Skills Inventory

All employers is interested in what skills you can bring with you to the job. All employers, regardless of industry or
discipline, look for the following general skills:

 Communication
 Creativity
 Initiative Interpersonal
 Leadership
 Organizational
 Problem-solving
 Technical

In your CV you must be able to demonstrate that you have these skills by citing specific activities in which you have
participated in your past. Look at all aspects of your past – not only work experiences.

In order to simplify your task, the above skills have been broken down into more specific examples below. Tick off those
skills that you feel you have already developed as well as those you would like to develop. By identifying skills that you
would like to develop, you can then take concrete steps towards doing so.

Enjoy or Want to Enjoy or Want to

Communication Skills
A) Verbal
 Conversing with individuals
 Exchanging ideas with groups
 Making presentations
 Listening
 Debating
B) Writing
 Writing correspondence
 Writing business materials
 Writing research papers
C) Teaching
 Demonstrating ideas through
examples
 Instructing/tutoring individuals
 Creating effective learning
environments
Enjoyed develop Creative Skills Enjoyed develop
 Creating new ideas, images
 Inventing new products
 Designing projects /systems
 Designing learning materials
 Improvising with existing
resources
 Finding new solutions
 Composing music
 Playing musical instruments
 Writing novels, short stories,
plays, poems
 Drawing, painting, sculpting
 Acting, dancing
 Finishing, restoring

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 Enjoy or Want to Enjoy or Want to
Initiative Enjoyed develop Organizational Skills Enjoyed develop
 Initiating new ideas/projects  Organizing people, events,
 Making the first move in things
relationship  Classifying information
 Finding new solutions  Coordinating resources
 Streamlining procedures
 Researching, gathering
information
 Separating important from
unimportant
 Determining sequence of tasks
 Setting priorities

Enjoy or Want to Enjoy or Want to

Interpersonal Skills Enjoyed develop Problem-Solving Skills Enjoyed develop
 Managing/resolving conflicts  Evaluation alternatives
 Negotiating  Clarifying problems
 Collaborating  Generating solutions
 Persuading, recruiting, selling  Testing ideas
 Treating, healing others  Determining outcomes,
 Giving constructive feedback consequences
 Coaching, mentoring  Tracing problems to sources
 Giving practical advice
 Developing rapport
 Demonstrating empathy
 Understanding people’s
motivations

Enjoy or Want to Enjoy or Want to

Leadership Skills Enjoyed develop Technical Skills Enjoyed develop
 Promoting change  Maintaining equipment
 Taking risks  Operating
 Engendering trust machinery/equipment
 Leading groups  Computer skills
 Building a team  Managing budgets, money
 Delegating authority  Controlling inventory
 Overseeing work projects  Conducting experiments
 Getting things done through  Applying established
other people procedures

*Adapted from ACCIS The for Work Series 1

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