THREE TYPES OF SKILLS

JOB CONTENT SKILLS

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

THE SKILLS TRIANGLE

ADAPTIVE/GOOD WORKER TRAITS

Job Content Skills

• These skills are related to a specific job or type of job

• They are the skills you would think of if you were asked what qualified you for a certain position

• For example:A Secretary would have excellent word processing skills

A cook would be great at working with conventional ovens or grills

Transferrable Skills• These are skills that can be used in a variety of different types of

employment

• These are excellent skills to have and can be “transferred” from one career to another

• Examples:Good Communication

Team work

Motivated

Adaptive/Good Worker Traits• These are the skills that we use every day to be able to survive and

interact with each other

• These skills are considered adaptive because they allow us to adjust to a variety of situations, including work

• They can be classified as good worker traits

• Some of these skills can be a part of our personality

• Examples:Strong ability to follow instructions

Good organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and complete assigned tasks

Top 10 Transferrable Skills

Analytical/Problem Solving Skills

Flexibility/Versatility Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Oral/Written Communication

Organizational/Planning Skills

Time Management Skills

Enthusiastic/Motivated

Leadership Qualities

Self Starter/Takes Initiative

Team Player

CREATING YOUR RESUME Design your resume to fit you

Create a positive impression

Describe your duties and responsibilities and stress your achievements

Include only positive data about yourself in order to avoid being screened out

The length should be one page (maximum 2 pages)

Tailor your resume to fit the requirements of the job for which you are applying

Avoid gimmicks, cute sayings or outlandish formats

Do not sign your name or date your resume

Do not use “etc”, or any other short form or acronym

Volunteer experience is an asset, only if still active or within the last 3 years.

Your resume should be word processed and flawless, Watch for typing, spelling, and grammatical errors

ALWAYS ACCOMPANY A RESUME WITH A COVER LETTER

KEYWORDS

What are keywords?

How are they used by employers?

How can we use them to help our resume?

Finding keywords in a job posting

KEYWORDS

Keywords are words the employers use in a job description to give a clear and concise definition of what they are looking for from the job applicant.

They should help you focus on the important skills and abilities that you want to emphasize in your job search and resume for that specific position

Sometimes, if you do not have the right keywords in your resume or cover letter, you may be eliminated from consideration for the position, depending on the volume of applications

KEYWORDS

We can find keywords in job postings or job descriptions

It is important to include these on our resume, so we should spend some time researching the position

The National Occupations Classification (NOC) can help us to find good keywords to use in our resume building

NATIONAL OCCUPATION CLASSIFICATIONS

The NOC provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market.

NOC tool classifies occupations with a four-digit code according to skill type and skill level.

The classification system also supports a variety of career information sources such as Job Futures® and JobBank®.

How can we transform this statement?

I drove from Colorado to new mexico a few times a month carrying stuff for Walmart.

Into a shorter statement?

Monthly interstate transport for Walmart

Into a more flattering statement?

 Ensured timely delivery of interstate goods for Walmart Inc.

Using your skills and action words, transform:

I answer phones, take messages, schedule meetings and run random errands for the whole office.

Types of Resumes

There are two different types of resumes – Combined and Functional

A combined resume is used for someone who has a lot of work experience in their particular field. It will highlight this experience at the beginning

A functional resume is used for someone who has less work experience in their field. It will highlight the applicable skills at the beginning and focus on related experience later