Work out your competencies-professional as well as personal

Work out your competencies

•Working definitions and examples

•Ways of identifying and conveying your qualifications and various competencies

•What are employers looking for?

• Experience – spotting your personal competencies

• Your sales pitch – how to brand yourself to a future employer, networking

• Your CVs – highlighting your (key) competencies

• Your first job in Denmark – planning ahead

• Qualifications or competencies?

Qualifications and competencies - distinction

• Qualifications:

Abilities acquired through a learning process, e.g. formal education – university degree

• Competencies:Qualifications used in practice

• Moreover, competencies are contextual

• Something you possess and are able to apply in specific work settings in order to meet the requirements, solve the problem… - Because you know and do something using previous experiences as well as specific knowledge gleaned from your studies etc.

Definition of competencies by OECD

• ”The demonstrated – and individual – ability to apply know-how, qualifications and knowledge in order to act in familiar or altered working conditions”

OECD – oecd.org (my translation)

General or generic academic competencies

• Examples? Name a few that would describe you

Generic academic competencies – examples

• Overview, perspective• Research• Project management, project work and coordination• Innovative thinking• Analysis and structure• IT• Critical approach• Communication and presentation• Selling ideas, projects, concepts • Meeting deadlines - time and resource management• Lifelong learning • And more…

Specific professional competencies - examples

• Proficient at conflict management• Highly skilled to give advice on international legislation..• Very knowledgeable on EU and security policies• Proven ability to work independently and as a team member• Concise communicator • Efficient and precise case handling • Ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving

work environment• And many more…

Personal competencies - examples

• Sense of humour• Empathy• Decisive, able to act promptly• Perseverance and flexibility• Tolerant – open-minded• Quality-conscious, Result-oriented • Curious, Proactive• Polite, Loyal• Awareness of your personal knowledge, skills and attitudes• Interpersonal + intercultural communication skills• And many more

• Never simply list your competencies – ”document” them, refer to the (work) context in question – and do so succinctly

Your competencies – 4 components

• Knowledge – you must know how to …• Ability or functional skill – you must be able to

carry out, do …• Motivation – you must be motivated to …• Personality – you must have what it takes to…

(Kompetencerådet 1999)

Comprehensive list and targeted CVs

• Your comprehensive list should never be sent to employersYour personal document – an inventory of sorts

• A comprehensive list of everything you have done (paid work, voluntary work, fieldwork, university studies, internships, exchange studies, spare time/hobbies, travels abroad)

• Organise your qualifications and competencies – headlines

• From this list – targeted CVs - skills-based (functional) CV- chronological CV

- or a combination of the two (also recommended)

Cont.:

• Key competencies – your unique selling points - usually 2 to 4, maybe more

• Results – big and small

• Profile – 5-7 lines of prose – write a concise presentation of what you offer the employer – may vary depending on the job in question. Leave out details, highlights only.

• Adjust your targeted CV – and perhaps your profile – in order to reflect the competencies

required for the job you apply for.

• Never exaggerate, don’t be too humble – be realistic and to the point

• Let your friends, family etc. read your CV - inputs and additions

Your CV

• In groups - using your CVs

Explore and discuss your competencies (professional, personal)

What should/could be explained in further detail?What may be left out?

15 minutes per person

Academic jobs

• InterResource, AU Career• Guidance and career advice from AAK • Jobbank.dk - Jobs in English• Work in Denmark.dk• Your network, your network’s network• LinkedIn and other social media