Job Skills – What Are You Good At?

There is one very basic question here which dictates how you will “market” yourself in your job search, it is simply this…as far as Job Skills are concerned…What Are You Good At?

Good question isn’t it?  Shame they didn’t tell you at school, package it all up and set you off on a pre-destined career.  I don’t know about you, but I always felt someone else ought to be better placed to tell me what I am good at, or even what my true vocation in life should be.  (Remember careers counselling at school, college or university?)  In my younger years I just wanted it easy, someone to tell me everything I should do for an easy life.

Fat chance!!  That is definitely NOT the way it works if you want success.

I was only ever good at things like Subbuteo or ten pin bowling, picking a top-ten hit or making wise cracks in class.  I could never score the F.A Cup Final winner at Wembley or woo the class dolly bird, or, come to think about it, get anything above a “C”.  These things were beyond me!

Job Skills

However, as I went through school, college, my early working life, I began to pick up good job skills.  I learned to type reasonably well (please, no letters if you find a typo!), I learned good financial sense, good business skills, I learned to sell, completing the biggest deal in my company one year.  I learned to get along with people, how to get the best from people and finally became one of the U.K’s most successful individuals in the recruitment business.

I also developed a unique sense of humour, learned how to motivate people, and developed a highly positive attitude (crucial, I believe).  I also learned how to bring up three children (no-one prepares you for that one!), and how to live life to the full, to feel the spice of life, to feel joy at waking up in the morning.

Now, you’re probably thinking Derek’s blowing his own trumpet a bit here, well, yes I am, but it does illustrate the point I want to make.  You see, along the way I have developed a very useful set of skills, skills that would be of benefit to virtually any company in the country!

Work Skills

Sometimes it was hard, but all of these work skills, in certain circumstances, are highly marketable.  You have developed similar, maybe (probably?) better job skills.  I know there were some kids in your class at school who could run the 100 in 10.5 seconds in the third year.  Who were on trials for Manchester United at thirteen.  Who could play guitar like Clapton at fourteen.  Who were natural mathematicians.  Who always got the girl! (or boy).

The natural wheeler-dealers.  These individuals all had rare ( and I mean rare) talent.  But, if truth be told, they were the exception, the rest of us had to gradually build up our unique portfolio of job skills and abilities, sometimes by damn hard work and persistence (admiral qualities by the way).  These work skills are your passport to success; don’t let anyone tell you any different.