{"id":557,"date":"2018-03-05T10:44:09","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T10:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/?page_id=557"},"modified":"2022-12-14T16:09:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T16:09:20","slug":"how-to-identify-your-key-skills-job-applications-and-interviews","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/how-to-identify-your-key-skills-job-applications-and-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Identify your key skills: job applications and interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/header>\n
\n

\u00a0When applying for jobs and attending interviews it is crucial that you can articulate your key skills effectively to your prospective employer. Employers are keen to know what you can bring to their company and skills you have attained from prior work experience. Before\u00a0submitting an application, or attending an interview it is good practice to identify and communicate\u00a0your skill strengths.<\/p>\n

Here are some simple steps to doing this:<\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/strong> Make a list of your past jobs and previous work experience (including volunteer work, training, and internships).<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/strong> Write down the tasks associated with each job and activity which you were responsible for.<\/p>\n

Step 3:<\/strong> Now ask yourself, what did you learn by doing those tasks? What\u00a0transferable skills\u00a0have you gained? These skills range from;\u00a0IT skills, presentation skills, communication skills, research skills and foreign languages, to characteristics such as\u00a0leadership, organisation\u00a0and reliability.<\/p>\n

This should now give you a range of skills that you can offer to an employer. This is very useful when you are applying for several jobs, as you will be able to compare the person specification with your job skills list and choose the relevant items.<\/p>\n

Identifying your unique selling points<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n