Adaptability

Adaptability is the skill of anticipating and responding to changing circumstances and coping effectively with the transition. Being adaptable requires you to fit into a new environment quickly and easily.

Analytical

Analytical skills are the thought processes required to evaluate information effectively. Examining a problem thoroughly requires attention to detail, perseverance and maintaining your focus.

The ability to be able to analyse data is an important element of most roles – to review, understand and then present back your thoughts are excellent transferable skills that most applications will benefit from.

Strategic

Knowing how to arrange a plan with actions to achieve certain goals or tasks is not an easy thing to achieve, but one you will all probably have experience of… without even knowing it.

When you took your school exams, you will have developed a plan to revise and tackle the exams. It wasn’t easy to actually do, but it gave you a structure to work and gave you a better chance of success. This is exactly what any role/course will look for: someone with ability to carefully plan, define the goals and then put it into action, someone who is a strategic thinker.

Commercial Awareness

Commercial awareness is understanding what is happening in the world from a business perspective and questioning if activities add value to the business. Showing people that you are aware of more than just a company name – that you understand the other elements that make a company successful is another way to mark yourself out from the crowd.

Do you instinctively know about a company’s aim? Can you think of any economic or political reasons that might affect a company’s ability to succeed? Who are the main competitors? For every Nike there is an Adidas – for instance.

Teamwork

Teamwork involves working collaboratively with others, in order to achieve a goal. Are you able to take a on a role within the team, sharing responsibility and then contributing ideas? The ability to work collaboratively is a key skill that most people seek – and one that on the surface may seem a given.

But dig a little deeper: Can you share the credit? Can you accept full responsibility for your work within the team? Can you take on board other team member suggestions, or is it your way or the highway? Can you get on with everyone to focus on the task in hand?

It is important to be flexible to changing demands, keeping communication lines open and staying positive in order to meet the deadline. If you haven’t done so already, do the Teamwork iDEA badge to learn more about this.

Decision Making

Decision making is a process which involves analysing a problem, researching the options, weighing up the pros and cons, and reaching a logical conclusion.

You may need to be creative in your approach, and it may be appropriate to take advice from others.

Communication

Being able to communicate is probably one of the most important skills to acquire, especially in these screen-driven social media times. Communication is the ability to communicate, in writing or via electronic or other means.

VerbalCan you get your ideas across in a clear, logical way that others understand?

WrittenCan you write in a natural, engaging manner?

This will all come together to help in group situations such as team meetings, presentations and even negotiations. The ability to communicate is the key to developing positive working relationships with colleagues and clients.

Innovative

Inovation is all about having new ideas. It is the ability to identify new opportunities, generate solutions, make improvements and to think creatively and enterprisingly in order to produce an effective outcome.

Flexibility

Flexibility is your willingness and ability to take on new responsibilities. It is not just a 'can do' attitude but a 'will do' approach. To be truly flexible, you need to change your priorities according to organisational need.

Digital Skills

Digital skills are required in most jobs, and span everything from how to stay safe online to understanding digital ethics and operating effectively in a digital workplace. You significantly enhance your earning power and your chances on the job market by developing digital skills.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the ability to accept, learn and adapt to new technology as required by any job.

One way to clearly demonstrate this is to reference iDEA and all the skills you have developed on the Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award when you put your personal statement together. iDEA is dedicated to helping you develop the digital skills – so being here today helps prove that you are working on improving your transferable digital skills.

You will also be expected to be familiar with the basic functions of the Microsoft office suite for most jobs, including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.

Iniative

Initiative is the ability to be resourceful and to introduce a new course of action. It requires you to be resilient, tenacious and determined. You will need to be able to demonstrate that you can think for yourself and take action when necessary.

Organistion

Strong organisational skills are demonstrated by planning your time and your workload effectively. An ability to meet deadlines will provide recruiters with the evidence that you possess good organisational skills. Organisational skills are vital to be effective and efficient in the modern workplace.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is the ability to think laterally, research, analyse and evaluate information to develop informed solutions.

You will need to demonstrate that you can think creatively and apply a logical approach to solving the problems you face.

Leadership

Effective leadership is the ability to take control of a situation and to lead by empowering others to work together in an effective team. Note the 'effective', as you can also be a leader who doesn’t inspire or energise others to carry out tasks. A good leader will help a team achieve goals by displaying a clear sense of direction and values.

Whether it's a political leader, a head of state, a religious leader or a manager of a football club, they need to provide a clear sense of direction, which allows all those that follow to do so with conviction. Leadership skills mean that you can manage people, are able to take initiative, have the ability to see and plan ahead, acquire relevant knowledge and inspire people.

Note you do not have to have captained a sports team to be a leader, you can lead in all sorts of ways, so think of times when you have taken the lead and others have followed – this could be a school project, some work experience or even through voluntary work.

Networking

Networking – can sound scary but needn’t be – as it involves the ability to make contacts and build relationships in person or via web-based tools, such as LinkedIn. If you have a wide circle of friends, can go to a gathering/party and make new acquaintances or have lots of followers on your social media, then chances are you are a good networker.

To network successfully, you will need to be proactive and get involved with different activities, so that you can meet lots of people! Just as having lots of friends within your social networks exposes you to new things and keeps you in the loop regarding people and news – building a professional network (using some of the same techniques) will likewise help you professionally.A good network will keep you informed and well connected. This is a clear example of how something you are good at in your personal life can be counted as a transferrable skill.

Hard Working (Work Ethics)

Not to be under-estimated, having a strong work ethic can often make the difference in a successful application. It is an internal skill which is all about you – do you take pride in your work because you want to rather than because you have to?

A positive approach to work, together with being honest and caring all contribute towards making you a hardworking, committed applicant.

Time Management

Time management – the way you organise your time to plan and prioritise your workload – is key when applying for any new job. Effective time management means being able to do more work in less time.

Can you set yourself realistic and achievable targets to meet deadlines? Do you develop strategies to work under pressure if deadlines are looming?

Strong organisation skills are vital, as is the ability to respond to changing demands. Your goal should be to achieve a balance between your study, work and leisure time.

Research Skills

Research skills encompass the abilities of identifying data sources, gathering information and investigating the facts, based upon agreed objectives and following a clear methodology.

Listening

Often forgotten, totally underrated, but something that will definitely make you stand out is the art of listening. Listening is the ability to understand and interpret messages. Poor listening will mean mistakes, wasted energy, irritation, frustration and even conflict, whereas good listening skills – and the ability to provide feedback – will make life easier, boost results, productivity and take you to where you want to be much more quickly.

Negotiation

Negotiation skills involve being able to bring about agreement on a course of action through discussion, in order to achieve mutually beneficial results. Your skills of persuasion would influence a positive outcome. To negotiate effectively you will need to communicate with impact and listen to the other parties' objectives.