FIRST OF ALL
Think about your work experience. Can you recognise what skills you have developed and improved? If you can list at least 5 then scroll down to Gathering and Recording your skills and find out our method so they are useful when it comes to CV writing, application forms and assessment centres.
If you are struggling to identify skills you have developed then download the Hertfordshire Skills Framework as a prompt.
For example: Teamwork
- Have you worked in a group and discussed ways of achieving the end goal?
- Have you taken advantage of the groups skills and utilised these? If A was confident at IT technical skills and B was better at writing and information gathering you could play on these strengths to achieve the best result.
- Have you listened to everyone and taken on board their points?
Use the Framework to ask yourself questions and apply it to your day-to-day role, have you showed teamwork?
GATHERING AND RECORDING YOUR SKILLS
Once you have some ideas then you can start thinking about effective ways to record and store all of the skills you have developed. Work experience is valuable to you and employers looking to hire you. When you begin to apply for jobs, internships and apprenticeships you will need to demonstrate your skills and how they make you stand out. Having a place to look back on will mean you end up with a bank of skills you can draw upon whenever you might need them!
Remember
This method of recording skills can be applied to any form of work or volunteering, not just work experience. it can be applied to an internship, work placements, work shadowing and a full time role. It can also be used in any extra activities you may do.
FIRSTLY
Write down or have a copy of the Skills Framework to hand and look at this before you start your day. This will help with actively thinking about the tasks you are undertaking and what skills spring to mind.
Don't restrict yourself to this Framework, there are plenty of other skills that may be unique and interesting to your work experience that will help you in standing out. The Framework is just a prompt to get you actively thinking and utilising your work experience in the best way.
SECONDLY
On your lunch break or after your day has finished, while it is still fresh write down either on your phone or in a note book the skills you have developed that day. If you can't think of one word to describe the skill you are thinking of then write down your thoughts and come back to it.
Then take each skill and and try to use the STAR technique to break it down.
Situation - set the scene
Task - describe what you were doing
Action - explain what you did
Result - what was the outcome?
The STAR technique ensures that you cover all aspects of typical competency and behavioural questions that are used in interviews and writing your CV. They usually ask for an example or a time when you have demonstrated X Y or Z.
FINALLY
By noting down these points now will mean that when you look back on the bank of skills you will have an example for each that has been outlined while your memory was still fresh.
Once your work experience is over you can then start reflecting on your experience. This is an important park of the experience and something you may want to put more thought into, Hop Into our Reflecting on your Work Experience page to find out more.
