| Recycle your skills
Skills are like old but favourite tops: root them out and they can make a surprising comeback Being in one job for a long time – or out of work for a while can make you believe there’s not much you’re good at, apart from what you’re already doing. Let yourself fall into that trap and the rut you’re in will feel deeper than it really is. There are so many skilled things we do instinctively every day that we stop recognising them as special. The worst culprits are women who have taken a break to look after young families – one of the most demanding jobs there is, yet one which often leaves them stripped of confidence when it comes to competing for jobs. Knowing you are skilled and capable gives you the confidence to try new things. But how easy do you find it to see just how good you are and then describe that to someone else? The big six Qualifications and experience aside there are some very important attributes that all employers feel they can’t get enough of.
These top six transferable skills, essential for success in the most high-powered jobs, are often learnt and perfected in ordinary situations. Ironically, many women completely overlook their abilities just because of that. A typical day at home with small children can test those skills far more than a typical day in the office. It doesn’t matter what examples you use to provide proof that you have the qualities employers are looking for, what does matter is that you identify and describe them in a convincing manner. Next page: a success story In search of a job Giselle had been a graphic designer before taking a six-year break to care for her two children. Once the youngest started school she felt she should go back to work but was convinced she’d be seen as out of touch and unable to compete with the newly qualified. And that was exactly what happened. ‘Most of my applications never even resulted in a reply and I had one dreadful interview that made me feel like a dinosaur. They weren’t interested in my design ability, just keen to show me how little I knew about the latest software.’ That experience made her more angry than resigned. ‘I felt that what they were looking at was so superficial and that I wasn’t getting the chance to show the real me, so I decided to approach things differently.’ With the help of a friend Giselle drew up a profile of herself that concentrated on the personal skills she had gained during her six-year break. ‘We looked at loads of job adverts and picked out the things they commonly asked for. We found they were looking for well-motivated individuals with lots of creativity and initiative, able to prioritise, work to deadlines and communicate effectively. Those were all things I’d been doing superbly for the last few years so I decided to make that clear. Learning how to use new software seemed to me to be quite a minor skill compared to devising strategies for keeping two under fives busy on a wet day. I gave concrete examples of my communication and time-management skills, described some quite ordinary problems I’d found creative solutions to and enclosed design ideas. It paid off, a month later I had two job offers.’ Next page: assess yourself Giselle’s experience and tactics can be adapted to any situation. Do an audit of your own skills by thinking how the things you do every day can provide proof of how skilled you are. The checklist below should get you started. Re-evaluate yourself I’m an effective communicator because I can:
I’m a good team worker because I:
I’m a problem solver because I can:
I show initiative all the time because I’m:
My organisational skills mean I’m:
I’m adaptable because I’m:
Now all you need to do is find examples of when you did those things. Just think back over the last month. Talk about work skills - what you need and how you get them. Are you thinking about returning to work after having children? Share experiences with women who have done just that. |