Discover Your Skills

In this exercise you'll develop stories so that you can provide concrete examples of your skills. This will be very important for job interviews, resumes, cover letters and applications. All of these things involve explaining how your skills match the job requirements.
  1. Look at the list below. (This is a list of skills that employers want the most from teens).
  2. Put your mouse over the skill words to see explanations.
  3. Have you used this skill before in anyway at home, at school, with your friends, or at a job?
  4. Write down any skill you've used. This will become your personal skills list.
  5. Starting with your favorite skill write a story about each skill below you've used that describes the following:
    • The initial problem
    • How you helped (get into all the juicy details of what you did).
    • The result
  6. Keep an eye out for skills that glow for you, the ones that you love to use. These are called motivated skills. Every employer is looking for someone who loves their work.

   Mouseover the skill words below. A definition will appear here.

Communication Skills

Persuading I am able to persuade people to do things such as buy a TV or clean their rooms with a written message or by speaking to them.
Explaining I can explain a procedure in writing or in person to someone so that they will know how to do it.
Listening Comprehension I am able to listen to someone or something, understand the message, then put what was said into my own words.
Public Speaking I can prepare a speech and deliver it to a group of people.
Presenting I can prepare and present information on a topic.
Note Writing I am able to write short, detailed, effective notes to communicate with others about phone calls and other kinds of messages.
General Writing I am able to write one or more of these things: a paper, a news article, an opinion, or an informal letter.

Problem Solving Skills

Troubleshooting I am able to identify possible problems and check them in order to locate a source of difficulty.
Researching I am able to find and compare information from various sources to gain knowledge on a subject.
Inventing I am able to think of original, useful ideas and translate them into useful products.
Strategizing I am able to form an effective plan in order to achieve a desired result.
Planning I am able to prepare ahead of time for possible difficulties to help things run smoothly.
Improvising I am able to create solutions to problems under pressure and sometimes in unconventional ways.
Organizing I am able to create structures or systems in order to make information or things more understandable and accessible.
Math I am able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers to solve basic math problems.

Self Management Skills

Detail OrientedI am able to pay attention to the finer points of a task in order to make sure everything is done thoroughly and accurately.
DependableI am able to show up, and be ready to work, consistently and on time.
Positive Attitude I am able to maintain my sense of humor while taking the ups and downs of the workplace in stride. I am willing to learn new things.
Team Player I am able to do my part to help my co-workers; I look for chances to help others, and ask for help when I need it.
Self-controlI am able to deal reasonably with conflict and won't lash out at others even though my feelings may be hurt.
IntegrityI am able to accept responsibility for my actions. I am able to follow through on commitments.
ToleranceI am able to accept diversity in others and respect our differences.
Self-motivatedI am able to see things that need to be done and do them without direct supervision.
Asking QuestionsI am able to ask questions in order to clarify how I should do a task when things are unclear because I want to do the job right.