“I love working with people, I am responsible, dependable, honest and loyal.”
That’s a common description job seekers use when asked about their skills, but this response describes traits, not skills. It’s easy to overlap personal traits with skills when you are job searching.
Personal traits are what make you different from other people. We each have our own blend of characteristics, but it’s important to know the difference between your traits and your skills because talking about traits when an employer is looking for skills will send the wrong message.
It’s easy to confuse traits and skills, because both are used when marketing your value and establish your workplace-relationship style.
Saying “I love working with people” when asked a skills-based question is one example of answering a skills question with a trait. You hope the interviewer will focus on your positive nature, but responses such as this often give the impression you’re unsure what you can offer and misses the opportunity to build a connection between your skills and the employer’s needs.
Hiring decision makers want to hear about your set of skills, and how you can help them to accomplish their goals. Liking people is great trait to possess, but it’s not a skill.
Here are some of the most common traits — forget these when describing skills:
energetic
dependable
determined
focused
intuitive
loyal
honest
persistent
punctual
responsible
love working with people
If you are in the process of changing jobs or thinking about moving to a different field, take some time this week to list all your transferable skills. Transferable skills are those you have accumulated throughout your career that can be transferred from one setting to the next.
Writing your skills down is a powerful exercise. Not only will the list help you identify your skills, but it will help strengthen your message to potential employers. You also can use this list of skills to help look for opportunities that match your background.
If you’re having trouble separating skills and traits, think in terms of action verbs, such as:
training,
implementing,
leading,
promoting,
developing,
presenting,
organizing,
and planning.
How many skills do you think you should you discuss with a potential employer?
