This article emphasizes the importance of effectively communicating one's skills and strengths during a job search, particularly for those at the beginning of their careers. It provides practical tips on identifying and articulating personal competencies through self-reflection, listing past experiences, and seeking feedback from friends and family.
When searching for a job, it is important to be able to tell others in a comprehensible way what you are capable of and what kind of person you are. This skill is called verbalising one’s own competence. Mastering the skill is very important, especially at the beginning of your career when you don't yet have many years of work experience. But how do you identify your best qualities and express them in your application letter and CV so that you are hired? Read the tips below!
It is worthwhile taking time to understand your own competence – we promise that it will pay for itself. It’s not just about you perceiving your strengths better, but also about the time spent on reflection being visible to the recruiter as motivation and good self-awareness.
But what if you don't know what you are good at? Don't worry. Start identifying your own competence in this way, for example:
List and analyse previous workplaces and work tasks
Think about everything you have done before that could be useful for the workplace you are applying to. List all work experience first, even short work assignments count. After that, assess your hobbies or other leisure activities. Have you had any areas of responsibility in your hobbies, for example?
Sometimes you find your own competence in the things that you do in your leisure time. For example, a person who actively uses social media has a lot of experience in visual matters and IT competence. So, think about the things that you love to spend your time on!
Take a look at the list you’ve compiled and then think about what you liked best about your previous tasks, what you enjoyed the most – and what you didn't enjoy at all. For example, why is the hobby important to you and what do you particularly like about it? What was the most enjoyable part of your previous job – and what didn't you like?
Find practical examples
When looking for a job, most of us describe ourselves as social, energetic and collaborative people. Of course, the words may be true for you, but they don't really say anything about you and your skills. Only concrete examples describe your competence. So, think about real examples of situations you have experienced in the past and also list them.
For example, have you coached children in your sports team? You do have experience in developing teamwork skills, organising and being able to withstand pressure. You can most likely find examples of coming up with a solution related to a young player’s tantrum or parents' disappointments.
Or did you sell strawberries in a market last summer? It’s not just about customer service, it’s actually an independent job that involved thousands of customer encounters, where you performed under a lot of pressure: How well you handled that one foreign strawberry buyer who tried to pay with roubles, and what you did when you received a spoiled strawberry shipment from a producer!
Think about what inspires you – ask you friends and family for help
If it is difficult to find examples, people close to you can help. Ask your parents, friends and teachers what they think is good about you or what they feel you get excited about. It is important to think about enthusiasm at the very beginning of your career, because even if the first job is not the fulfilment of your dreams, it is a hundred times more enjoyable to gain work experience in a place that suits your character.
For example, those who get their energy from other people should definitely work in customer service or competitive sales, whereas a systematic person would enjoy working in logistics, and so on. It’s a good idea to find something that motivates you even in a boring job.
Remember that everyone is good at something!
Does it feel challenging and like you don't have any superpowers? Nonsense. Believe me, we all have good and positive traits and great competence! Perseverance, positivity, ingenuity, empathy. These are just a few of the skills you need in working life and you can definitely find in your competence toolbox. If you think long enough, you will find examples that you can use in your job search. Let's get going!
Good luck with your job search!