business skills & competencies checklist

Skill Definition ExamplesCareer Management Understanding values, interests,

skills, personality characteristics,and motivations and how theyrelate to career options andchoices; creating an action planto reach career goals; developingjob search skills

Computers & Technology

Knowing and being able to usethe programs essential for youroccupation or career field; usingtechnology to locate andcommunicate information

Conflict Resolution/Mediation Ability to understand other pointsof view, discuss difficult issuesopenly, and negotiate anacceptable agreement

Consensus Building Ability to facilitate group

decision-making through opencommunication

Critical Thinking Examining views, issues, or

information; recognizing biases,personal values, and attitudes,facts vs. opinions, and illogicalthinking; being able to support aview with evidence; and decidingwhich view is most reasonable

Business Skills & Competencies Checklist

Time Management Judging how much time it takes to complete a task and managing

time effectively and

Written Communication Ability to create grammaticallycorrect, concise, and clear writtenmaterials, and to critique, edit,and proofread these materials

Skills for Success - Page 2 of 2 - 7/30/02

Skill Definition ExamplesDelegation Ability to plan tasks, assign

responsibilities, and follow up toensure completion

Financial Management Ability to keep accurate andcomplete financial records andestimate income and expenses todevelop and manage a budget

Global Perspectives

Being aware of and respectingcultural differences; developing aglobal perspective; learningabout and appreciating differentcultures; maintaining anopenness to new ideas andworking cooperatively withothers

Goal Setting Ability to develop a goal and

create an action plan to reach it

Group Interaction Ability to work cooperatively

with people to reach a commongoal

Interpersonal/Social Interaction Ability to get along with others,listen intently and objectively,express feelings appropriately,and understand the feelings ofothers

Leadership Understanding your own

leadership style as well as thestyles of others; identifying theachievements, motivations, andabilities of individuals andgroups; guiding a group toward acommon goal

Networking Making contact or connecting

with many different individualsthrough friends, family, alumni,classmates, neighbors,employers, professors, andprofessional organizations

Skill Definition ExamplesOral Communication/Presentation

Ability to present an idea or atopic to an individual or a group;speaking effectively to inform orpersuade; explaining conceptsaccurately

Organization/Planning Ability to plan and prioritizetasks associated with a project, todevelop a timeline or schedulefor completed the tasks, and tomeet a deadline

Parliamentary Procedure/Meeting Management

Understanding the rules or orderand how groups conductbusiness; using parliamentaryprocedure

Problem Solving/Decision-Making

Ability to identify and formulatea problem/decision, gatherinformation, propose andevaluate potential solutions,decide on the best solutionthrough reasoning, and rationallydefend a conclusion

Research Gathering information from avariety of sources (e.g., print,multi-media, Internet, andpeople) to investigate an issue ortopic

Stress Management Managing stress in healthy ways

through recreation, exercise,relaxation, and time management

Teamwork Being accountable as a member

of a team; ability to organize andenact changes required toenhance group effectiveness andpromote development