Analyzing the skills needed to perform even a simple task can become quite complicated. A useful way to organize skills is to divide them into three basic types:
●Adaptive skills
●Transferable skills
●Job-related skills
The system of dividing skills into three categories is not perfect because some overlap exists between the three skills categories. A skill such as being organized can be considered either adaptive (a
personality trait) or transfer-able (a skill you can use on many different jobs). Skills represent an important factor for applying to any job.
Everyone needs to identify his own key skills.
Adaptive Skills (Personality Traits)
Adaptive skills are skills you use every day to survive and get along. They are called adaptive or self-management skills because they allow you to adapt or adjust to a variety of situations. Some of them also could be considered part of your basic personality. Examples of adaptive skills that employers value include leadership, confidence, honesty, enthusiasm, and interacting well with others.
Transferable Skills
These are general skills that can be useful in a variety of jobs. For example, writing clearly, good math skills, and the ability to organize and prioritize tasks are desirable skills in many jobs. These are called transferable skills because they can be transferred from one job—or even one career—to another. As a result, these are skills that you need to focus on when you’re planning a career change. Your resume should emphasize them, and you should be able to give examples in interviews of how you have used these skills.
Job-Related Skills
Job-related skills are the ones people typically first think of when asked, “Do you have any skills?” These skills are related to a particular job or type of job. A programmer, for example, needs to know how to structure programs and objects from design and be aware of advanced features of required programming language. An IT architect needs to be aware of various patterns and frameworks of architecture. For example, an IT architect should be fully aware of IT architecture domains such as information, applications, channels, and integration.
Do not focus on one type and ignore others. Most of us focus on the last type ‘job-related skills‘ and overlook adaptive and transferable skills.
Do not confuse this classification with soft and hard skills I illustrated in a
previous post. Since soft and hard skills can span all of the above three types.
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