How to Identify Your Top Three Skills
Clearly communicating your skills isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely necessary. It can be a tough question for some people to answer, but below are a few tips that outline how to assess and speak to your skillset.
On one hand, there are those confident and assured individuals who have a hard time narrowing it down to just three skills that they want to highlight. Conversely, there are many who struggle to think of three skills they feel will move the needle when interviewing for a job or advocating for a promotion.
Whether you are looking for a promotion, attempting to become a partner at your firm, or seeking employment elsewhere, being able to confidently highlight and explain your top skills is crucial. It lets the receiver know you believe in yourself and have taken great care to hone those top skills over the course of your career.
Don’t worry, this isn’t as hard as you think. Let’s start by doing a little introspection. Reflect on what you do on a daily basis—this could be tasks or skills you use at work or even in your personal life. Are there tasks you particularly enjoy doing or that you are naturally good at doing? Break down the skills that the task entails and ask yourself questions about why you are so successful at that task.
From there, repeat this process for two to four additional skills and compile a list of your top five skills. Then, in order to narrow it down to your top three, think about how they intersect with your career goals.
Choose the ones that most resonate with you. You could frame this list in order of how you feel it relates to your current position or how it reflects the role you aspire to be in some day. Imagine your dream job or role and tailor your top three list to reflect those prerequisites.
Above all, be confident in your skills and be willing to advance and hone them. Many employers admit they would prefer someone with slightly less experience who shows a willingness to learn, rather than someone who is expertly skilled but static in their continual learning. Keep your skills sharp and current and always strive to learn more!