INTRODUCTION

PROFILING

SKILLS

REFERENCES

SEARCHING

JOURNALS

DISCIPLINES

DISCUSSIONS

Skills Models: 3

(From 'The Association of Graduate Recruiters', 1995)

The Association argues that 'The Complete Graduate' will need four types of skills:

Specialist Skills

The graduate will be an expert at something.

Generalist Skills

The graduate will have general business skills and knowledge (e.g. finance/basic accounting, written communication, problem solving, use of information technology).

Skills in Being Connected

The graduate must have skills appropriate to a team player (e.g. management skills, networking skills, presentation skills).

Self Reliance Skills

The Association argues that for learners to manage the processes of effective learning and career progression, they need to develop self-reliance skills. This allows them to make use of all their other abilities. Without self-reliance skills, other skills could be wasted.


They identify 12 self reliance skills:

1. Self-awareness.
   • Able to clearly identify skills, values, interests,and other personal attributes.
   • Able to pinpoint core strengths and "differentiating factors".
   • Equipped with evidence of abilities (eg. summary statement, record, or protfolio).
   • Actively willing to seek feedback from others, and able to give constructive feedback.
   • Able to identify areas for personal, academic and professional development.

2. Self-promotion.
   • Able to define and promote own agenda.
   • Can identify "customer needs" (academic, community, employer) and can promote their own strengths in a convincing way, both in writing and orally, selling "benefits" to the "customer", not simply "features".

3. Exploring and Creating Opportunities.
   • Able to identify, create, investigate and seize opportunities.
   • Has research skills to identify possible sources of information, help and support.

4. Action Planning.
   • Able to plan a course of action which addresses:
     • Where am I now?
     • Where do I want to be?
     • How do I get there?
   • Able to implement an action plan by:
     • Organizing time effectively.
     • Identifying steps needed to reach the goal.
     • Preparing contingency plans.
   • Able to monitor and evaluate progress against specific objectives.

5. Networking.
   • Aware of the need to develop networks of contacts.
   • Able to define, develop and maintain a support network for advice and information.
   • Has good telephone and electronic communication skills.

6. Matching and Decision Making.
   • Understands personal priorities and constraints (internal and external). This includes the need for a sustainable balance of work and home life.
   • Able to match opportunities to core skills, knowledge, attitudes, interests etc.
   • Able to make an informed decision based on the available opportunities.

7. Negotiation.
   • Able to negotiate the psychological contract from a position of powerlessness.
   • Able to reach "win-win" agreements.

8. Political Awareness.
   • Understands the hidden tensions and power struggles within organisations.
   • Aware of the location of power and influence within organisations.

9. Coping with Uncertainty.
   • Able to adapt goals in the light of changing circumstances.
   • Able to take myriads of tiny risks.

10. Development Focus.
    • Committed to lifelong learning.
    • Understands preferred method and style of learning.
    • Reflects on learning from experiences, good and bad.
    • Able to learn from the mistakes of others.

11. Transfer Skills.
    • Able to apply skills to new contexts.

12. Self-confidence.
    • Has an underlying confidence in abilities, based on past successes.
    • Has a personal sense of self-worth, not dependent on performance.




Click Globe for Next Skills Models Page

Return to Top