Which is an example of a personal trait skill?

Although discussion with a career advisor in the Office of Career Services is an excellent way to identify important and relevant factors to consider in a search for a major and occupation, there are also many online resources that can assist you. Here are some to explore:

TOPPersonality Traits

Understanding aspects of your personality can help you identify work environments that are well-suited for you. No single personality trait is advantageous over another, but being aware of one’s personal preferences is an important step in making a satisfactory career choice.

One example is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to explore aspects of your personality. Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test Humanmetrics offers free brief online MBTI assessment.

Take a personality inventory here ($5.00) and explore many aspects related to personality: career choice, relationships, personal growth, etc.

Take a personality inventory here and learn more about the 16 personality types, including career paths and workplace habits.

TOPInterests

Since you will likely spend over 90,000 hours of your life working, it makes sense to pick a major and occupation that is something that you enjoy and will continue to want to learn about over the years. These inventories will help you identify career-related interests and will provide suggestions of occupations and majors that are related to your interests.

After you answer 60 questions about activities that would interest you, a list of occupations that might appeal to you will be generated. This site also links to information about these occupations.

Click on “Assess Yourself” on the top tabs to take a very quick interest inventory. This will link to occupations and majors that might appeal to your interests.

The skills you have and enjoy using may suggest occupations that will appeal to you.

The Skills Profiler takes you through a series of questions that allow you to identify skills and activities you have. This leads to a customized Skills Profile that includes:

  • A summary of identified skills and work activities.
  • A list of occupations matched either to skills or work activities.
  • A link to Occupation Profiles for more detailed occupation information, as well as links from there to the Employer Locator for names of employers in their area.
  • The Skills Profiler

Skills Search is designed to help you use your skill set to identify occupations for exploration. You select a set of skills from six broad groups of skills to create your customized skill list.

If you have had a job and are looking to identify other occupations that will use your skill set, this very quick inventory may give you some good ideas.

Work can bring much satisfaction when it fulfills our values. The following inventories will help you prioritize your essential work values.

Once you have identified your work values, you can talk with a career advisor and explore occupational information to find careers which align with your values.

Inspired in part by: Syracuse University Career Services, Cornell Career Services, UC Berkeley Career Center, and RIT Career Services

People are so used to constantly expressing themselves now. They plaster captioned photos on Instagram, post their innermost thoughts to Wordpress, and outline entire work histories on LinkedIn. And yet, so many Canadians find it challenging to talk about themselves in the one instance where it’s unabashedly necessary: in an interview.

Whereas one might describe his or herself as “carefree and compassionate” on a first date, there exist no such trait keywords for interviews. That’s why it’s essential to take simple adjectives and turn them into

We’ve all worked with someone who is excellent at engaging with colleagues and is always dependable. This individual has honed their personal skills. They communicate effectively with others, self-express, and self-manage.

Your personal skills shape not only your professional trajectory, but your private life as well. Overall, employers look for job candidates with strong personal skills because they positively contribute to the office culture, and are reliable in a variety of ways.

What Are Personal Skills?

Unlike hard skills that can be measured, like computer programming skills or legal knowledge, personal skills are soft skills—intangible qualities or traits that enhance our interactions. Compared to hard skills, soft skills are just as, if not more, important to employers, though you'll need a mix of both.

Note

Strong personal skills are critical to your success in any job, as they allow you to work well with employers, employees, colleagues, clients, and vendors.

Those with strong personal skills can communicate ideas clearly and listen well to others. They also exude a positive attitude at work, which is key to any healthy company culture.

Company leaders seek employees with personal skills because they are better able to implement positive outcomes for their companies. These individuals are typically more reliable, meet deadlines, and complete tasks. In addition, these subjects are motivated and passionate about their work, which contributes to their success.

Types of Personal Skills

Which is an example of a personal trait skill?
Which is an example of a personal trait skill?

Emily Roberts / The Balance

Here's a list of the most important personal skills that most employers look for. It also includes sublists of related skills that employers tend to seek in job applicants. Develop and emphasize them in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Critical Thinking

Employers want candidates who can solve problems on their own using creative thinking and make informed decisions using thoughtful analysis. Critical thinkers are useful in every industry, from healthcare and engineering to education. Whether you are a restaurant manager, an engineer, or a teacher, you need to be able to understand problems, think critically, and devise solutions. Skills required for critical thinking include creativity, problem-solving, and curiosity.

  • Artistic aptitude
  • Creativity
  • Critical observation
  • Critical thinking
  • Curiosity
  • Design aptitude
  • Desire to learn
  • Flexibility
  • Innovation
  • Logical thinking
  • Problem-solving
  • Research
  • Resourcefulness
  • Thinking outside the box
  • Tolerance of change and uncertainty
  • Troubleshooting
  • Value education
  • Willingness to learn

Problem Solving

How well do you problem solve? Problem solving is going to come up in virtually every job. Employers value strong problem solvers, as they effectively and swiftly make decisions while largely keeping their emotions at bay. They gather as much information as they can and let intuition, logic, and innovative thinking drive the best solution. Being a great collaborator who is open to the ideas and opinions of others is also very important. So be sure to highlight your ability to work with others to find the best solution.

  • Accuracy
  • Assertive
  • Conflict management
  • Decision making
  • Diplomatic
  • Ethical
  • Humble
  • Influential
  • Insightful
  • Intuitive
  • Listening
  • Patience
  • Perceptive
  • Practical
  • Realistic
  • Reflective
  • Teamwork

Flexibility/Dependability

Dependability and flexibility work in tandem, as flexible employees are always dependable, and vice versa. Employers hire candidates who demonstrate reliability, responsibility, and trustworthiness. Flexible employees can adapt to change, take on projects outside of their scope, and shift their schedules if necessary. A flexible and dependable employee is also willing to help their colleagues with projects, even when the subject matter is unfamiliar.

  • Accountable
  • Adaptability
  • Capable
  • Competence
  • Dynamic
  • Helpfulness
  • Honesty
  • Loyal
  • Punctual
  • Reliable
  • Responsible
  • Teachable
  • Trustworthy

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills, also known as people skills, are those related to how you communicate and interact with those around you. Employers want employees who are compatible with their employers, their colleagues, and clients. It is a particularly important trait when collaboration is encouraged, and those who embody it will climb the ladder more quickly than their counterparts.

Being a good listener is key to being a strong communicator. Employers want employees who can both share their own ideas and also listen empathetically to others. Listening is a very important skill in customer service, human resources, and in all leadership positions.

Displaying such skills will impress your potential employer and could lead to future opportunities for promotions and raises.

  • Articulate
  • Attentiveness
  • Collaborative
  • Conscientiousness
  • Considerate
  • Empathy
  • Encouraging
  • Inclusive
  • Leadership
  • Listening
  • Management
  • Negotiation
  • Nonverbal communication
  • Persuasion
  • Professional
  • Relationship building
  • Respectful
  • Sense of humor
  • Sincere
  • Sociable
  • Storytelling
  • Teaching
  • Training
  • Understanding
  • Verbal communication
  • Relationship building
  • Storytelling

Intrinsically Motivated

Employers seek employees who are positive and passionate about their jobs and are motivated by internal forces. These individuals tend to put the most effort into their work and learn from their mistakes and failures. These individuals also tend to enjoy the process far more than those motivated by money and glory, thus making these candidates more pleasant to work with and trustworthy in the eyes of employers.

  • Ambition
  • Alertness
  • Amiability
  • Confidence
  • Dedication
  • Dependability
  • Determination
  • Energy
  • Hardworking
  • Independent
  • Life skills
  • Optimism
  • Positive
  • Resilience
  • Strong work ethic
  • Productive
  • Enterprising
  • Visionary
  • Passion

More Personal Skills

Take a look at some additional personal skills for resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews. Required skills will vary based on the job for which you're applying, so also review our list of skills listed by job and type of skill.

What is personal traits skill?

Skills are tasks that individuals do well, while traits are features relating to character. People learn skills throughout their lives in their own experiences. The more experience they have in a particular area, the higher their skill level becomes.

What are 5 personal skills examples?

Some of the most common examples of personal skills include:.
Communication. Communication is a vital personal skill because it determines how well people can share and receive messages. ... .
Collaboration. ... .
Conflict resolution. ... .
Problem-solving. ... .
Diplomacy. ... .
Adaptability. ... .
Leadership..

What is an example of a personal trait?

For example, we might say someone is responsible, creative, emotional, or outgoing. Now we view these adjectives to be examples of personality traits.

What are 3 types of personal skills?

Personal skills usually fall into one of five groups: critical thinking, motivation, problem-solving, flexibility & dependability, and interpersonal skills. These are separate from hard skills that include things such as education and training.