The skills audit

The purpose of the following audit is to highlight the skills you would like/need to develop.
For each of the items listed overleaf, please indicate your perceived level of competency by
highlighting (e.g. bold, colour, underline, or italicise) the appropriate number1.

5 = I have accomplished this skill/competency and am highly competent;

4 = I have this skill/competency, but some improvements could be made

3 = I need to improve this skill/competency

2 = I need to put in considerable to work to develop this skill/competency

1 = I need to acquire this skill/develop this competency

1
Ratings taken from example of good practice from the C.R.A. Mind tools workbook
Information access and retrieval

Using Moodle as a resource 5 4 3 2 1

Using the library to find books 5 4 3 2 1

Using the library to locate journal articles 5 4 3 2 1

Using the web to find materials for my assignments 5 4 3 2 1

IT Skills

Word processing coursework (using Microsoft Word) 5 4 3 2 1

Using a spreadsheet use to handle and display data (Microsoft Excel) 5 4 3 2 1

Using SPSS to analyse data 5 4 3 2 1

Using E-mail use to send messages and attachments (University mail/Outlook) 5 4 3 2 1

Using a electronic diary to enter important dates e.g. lectures, deadlines (Calendar 5 4 3 2 1
feature on Outlook)

Research and note taking

Reading the core text for each lecture 5 4 3 2 1

Reading additional reading suggestions for each lecture 5 4 3 2 1

Independently finding appropriate reading material 5 4 3 2 1

Understanding the content of academic text 5 4 3 2 1

Extracting the main points from a piece of text 5 4 3 2 1

Thinking analytically about an academic piece 5 4 3 2 1

Taking useful notes from academic texts 5 4 3 2 1

Taking useful notes from lectures 5 4 3 2 1

Organising and filing note taking 5 4 3 2 1

Written communication

Finding appropriate source material (books journals) for my essay 5 4 3 2 1

Making an essay plan/structuring an essay 5 4 3 2 1

English composition skills (spelling, grammar etc.) 5 4 3 2 1

Referencing the work of others in my essays (APA format) 5 4 3 2 1

Understanding copyright and plagiarism 5 4 3 2 1

Oral Communication

Talking to my tutor about areas of concern/problems 5 4 3 2 1

Talking to other students about my studies outside of lectures 5 4 3 2 1

Talking to lecturers or tutors about my studies outside class? 5 4 3 2 1

Presenting ideas to a group of students 5 4 3 2 1

Woking co-operatively in tutorial/seminar/workshop activities 5 4 3 2 1

Personal development and employability

Ability to reflect on current state of skills development 5 4 3 2 1

Ability to set personal skills development goals (S.M.A.R.T) 5 4 3 2 1

Awareness of skills imparted by Psychology degree and those desirable to graduate 5 4 3 2 1

employers

Effective job searching 5 4 3 2 1

Writing an effective CV 5 4 3 2 1

Completing application forms 5 4 3 2 1

Taking part in assessment/selection centres 5 4 3 2 1

Interview techniques/presentation skills 5 4 3 2 1