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 outcomes of the project are
always made clear by the professor. Such as this assignment where

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Skill

Evidence of this Skill

the outcome is to help express skills in an interview.

Fundamental Skill #1
Use Numbers: decide what needs to be
measured or calculated

Fundamental Skill #2
Manage Information: locate, gather, and
organize information using appropriate
technology and information systems
Personal Management Skill #1
Be Adaptable: cope with uncertainty

Personal Management Skill #2

Work Safely: be aware of personal and
group health and safety practices and
procedures and act in accordance with
them.
Teamwork Skill #1
Participate in Projects and Tasks: plan,

During every math class we were tasked with an in class

assignment at the end of each lesson. We were to work
individually to solve all the questions before time ran out. Each
question I had to thoroughly review what the question was
asking for, what numbers to use and what formula I needed to
implement to get the right answers. With the education I
learned and the skills I had in math this allowed me to receive a
grade of 98%.
For bonus assignment in a class I took our goal was to look up
and record all websites that fit in with the course we learning.
The assignment gave us a training program and we were to
gather all the informational websites for each program and send
them in to our teacher and to also keep for ourselves for help on
future projects.
In my personal life me and my partner both are coping with the
uncertainty of long distance. We go to separate schools that are
8 hours apart which takes a huge toll on a relationship. I cope
with the uncertainty by always being open and honest with my
partner and getting the reassurance needed. Although it is
tough I like to stay positive and keep our relationship solid by
using different resources to communicate.
Working in steel factory over the summer has taught me a lot
about safety practices and awareness. I operated a crane that
could life 5 tons in steel bundles which could easily hurt or kill a
person if an accident were to happen. My job was to always be
aware of my surroundings and the other workers in the plant
and plan my actions accordingly. This skill was crucial for the
safety of myself and others.
At the start of every group or personal project, I like to sit down
and map out a timeline or plan of what needs to be done and by

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Skill
design, or carry out a project or task
from start to finish with well-defined
objectives and outcomes

Evidence of this Skill

when. Doing this helps keep myself and the rest of the group
organized and on task. With this plan we work through the
projects start to finish managing our time and effort put into
each part that way at the end it is all put together nice and
smoothly and handed in on time. This has helped me in many
cases to get high grades on projects.

Teamwork Skill #2
Work with Others: manage and resolve
conflict when appropriate

In one of my group projects, we had two students who did not

see eye to eye. Being friends, they partnered themselves
together to complete a section of the project. At some point a
fight ended up breaking out over time management and I
stepped in to help resolve the conflict and get the work done.
We discussed the issues which happened to be work schedules
conflicting which resulted in not being able to get together. I
suggested breaking their part in half so that they could do their
work on their own time and come together once at the end to
put it together. This resolved the conflict and the project was
done on time without further complications.

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
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:

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

Essential Employability Skills

1.

I have
this skill
Yes No
Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken, and visual form that
no
fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
With all the group projects and presentations, I will be observing and practicing
communication skills that my group will be using to enhance my full communication
potential.

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:
Before resigning from my previous job in retail, I was transferred to a store out of my
hometown for school and there was a lot of confusion on who I needed to give my
resignation to. I took it upon myself to get in touch with the district manager through
email and was able to send them my letter of resignation personally.

3.

Execute mathematical operations accurately.

yes
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
In first year of the Human Resources program I was obligated to take both Accounting
and Business Math which I comprehended easily. I showed off my math skills by finishing
both courses with high 80s and 90s.

4.

Apply a systematic approach to solving problems.

yes
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
In my first year there was a group I was in for a project that did not get along when it
came to group work. We did not work well together so I took initiative for the group and
got us all to come together and start by working out the issues. I then figured out a
system for us by breaking down the project evenly in a way that worked best for
everyone by planning around the needs of the other students. With this we

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

yes

Essential Employability Skills

I have
this skill
Yes No

accomplished all our group work smoothly and on time.

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:
I believe I have a normal way of thinking when it comes to problem solving but by being
in this course I want to practice thinking outside the box which I will have many
situations that I will be able to do so.

6.

Locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and
yes
information systems.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
In retail I was asked to be the Health and Safety representative for our store due to my
solid organizational skills. My task was each month to walk around the store and
thoroughly inspect for any safety hazard or concerns that followed along with the
checklist. I was then asked to input this information on the computer through a portal
that allowed my Supervisor to see if there were any hazards that needed to be dealt with
at our location. If there were any that were major concerns I was told to call head office
right away to inspect.

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:
In many of the projects I have done there has been a lot of research that needed to be
done in order to complete the assignment. I like to go out of my way to find as much
information from difference sources in order to find all the necessary information
needed. With all the information found I like to organize by relevancy and use only the
material that works best for the points I need to get across and leave out extra
information that is unnecessary.

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

no

yes

Essential Employability Skills

8.

I have
this skill
Yes No
Show respect for the diverse opinions, values, belief systems and contributions of others. yes
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Personally I am a person that likes to take leadership of group projects that way I can
make sure things are getting done efficiently but many times I have to let others also
give their valuable input and suggestions to engage everyone in the group.

9.

Interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working
yes
relationships and the achievement of goals.
Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
Working in groups is always a tough challenge but I make sure I get to know each person
a little more personally to figure out how each person works. When I played hockey I
used this information to make everyone feel comfortable with each other and used it to
motivate each player in a way that worked best for their personality. This enhanced my
relationship with everyone personally as well as a team and was voted captain of our
team as a result.

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 find that I am a big procrastinator when it comes to starting projects or assignments
but this year I took initiative by printing out a calendar and writing all the start dates and
due dates on it as a visual for me which will help me manage my time for each
assignment and class.

11.

Take responsibility for ones own actions, decisions and consequences.

Evidence of skill/or how can you practice them while you are at Fanshawe:
This summer I worked in a steel factory where I was responsible for operating and

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

no

yes

Essential Employability Skills

overhead crane to move steel bundles through the plant. There are many safety
concerns that come with this job and many accidents happen. Unfortunately, an incident
happened where a bundle fell from my crane and immediately I knew I was going to get
in trouble but, I didnt try to cover up my mistake and I went straight to the manager and
reported my incident. This caused me to have to write and incident report but because I
took complete responsibility and the right actions I was cleared to go back on the floor
and continue my job without any major consequences.

Drop Box Activity What are your skills?

I have
this skill
Yes No