When you are able to identify and market your skills to an employer, you will be able to increase your employment options.

Job-specific skills deal with mastering a particular vocabulary, procedure or subject matter. These are the skills you will most often think of when asked what type of skills you have. They are learned or acquired through specific work experiences and require the use of your memory. You may acquire them through education, reading, training, apprenticeships or through on-the-job experiences.

Examples of job-specific skills:
  • A software package
  • Fluency in another language
  • Statistical methods
  • Forklift operation
  • Grade point average (GPA) calculation
  • Seed germination techniques
  • Payroll/personnel systems
  • Financial information systems

Reflection Questions

1. What are the top three to five job-specific skills you would like to use in your next position?

2. What are the top three to five job-specific skills you would like to develop in your next position
or for a future career?