In order to effectively market yourself to potential employers, it is important to understand what skills are, and be able to determine and demonstrate which skills you possess. In the realm of employability, skills are an especially valued commodity that come in three broad categories: Knowledge, Personal and Transferable.
Knowledge
Knowledge skills are the specific knowledges a student acquires as part of your education. For example, a history major learns significant dates, a nursing major learns how to take blood pressure, and a math major learns mathematical formulas. Knowledge skills are content-specific and often do not transfer from one occupation to another.
Personal
Personal skills are personality traits and characteristics that relate to a person's success in a particular occupation. Personal skills are descriptive and examples can include assertiveness, maturity, honesty, compassion, confidence, a willingness to work and a sense of humor. Personal skills are extremely important to the "fit" between a person and a job and will vary from occupations to occupation.
Transferable
Transferable skills are verbs and describe what an individual can do with people, things information and/or ideas. Organizing, cooperating, designing, informing, categorizing and decision-making are all examples of transferable skills. "Transferable" means that these skills can be used in a variety of occupational situations.
For examples of each type of skill, see Sample Skills by Type (pdf)
Skills Assessment
A career counselor can help you to assess your skills. They can also work with you to identify how to most effectively market your skills on your resume, cover letter and during an interview.
