Transferable Skills Activity What Are Your Skills?

When writing a cover letter and resume or participating in the interview process it is important to be able
to provide examples that demonstrate to the interviewer or potential employer that you have the
employability skills they require. Complete the following 2 exercises to help you express your skills in a
cover letter and resume. This will also assist you with providing examples in an interview.
Exercise 1
Complete the following steps to complete exercise 1:
1. http://www.conferenceboard.ca/topics/education/default.aspx
2. Click on Employability Skills 2000+
3. Select 2 Fundamental, 2 Personal Management and 2 Teamwork skills from the list provided. List
your selection in the chart below and provide an example of how you demonstrate that skill. The
more detailed your answer the better your cover letter and resume will be. Define your
accomplishments using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method. For each skill identified
explain the situation, what action/tasks you used and the result of your actions.
Skill
Teamwork Skill #2 (STUDENT
EXAMPLE)
PARTICIPATE IN PROJECTS AND TASKS:
Plan, design, or carry out a project or
task from start to finish with welldefined objectives and outcomes.

Evidence of this Skill

- Good at planning and designing projects; one of my biggest
accomplishments was in high school. There is always a grade 9
day, but I decided it would be important to have a grade 12 day!
I pitched the plan, costs, and required resources to our
administration and it was approved. I worked within a budget
and created a successful event that was promised to be
repeated for years to come.
- Able to carry out a project from start to finish with well-defined
objectives and outcomes. When working on school projects,
there is always well defined objectives usually described
through the use of a rubric or assignment instructions. The

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Skill

Fundamental Skill #1
COMMUNICATE

Fundamental Skill #2
MANAGE INFORMATION

Personal Management Skill #1

LEARN CONTINUOUSLY

Evidence of this Skill

outcomes of the project are always made clear by the professor.
Such as this assignment where the outcome is to help express
skills in an interview.
Communication skills have been important in my everyday life.
With school, knowing how to read diagrams/graphs, asking
questions in class, working with classmates, working with
customers, learning how to train for new positions, putting
knowledge youve learned into your own words, or completing
assignments. Ive taken countless English courses throughout
elementary and secondary school and I completed with honors
in my Effective Meetings and Presentations course. This class
pushed you out of your shell, taught you how to get rid of that
nervousness, create and conduct a professional business
presentation to communicate information to others. It will be a
contributing factor to any success in your life.
Between my two jobs, I do a significant amount of managing
information. That may be adapting to and navigating the
Dominos Pulse system which is installed to all technology
devices in the store. Using this program, you can access the
Customer Service Order Entry Menu, input and organize
financial/service information, tracking supply of food and
adjusting accordingly so weekly food orders arrive with the
correct amount of goods needed, etc. Excel is incorporated as
well for recording financial data day in and day out. Learning
how to use these programs is essential to every day
responsibilities. I have duties at both Dominos and The Perk
that involve safe handling of money counting, recording, filling
out bank deposit slips, and delivering the deposit to the bank which is to be done on a nightly basis.
I truly believe its detrimental to your success for you to be
positive about moving up within any organization you work for.
Even if thats just Dominos Pizza. Every job will be a stepping-

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Skill

Personal Management Skill #2

BE RESPONSIBLE

Teamwork Skill #1
WORK WITH OTHERS

Evidence of this Skill

stone to your future career.
I was first hired with Dominos in April 2015 as a Delivery Driver.
A little bit after a summer of delivering I was getting eager to
learn the various duties that ties everything together. I took the
opportunity to expand my abilities and move inside as a
Customer Service Representative. My experience at the coffee
shop definitely paid off. I efficiently serve and have built rapport
with our customers. I quickly learned how to navigate
throughout the computers taking orders, ringing through
customers, answering phone calls, upselling, etc. Then I decided
to get my hands dirty and learn the ins and out of the food
preparation, ovens, health and safety protocols, etc. As of
recently, I had been pursuing a management position with
Dominos. Throughout the summer, I spent my hours dedicated
to learning how to close/open the store each day as well as the
financial duties that follow. Currently, I am starting to open
every Saturday as a Manager. I am one of the most versatile
employees with this location, as I can work any position they
need me too. I feel my time with Dominos accurately represents
my skill to learn continuously.
With two jobs and a full-time course load, creating a work-life
balance is important for me to stay on track. Of course at
twenty years old knowing how to manage my money needs to
be a no-brainer. I am currently very interested in investing my
money in an IRA starting on my 20th birthday. Independently I
take on my role of social responsibility by doing what I can to
respect the environment and economy recycling and proper
disposal of garbage uses reusable water bottle, shopping local,
etc.
Whether it is in school working collaboratively with groups to
complete assignments, or in the workplace, where as a team we
try our best to proficiently serve the St. Thomas community with

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Skill

Teamwork Skill #2
PARTICIPATE IN PROJECTS AND TASKS

Evidence of this Skill

good service I am working alongside others in almost all
aspects of my life. With each shift, or assignment brings on new
challenges. Finding your place in an organization and adapting
to the human capital within it could ultimately have affect how
youll feel about your job. I feel like a major component of
Customer Service is working with others. Knowing how to serve
each customers unique needs, building rapport, working
effectively with co-workers to get the job done, and dealing with
crisis will all come down to how you work with others. The years
of customer service experience Ive got under my belt, is
another way I developed human relation skills.
In my grade twelve year, I was enrolled in a Leadership course.
We were given a great opportunity to test our leadership skills.
Our most successful assignment in the course was to create our
own school event day. We were to pitch our ideas to the class
and two of the groups would actually get to implement their
plans. Our group came up with a Get Your Picture with Santa
booth and charged a small fee to have the photos developed
and delivered to the students homeroom the following week.
After getting chosen by the class to do this in reality, our booth
proved to be pretty popular that day, and the last few years as
it became an ongoing thing. We got together all available
resources we possibly could, and made a beautiful set for
Santas pictures. Most importantly all proceeds were donated to
The Caring Cupboard charity in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Exercise #2:
At Fanshawe the learning outcomes for every course focus on one or more of the following Essential
Employability Skills in some way. Employers expect that when you graduate you will be able to

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

demonstrate each of these skills. In the BHR program we touch on all of these. Review the 11 skills below.
If you have indicated that you have a particular Essential Employability Skill provide a specific example
of those skills in the box. If you have indicated that you do not have a particular essential employability
skill how can you practice them while you are here at Fanshawe?
Please complete the inventory in the chart below and answer the questions that follow:
Essential Employability Skills

I have
this skill
Yes No

1.

Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken, and visual form that
fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
I am constantly working on group assignments throughout school, which tend
including lengthy oral and PowerPoint presentations, and/or informative
documents. While working customer service I have develop fluent people skills
that I use on a day-to-day basis.

2.

Respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective

communication.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
I communicate on a regular basis with employers, and teachers through
FOL/email/face-to-face interaction.

3.

Execute mathematical operations accurately.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Completed all high school math course requirements, as well as college
courses, with honors in Business Math, Principles of Accounting, Payroll, and
Finance.

4.

Apply a systematic approach to solving problems.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Dealing with any crisis that comes up at work, whether that is an angry

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Essential Employability Skills

I have
this skill
Yes No

customer or a missing order, there are always appropriate measures to be

taken and steps to follow.
5.

Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
For example today in my Employment Law class we covered 7 different Human
Rights Cases. We were asked to read and respond in our opinion, on whether
or not human rights code had been infringed upon.
Human Rights cases can be complicated to tackle, using critical
thinking/examination to come to a conclusion.

6.

Locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and
information systems.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Navigating FOL on a daily basis to keep on top of assignments, tests, and
discussions as well as communicating with teachers via email. We have been
learning about organizing all our files on a computer in our Excel class also.

7.

Analyze, evaluate and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
I will continually practice these skills doing research reports/assignments or
projects throughout my time here at Fanshawe, and have been informed of
APA guidelines in almost every course taken.

8.

Show respect for the diverse opinions, values, belief systems and contributions of others.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
I try to be as open minded as I possibly can, acknowledge that each person has
a unique element to bring to the table, and understanding the positive change
diversity can have to an organization and their overall success. I wouldnt say

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Essential Employability Skills

I have
this skill
Yes No

Im totally educated/skilled in this area, but definitely expect to become more

aware of my surroundings along the duration of this course.
9.

Interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working
relationships and the achievement of goals.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Working with peers effectively in group assignments/projects, and adapting to
work environments/surroundings and working as a team to get our jobs done.

10.

Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
I am currently balancing two jobs (25hrs) and a full-time course load, and
completed last Winter term with honors.

11.

Take responsibility for ones own actions, decisions and consequences.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Going to Fanshawe and attending school would demonstrate taking
responsibility; and how you go about your education will ultimately make or
break you. If you dont put your all into it then you will be responsible for the
outcome/consequences. Learning to make smart decisions gets better with
every year that passes.

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?