A Cross-Industry Approach to Foundational Skills

Sat Nov 06 2021 — by Josh Studl

COMMON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

PERSONAL SKILLS

INTEGRITY: Treating others with honesty, fairness and respect • Demonstrate respect for company's time and property • Accept responsibility for one's decisions and actions INITIATIVE: Demonstrating a willingness to work and seek out new work challenges • Take initiative in seeking out new responsibilities and work challenges, increasing the variety and scope of one's job • Pursue work with energy, drive and effort to accomplish tasks • Establish and maintain personally challenging, but realistic work goals • Strive to exceed standards and expectations DEPENDABILITY & RELIABILITY: Displaying responsible behaviors at work • Behave consistently, predictably and reliably • Fulfill obligations, complete assignments and meet deadlines • Follow written and verbal directions • Comply with organization's rules, policies and procedures • Demonstrate regular and punctual attendance ADAPTABILITY: Displaying the capability to adapt to new, different or changing requirements • Be open to learning and considering new ways of doing things • Actively seek out and carefully consider the merits of new approaches to work • Embrace new approaches when appropriate and discard approaches that are no longer working • Effectively change plans, goals, actions or priorities to deal with changing situations PROFESSIONALISM: Maintaining a professional demeanor at work • Demonstrate self-control by maintaining composure and keeping emotions in check even in difficult situations • Maintain professional appearance by dressing appropriately for the job and maintaining personal hygiene • Use professional language when speaking with supervisors, co-workers and customers • Maintain a positive attitude • Take ownership of one's work

PEOPLE SKILLS

TEAMWORK: Demonstrating the ability to work effectively with others • Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others • Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers • Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time • Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow COMMUNICATION: Maintaining open lines of communication with others • Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy • Listen to and consider others' viewpoints • Recognize and interpret the verbal and nonverbal behavior of others • Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner RESPECT: Working effectively with those who have diverse backgrounds • Demonstrate sensitivity and respect for the opinions, perspectives, customs and individual differences of others • Be flexible and open-minded when dealing with a wide range of people • Value diversity of approaches and ideas

Applied Knowledge

READING: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents • Read and comprehend work-related instructions and policies, memos, bulletins, notices, letters, policy manuals and governmental regulations • Read and comprehend documents ranging from simple and straightforward, to more complex and detailed • Attain meaning and comprehend core ideas from written materials • Integrate what is learned from written materials with prior knowledge • Apply what is learned from written material to work situations WRITING: Using standard English to clearly communicate thoughts, ideas and information in written form • Prepare written materials that are easy to understand using correct wording • Communicate thoughts, ideas, information, messages and other written information in a logical, organized and coherent manner • Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization • Write in a factual manner in a tone appropriate for the target audience in multiple formats MATHEMATICS: Using mathematics to solve problems • Add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents • Convert decimals to fractions; convert fractions to percents • Calculate averages, ratios, proportions and rates • Take measurement of time, temperature, distance, length, width, height and weight; convert one measurement to another • Translate practical problems into useful mathematical expressions SCIENCE: Knowing and applying scientific principles and methods to solve problems • Understand basic scientific principles • Understand the scientific method (i.e., identify problem, collect information, form opinion and draw conclusion) • Apply basic scientific principles to solve problems and complete tasks TECHNOLOGY: Using information technology and related applications to convey and retrieve information • Navigation and File Management • Understand common computer terminology • Use scroll bars, a mouse and dialog boxes to work within the computer's operating system • Access and switch between applications and files of interest • Adhere to standard conventions for safeguarding privacy and security • Internet and Email • Navigate the Internet to find information • Open and configure standard browsers • Use searches, hypertext references and transfer protocols (enter URLs) • Send and retrieve electronic mail (email) CRITICAL THINKING: Using logical thought processes to analyze and draw conclusions • Identify inconsistent or missing information • Critically review, analyze, synthesize, compare and interpret information • Draw conclusions from relevant and/or missing information • Test possible hypotheses to ensure the problem is correctly diagnosed and the best solution is found

WORKPLACE SKILLS

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Planning and prioritizing work to manage time effectively and accomplish assigned tasks • Able to plan and schedule tasks so that work is completed on time • Ability to prioritize various competing tasks • Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently • Will take necessary corrective action when projects go off track PROBLEM SOLVING: Demonstrating the ability to apply critical thinking skills to solve problems by generating, evaluating, and implementing solutions • Able to identify and define the problem • Will communicate the problem to appropriate personnel • Capable of generating possible solutions • Ability to choose and implement a solution DECISION MAKING: Applying critical thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the workplace • Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process • Anticipate the consequences of decisions • Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them • Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS: Having fundamental knowledge of the organization and the industry • Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the company and the potential impact one's performance can have on the success of the organization • Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of company information, as well as that of customers and co-workers, and comply with intellectual property laws • Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment and report any violations/discrepancies to appropriate personnel CUSTOMER FOCUS: Actively look for ways to identify market demands and meet customer or client needs • Understand and anticipate customer needs • Provide personalized service with prompt and efficient responses to meet the requirements, requests and concern of customers or clients • Be pleasant, courteous and professional when dealing with internal and external customers or clients • Evaluate customer or client satisfaction WORKING WITH TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY: Selecting, using and maintaining tools and technology to facilitate work activity • Identify, select and use appropriate tools and technological solutions to frequently encountered problems • Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, and consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand • Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures and safety standards • Seek out opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity W