Your Life Skills

Why might it be of interest?

I can’t now recall where I came across this information – I didn’t write it!  But I do think it’s quite useful in helping a young person see what skills their life experiences relate to in another setting – and we all find it quite hard to understand how a skill or experience in one area of our life might be relevant to the workplace or a study placement.

Led your sports team

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Motivation
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • When I played football for my local club/college/university, an important part of our success was teamwork. Staying positive during a game kept us from losing momentum, I was known as the motivational member of the team. Even our captain often looked to me for a boost at halftime

Managed time as a home maker

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Time management
• Organisation
• Planning ahead
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • Since starting a family, I’ve learned the value of organising every aspect of my life. Whether it’s cleaning, taking the kids to school, or cooking for five people, I’ve become very efficient in how I spend my time

Actively follow fashion news

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Industry knowledge
• Product insights
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • I check around six different fashion websites every day. I’m fascinated by even the small changes in the way fashion houses release their ranges, design their garments, and run their businesses. Chanel, for example recently released a revised version of their little black dress. The critics were sceptical but…

Did group work at school

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Teamwork
• Time management
• Leadership
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • In my time at college/school/university, I worked with three of my classmates to produce a small business plan. I took the role of project manager and ensured our plan came together before the deadline

Wrote an official letter

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Written communication
• Proofreading
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • When I applied for a scholarship to my university, I wrote an official letter as part of the process. I was asked to explain why I should be given the scholarship and what I’d do with my degree, were I to receive it. This letter was part of the reason I was granted the scholarship

Resolved a conflict

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• People skills
• Management
• Articulating a point of view
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • Within my group of friends, I am usually the peace maker. I try to hear what my friends are saying and approach their issues as a team, rather than singling any one of my friends out

Planned an event

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Time management
• Event planning
• Organisation
• People skills
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • My friends and I recently went on holiday, and I was asked to arrange the flights, hotels, etc. as I’m quite good at that sort of thing. So, I made a spreadsheet and ensured I got the best prices I could find for us and the dates we had off from work. Having a document to contain the details really helped me manage our time and money

Wrote an essay

This kind of experience is a good example of:

• Written communication
• Proofreading
• Articulating a point of view
• If you need to talk about these skills, or your relevant experience, in your interview, you can say something like:
  • During my final year of college, I wrote a number of essays for my English class. My marks and feedback showed that I was able to express my argument, provide evidence, and write in a clear manner