Skills: What Can I Do?

For this next round in our sweet spot series, we are exploring SKILLS. According to Merriam-Webster, a skill is an “ability that comes from learning or practice.” Whereas strengths are natural abilities (see previous blog), skills are learned abilities – a common area of confusion. Let’s dive deeper into a client story…

Identifying Skills

“I am so frustrated! I can see what needs to be done, but I don’t have the authority to make it happen.” These were the true words of a client who came to the Know You Project ready for a change. Let’s call her Lindsay.

Lindsay had been practicing as a Registered Dietician for several years. In search of finding fulfillment in the career she chose, she had jumped from a hospital to a private practice to a health clinic setting. No matter where she worked, the frustration followed her.

This was a red flag. It was not the environment, team or her passion that was causing the issue. Lindsay did her work well and always received positive feedback. So why was she not feeling like this was the right fit?

For one of our sessions, I had Lindsay spend time writing out 5 life experiences that she had excelled in and truly enjoyed. Then we broke these stories down to identify what it was she liked doing in its simplest form:

Building a relationship
Assessing an individual
Solving a problem
Diagnosing the whole
Supporting the solution

Ah ha! What we identified were the core transferable skills that ideally should encompass the majority of her role. Lindsay’s list revealed that one of her key skills is holistic diagnosing. However, as a Registered Dietician, Lindsay was mainly focused on solving one portion of the issue. This disconnect between her skills and her role left her feeling frustrated.

Following this exercise, we talked through many potential jobs that would allow her to serve the whole individual – not just one aspect. And guess what? Lindsay is now on her way to becoming a Physician’s Assistant. This career change will allow her to practice holistic diagnosing, which not only aligns with her skills, but also allows her to feel challenged and very fulfilled!

Applying Skills

Because skills are often tied to our experiences, they can be a tricky area to define for ourselves unless we take a step back and ask reflective questions like “What did I learn that I didn’t know before?” and “What can I do better as a result of this experience?”

Skills are all about what you can offer – the knowledge or action that gets something done. Transferable skills are the verbs we use to show what we can do. These can normally break down into 3 categories:

Skills with people (building relationships, active listening, conflict management, etc.)
Skills with information (programming languages, data analysis, revenue forecasting, etc.)
Skills with things (machinery operation, food preparation, prescribing medication, etc.)

Taking the time to determine your top skills is crucial to the job hunt. Your key skills should be woven into your résumé, cover letters, elevator pitch, and LinkedIn profile. And they should especially be in alignment with the job descriptions you are choosing.

Once you are able to successfully identify, articulate, and apply your skills, the right door to walk through will be so much more evident.