"Employability Skills" are the language of the workplace and the good news is they are portable, and will transfer with you when you move between jobs.
Research conducted by the Foundation of Young Australians (FYA) predicts young people could have 17 different jobs over 5 careers in their lifetime. A different job doesn’t mean you need an entirely different skill set; your current skillset may fall into a cluster of jobs.
Regardless of what stage you’re at in your career, it’s super important to understand how your skills can transfer from one job to another. In fact, FYA say that when you train for one job, you can acquire skills for 13 other jobs.
Important skills for your career include:
Let’s take a barista for example: they understand how to use the coffee machine to make a cappuccino (technical skill). They work in a team and communicate with customers (soft skills) and they are friendly and happy (personal attributes). See how these skills overlap?
While employers seek the right technical skills when hiring candidates, research suggests that soft skills are equally important if not more important. And then there’s your personal attributes, the qualities that are unique to you.
By developing a portfolio of your skills and capabilities including volunteering, work experience, and other life experiences, you are opening doors to countless other possibilities. And, really knowing and embracing your set of skills builds confidence and assists you to match your skills to a job. It also helps you to write a winning job application, and then to shine in an interview.
Communication skills are about your ability to engage with other people in a variety of ways – this included verbal, written, and body language.
Well-developed skills include:
Creative & Critical Thinking is about your ability to critically think about a situation and explore the possible solutions.
Strong skills involve:
Self-Management involves your ability to get tasks done without the supervision or guidance of others.
Effective self-management requires:
Initiative is about your ability to recognise things that can be done or changed, and enterprise is about thinking creatively to make improvements to the way things are.
Strong skills include:
Teamwork is all about your ability to work with others, and develop respect and trust with the people you interact with.
Skills include:
Your ability to Plan and Organise your personal and professional life
Leadership is all about your ability to inspire, lead and motivate others.
The characteristics of an effective leader include:
Digital Capabilities are your abilities to use general technology such as computers & digital accessories, and to learn new technologies.
Effective skills include:
Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) is your ability to understand and monitor emotional responses and adapt effectively.
Effective emotional intelligence requires:
Cultural Intelligence is about your ability to understand and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.
Qualities of Cultural Intelligence include:
Resilience involves your ability to ‘bounce back’ or 'carry on' when challenges arise.
Resilience can be demonstrated through:
Our “Kick-Start your Career” Series has more information available about all aspects of career planning and job preparation.
You can watch our recorded presentation “Do you have the skills employers want?” for more specific tips about the skills that employers find valuable, how they look for those skills within applications, and how you can identify your own unique set of skills so that you can match those to the jobs you are applying seeking.
View Kick-Start Your Career Series
Current and recently graduated students can book an appointment using the links below, or by calling TAFE SA Customer Support on 1800 882 661. Support is available for recently graduated students for 12 months after completing your training with TAFE SA.
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