is also at your fingertips; get information from the Internet.

Evaluating Skills
A word of caution here: Your attitude to a task will affect your judgement of your skill level. A dislike for the area of mathematics, for example, does not mean you will not be competent to analyse data.

1. Identify your need for this evaluation process - job search, advanced qualifications, promotion, etc.

2. Scout the newspapers, Internet and industry-specific magazines for what you consider to be your ideal position or ideal goal, i.e. what you would want to do if there were not considerations of finances, location, etc. Note the skills set required.

3. Create a chart with the following categories, using a 1-5 evaluation scale, 1 being the highest:

Skill

Job/activity that requires skill

Required level (Scale of 1-5)

My current skill level (Scale of 1-5)

How important is it to my goal? (Scale of 1-5)

What do I need to improve most? (Scale of 1-5)

Consider also, areas in which you feel you are particularly gifted. Focus here on those areas for which you are always being complimented by your boss or peers and found surprising because you did them presumably without thinking.


Next: Making yourself marketable.

Nadine Haughton is marketing director at The Brand Warriors. She can be contacted at brandwarriors@gmail.com.