Skill Development

Career Readiness Competencies

NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) has identified eight competencies associated with career readiness. They are:

• Career & Self Development: Proactively develop oneself and one's career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one's strengths and personal weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one's organization.
• Communication: Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
• Critical Thinking: Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
• Equity & Inclusion: Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
• Leadership: Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
• Professionalism: Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of larger community and workplace.
• Teamwork: Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
• Technology: Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.

Source: www.naceweb.org

Download the NACE Competencies Flyer [PDF]

Technical (Hard) & Interpersonal (Soft) Skills

Skills used in the workplace and skills communicated on your resume can be broken down by Technical (or hard) skills and Interpersonal (or soft) skills.

Technical skills are the hard skills that are typically learned in courses or on the job in order for you to do that job effectively. Technical skills are also technology or programs that you use to do those jobs. For example, being proficient in Adobe Suite, coding, cooking (if you are a chef), and being CPR certified, are all hard skills. Technical skills are evaluated through practice, exams, or can even be accredited to the degree one holds. Technical skills can be listed in the Skills section of your resume.

Interpersonal skills are soft skills that can be used across a wide variety of jobs. Examples of the soft skills are communication, leadership, and teamwork. Soft skills can be practiced and developed regularly and are evaluated based on performance examples. These skills should be discussed within the bullet points of your experience section so that the employer can understand how you carry out that soft skill.

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