Recognising your skills

• Getting a job 

• Progressing in your role 

• Reaching targets 

• Succeeding in a project 

• Receiving good feedback from supervisors, colleagues, or clients 

• Developing your own expertise 

• Maintaining a long-term relationship 

• Good parenting 

• Friendships 

• Resolving conflicts 

• Participation and active involvement 

• Gaining a place to study 

• Graduating from a programme 

• Overcoming a difficult period 

• Passing a tough exam 

• Clarifying your career direction 

• Daring to try something new 

• Completing something to the end 

• Doing or achieving something meaningful 

1. Choose the three (3) most meaningful achievements in your life and write them down.

If you wish, you can reflect on your successes using these questions:

• Which achievements are you proud of?
• In what situations have you used your strengths to reach something important for yourself?
• When have you gone beyond your own limits or completed something all the way to the end? 

2. After this, consider the following questions for each achievement:

• What did you do to make the achievement possible?
• What qualities and strengths did you need for the achievement to be possible?

At first, you learn to remember and recognise basic information – such as facts, concepts, and terms. This is the foundation on which everything else builds.

Example: you can list the main parts of an email. 

Next, you are able to explain things in your own words and tell how different topics connect.

Example: you can explain why certain things are important when writing a good email. 

At this stage, you use what you have learned in practice: solving problems, trying new things, testing your skills in different situations.

Example: you can write professional emails during your internship. 

You deepen your skills by distinguishing important information, comparing data, and seeing the bigger picture. You see how things are connected and which ways of doing something are better in different situations.

Example: you can judge why one email was successful and another was not.

Now you can judge and explain which solution fits a situation best. You can give feedback and make well-founded choices.

Example: you justify why a certain way of communicating works best in customer service. 

At the highest level, you create new things: developing your own ideas, solutions, or processes. Here, you use your knowledge creatively and step into an expert role.

Example: you design a guide for successful customer communication in your team. 

Professional skills are subject-specific skills that you gain from studies and doing work. These are skills, knowledge, and competences learned through studying a certain profession or working in a specific field. For example, clinical nursing, bookkeeping, digital marketing, or information modelling. 

General working life skills, such as communication, analytical abilities, and problem solving, are developed both at work and during free time. These skills are not tied to a specific job or sector – they are useful in many careers and positions. 

Meta-level skills and individual strengths relate to managing yourself and your own work. Meta-skills help you reach your goals and work in different environments. Planning and evaluating your work and time management are examples of these skills. 

Remember, many skills can be transferred and applied in different tasks, workplaces, and professional fields. Recognising your transferable skills is useful especially if you don’t yet have much experience in your field, are changing careers, or have obtained skills through hobbies or voluntary work. 

• How can you most easily identify your own skills?
• What skills do you already recognize?
• Where have you acquired these skills? Think broadly about your life: your work, studies, hobbies, various projects, etc.
• What skills do you already recognize?
• What skills have you acquired outside of education or work?
• What things come so naturally to you that you haven't thought of them as skills?

Part 1: Identify your skills 

1A: Professional skills – Professional skills are field-specific, learnable abilities that are needed in studies or work.

Think about your studies, work experience, volunteering, or hobbies.

Write down 5 professional skills you have:
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  

1B: General work-life skills – These are broad skills that are helpful in any work environment.

Think about how you interact with others and how you complete tasks.

Write down 5 general work-life skills you have:
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  

1C: Personal strengths – Personal strengths are characteristics and attitudes that help you succeed in work and in life.

Think about how you meet challenges and how you work with others.

Write down 5 personal strengths you have:
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  

Part 2: Your skills in action

Choose 2 skills (from any category) and describe how you have used them.  
Skill 1:

• Where/when did you use this skill?
• What did you do?
• What was the result? 

Skill 2:

• Where/when did you use this skill?
• What did you do?
• What was the result? 

Part 3: Reflect

Which skills would you highlight when applying for a job?

Top 3 skills you would highlight:

1.

2.

3. 

Why do you think these skills are important?

1. 

2.

3.

Instructions for completing this exercise:

• First, list all the places and situations where you have gained competences. You may have developed skills through work, education, hobbies, and more.
• Next, choose one job, study experience, or hobby project that is the most meaningful for you and whose competences you want to reflect on.  
• Think about the competences you have gained using the questions below.
• You can use any method that suits you: write freely, create a mind map, draw, or something else.

Reflect on your competences with the following questions:

• What were your main tasks and responsibilities?
• What did you need to know in order to do what you needed to do?
• What special expertise did the task require?
• Where did you succeed and what did you achieve?
• What was the most important thing you learned in this job/study/hobby?
• What was easy for you and what did you enjoy?
• What would you have liked to do more of?
• What would you have liked to learn more about?
• What kind of professional competences did you recognise?
• What general worklife skills did you recognise?
• What meta-skills did you recognise?
• Where have you succeeded and what concrete results have you achieved?
• What kind of competences would you like to gain more of?

The ability to design and develop software using programming languages such as Java, Python, or C++. This includes problem-solving skills, code optimisation, and error correction. 

Skills to design, install and maintain electrical systems. This may include reading diagrams, diagnosing and repairing faults, and safe working with electrical devices. 

Ability to create visually attractive graphic elements for different media, such as advertisements, websites, or interfaces. This could include image editing software, typography, colour management, and creative design skills. 

The ability to plan, organise and lead projects effectively. This includes defining goals, scheduling tasks, managing resources, and teamwork. 

The ability to communicate and negotiate with clients. This includes identifying client needs, presenting products or services convincingly, and responding to questions or objections.

The ability to care for patients in healthcare settings. This might include making medical assessments, using medical devices, communicating with empathy and effectively, and making quick decisions in stressful situations. 

The ability to plan and build structures. This includes reading building plans, choosing the right tools and materials, managing a worksite, and following safety standards. 

The ability to express yourself clearly both verbally and in writing, listen actively, and share information effectively. 

The ability to identify and analyse problems, develop creative solutions, and implement them.

The ability to work well in teams: communicate, cooperate, share responsibilities, resolve conflicts, and work towards common goals.  

Skills that are useful in many roles even if you are not a manager. Includes organising and prioritising work, motivating others, delegating tasks, and managing time and resources. 

The ability to build and maintain good working relationships, handle different people, and communicate effectively in many situations. 

The ability to think creatively, generate new ideas, and find innovative solutions to problems. 

The ability to act ethically and responsibly at work, follow professional standards, and behave professionally.

There are many proven benefits to using your strengths at work. Studies show that strengths are connected to: 

• Self-confidence, self-efficacy, and psychological wellbeing 

• Living a good life and happiness 

• Thriving and wellbeing at work 

• Work engagement, enthusiasm, and a sense of purpose 

• Success at work, productivity, and customer loyalty 

• Reduced stress and fewer absences due to illness 

When working in your strength area, you are at your best. Work feels natural, energising, and motivating. By recognising your strengths, you can direct your career towards roles where you use them often. Remember, strengths depend on the situation and environment – in the wrong environment, even a strength might become a weakness. Constantly working outside your comfort zone can be exhausting and may lead to burnout. It’s good to challenge and develop yourself, but for your wellbeing and stamina, it’s also important to know what kind of role suits you and what doesn't. 

Highlighting your strengths makes you a more convincing and memorable candidate. It's important to describe them with real examples.

• Explain how your persistence showed during study challenges or project work 

• Describe how your social intelligence helped you create good team spirit during your internship 

• Show how your curiosity and willingness to learn appeared when you voluntarily explored new developments in your field 

Make your strengths concrete with examples in your job application documents and interviews. Link your strengths to specific situations and outcomes – explain what you did and what the result was. 

Consciously using your character strengths at work increases motivation, wellbeing, and success. Make use of your strengths actively and try to see the strengths in your colleagues as well – this makes the team more effective and work more enjoyable. 

• If you’re naturally curious, look for opportunities to learn new things at work. 

• If kindness is your strength, use it in customer service or teamwork. 

• If you are highly organised, help your team with schedules or project planning. 

At work, using your strengths also means talking openly about your role. For example, you could suggest a project where you get to use your strengths, or bring up ideas for development in discussions with your supervisor. 

The ability to assess information critically, make justified decisions and solutions, and interpret and analyse data. 

The ability to manage your time effectively, set goals, prioritise tasks, and keep to deadlines. 

The ability to organise your own time and energy, organise work tasks to succeed at work, stay motivated, set goals, and monitor your progress. 

The ability to adapt to new situations, changing work environments, learn new skills, and respond flexibly to change.

The ability to gather, interpret and assess information, and make reasoned decisions.

• In what situations have you used your strengths?
• Where have you felt enthusiastic or particularly successful?
• How did it feel to work in your strength area?
• What feedback or thanks have you received from parents, teachers, colleagues, or friends?
• What skills or traits do you value in yourself?
• Which work tasks have you enjoyed and found easy?
• What kind of environments do you enjoy?
• What situations or tasks have made you struggle?
• In what matters do people turn to you for help? 

What are your individual strengths in your work?

Think about qualities that you know are your natural strengths and list five of them. For example: creativity, accuracy, flexibility, friendliness, honesty, openness, cheerfulness, listening…

1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  

In what situations do your strengths show in your working life?

Describe situations from your working life where you use the strengths mentioned above and explain how these strengths are helpful to you or others.

1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.

The VIA Character Survey is based on positive psychology and character strengths. The test is developed by over 50 top researchers and is grounded in research. The theory is based on six universal virtues (wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence) and the strengths grouped under them. After completing the survey, you’ll receive a summary by email, showing your character strengths. The test is also available in Finnish, English and other languages. 

You can take the test through VIA Character Survey.

Note: Registering is required. If you do not want to register, try another test. 

Big Five is one of the most widely accepted models for describing personality, also widely used in recruitment. The Big Five test shows your unique balance of five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. 

The 16 Personalities Test is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI divides people into 16 different personality types, defined by four dichotomies: 

• Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I): Focus on the external world (E) or internal world (I)?
• Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N): Prefer getting information through the senses (S) or intuition (N)?
• Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F): Make decisions based on logic (T) or emotions (F)?
• Perceiving (P) vs. Judging (J): Is your lifestyle more spontaneous and flexible (P) or organised and planned (J)? 

By combining these, you get 16 different personality types such as ISTJ, ENFP, and so on. These types are frequently used for personal development, career guidance, and team dynamics.

The Enneagram is a personality model that helps you recognise your unique behaviour and thinking styles. The model identifies nine personality types, each with its own strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth. The test helps you understand your approach, responses to stress, and ways of interacting with others. The Enneagram offers insights into your motivations, values, and fears that affect your everyday decisions and relationships. 

No registration required; you get your results immediately with a description of your Enneagram type and core traits. 

Try the Enneagram test for yourself! 

• My most important professional skills
• My most important working life skills
• My most important meta-skills
• My most important transferable skills
• My most important character strengths
• My most important strengths as an employee
• My most important achievements and successes
• My core values
• What motivates me most
• What interests me
• What I want to learn and develop in the future
• My career goals 

• Optimism and a positive attitude
• Vision and the ability to see future possibilities
• Initiative and proactivity
• Willingness to take on leadership
• Determination and perseverance
• Courage to take risks
• Resilience – the ability to cope with change and setbacks 

• Leadership and motivational ability
• Communication skills – clear self-expression and interaction
• Listening skills
• The ability to build and maintain relationships
• Negotiation skills
• Ethics and responsibility 

Every industry has its own future skills needs. You can help yourself plan for the future by staying up to date with your field and its trends. Follow major trends and forecasts in the world of work and your own field. 

• Sitra and the National Forum for Skills Anticipation (EDUFI), aswell as World Economic Forum among others, offer current reports and forecasts on new skills and professions.
• The Finnish National Agency for Education’s “Deck of Skills Cards – Skills Needs in Different Sectors in Finland in 2035” gives up-to-date information on what trends and skills will be valued in the labour market.
• Online courses, such as Aalto University’s Future of Work, help you keep up to date. 

Compare the forecasts to your own skills profile and consider what new skills might be useful for you to develop. Show your willingness to develop and your current skills in your job searching. Highlight both your current strengths and your readiness to learn new skills needed in your field. Give examples of how you have adapted, learned, and developed yourself in a changing environment – that way, you will convince employers that you are ready to face the challenges of the future.