Building Your Skills ArsenalThe second time you go through the list, please select the
three or four personal traits that describe you best and that you
think you would like to use in your next job. You may very well
possess a majority of these skills. To narrow them down for the
following list, try to list those traits that seem to come to you
almost naturally and effortlessly. You might also consider listing
the traits you’re most often complimented for. Please record
them here:
Competencies
You’ve already uncovered some foundational skills that will sure-
ly impress your interviewer and tip the scales in your direction—
your general skills, your job-specific skills, and your personal
traits. Now, let’s add two more types of skills that will add even
more credibility to your presentation.
The first is a group of skills called competencies. Competen-
cies are actually clusters of skills, and they are rapidly becoming
the criteria upon which allemployees and potential employees
are judged. They can make the difference between being pro-
moted or passed over. They can and definitely do carve out the
space between people who are hired and those who are not.
More and more, interviewers are trained to look at competencies as well
as skills.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook, a useful source for career
information, is updated and published yearly by the U.S.
Department of Labor. It lists the job descriptions, qualifications,
job market expectancies, and salaries for more than 6000 jobs,
and it is published both nationally and regionally. Accessing it on
the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ or in hard copy at your local
library is a top-notch way to find vast information on what kinds
of skills, education, personal traits, and competencies employers
are looking for to fulfill certain positions. Increasingly, the hand-