Developing a skills portfolio
As you advance through your postgraduate studies you will be developing and adding to your skill set probably without much conscious acknowledgement of the process. These skills will include research related skills that can be specifically applied to research projects in your related field of study. You will also be developing transferable skills, which as the name implies, can be applied in a wide variety of work areas. Throughout your research it is a good idea to keep a record of the skills you notice you are developing along with specific examples to illustrate or demonstrate these skills.
Outside academia employers think in terms of skills and achievements rather than educational qualifications. The public and private sectors in NZ, Australia, the UK and most European countries will expect you to be able to articulate your skills both in a CV and in a behavioural/competency style job interview. In this type of interview skills are grouped and questions are designed to elicit these skills. Answers require relevant examples. For academic positions, even though your academic research, publication record and teaching experience are your main selling points, being able to articulate your skills will add strength to your application. In addition to helping to prepare for employment, when students/graduates have a good understanding of their skills and can write and speak articulately about them, it vastly increases their self-confidence and motivation.
Friends, colleagues, supervisors and family members are often good at pointing out your skills and giving examples. A good place to start is by considering the checklist below. These have been summarised, amalgamated and adapted from a number of postgraduate career related resources.
| Research Skills | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skill | Best current example | Ways to improve if necessary |
| Gather relevant information using relevant resources | Eg: experienced in retrieving relevant information from SPQR, tetro, UP50 and rAndOm databases | Learn to use Hyper-vox database |
| Understand, analyse and synthesise large quantities of information for relevant material | ||
| Design and analyse surveys | ||
| Design an experiment, plan or model that defines a problem, tests potential resolutions and/or implements a solution | ||
| Develop organising principles to sort and evaluate data effectively | ||
| Undertake qualitative interviews and organise and run focus groups | ||
| Formulate research questions and design a research programme | ||
| Make grant applications and budget research funding | ||
| Design an experiment, plan or model that defines a problem, tests potential resolutions and/or implements a solution | ||
| Set up and run laboratory experiments | ||
| Competence with laboratory equipment | Eg: competently able to use particle accelerator to analyse place vs. direction displacement of sub atomic particles | |
| Operate statistical packages to analyse data | Update SPSS and Statsgo skills | |
Think of these in category headings – here are some examples
| Project management and organisation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skill | Best current example | Ways to improve if necessary |
| Manage a project from beginning to end | ||
| Manage several projects at once | ||
| Identify goals/ tasks to be accomplished | ||
| Develop realistic timelines | ||
| Anticipate potential problems | ||
| Approach problems/changes with flexibility | ||
| Written and oral communication | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Skill |
Best current example | Ways to improve if necessary |
| Prepare concise and logically written material | ||
| Organise and communicate ideas effectively in oral presentations to large and small groups | ||
| Ability to write at all levels for a wide range of audiences | ||
| Attentive to audience knowledge and needs and able to shape written and oral communications accordingly | ||
| Explain difficult or complex concepts in basic terms and language | ||
| Knowledge of other languages | ||
| Interpersonal and leadership | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skill | Best current example | Ways to improve if necessary |
| Facilitate group discussions and conduct meetings | ||
| Motivate others to complete projects | ||
| Effectively mentor subordinates and peers | ||
| Collaborate on projects | ||
| Teach skills and concepts to others | ||
| Able to navigate complex bureaucratic environments* | ||
| Cultural knowledge | Eg: Familiar with a variety of different cultural contexts as a result of growing up in Algeria, studying in France and completing my PhD in New Zealand | |
| Self-management and professional development | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skill | Best current example | Ways to improve if necessary |
| Time management - work productively under pressure and meet deadlines | ||
| Work effectively with limited supervision | ||
| Attention to detail | ||
| Able to see the big picture | ||
| Ability to plan strategically and set goals and targets | ||
Please note that the skills suggested above are really just to get the ball rolling. Feel free to add any you are able to come up with. For example, innovation and creativity weren’t mentioned above but are a big part of research. Also note that none of these are any good without concrete examples. Everyone says they have good time management and attention to detail but you must be able to demonstrate it.
Finally- recent studies in Australia, the UK and NZ have shown that what non-academic employers say they are looking for are candidates with good communication skills, a flexible attitude, project management ability and leadership experience/potential. If you are interested in a particular area of work but are not developing the necessary skills through your study alone, you may have to look at extra-curricular activities - sports teams, voluntary work etc.
Never underestimate the importance of working on and demonstrating your communication skills. It is always number one with non-academic employers and while academic employers require a strong research and/or teaching track record, all say they also look for "fit"- i.e. someone who will be collegial and get on well in the department.
For assistance with identifying skills and developing a skills portfolio please contact a Careers Consultant.
Contact University Careers Services
Postgraduate students can also attend IT literacy training workshops through CAD - The Centre for Academic Development.
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