Your Masters: Skills gained

• Skills for your CV
• Evidence of skills
• How to do a skills audit

What skills have you have gained as a result of your Masters-level study and how you can most effectively present these skills to an employer?

Skills for your CV

It could be argued that, as a Masters graduate, you possess many of the skills gained from a degree but to a greater extent. Studying for a first degree requires a certain level of intellectual ability and motivation, but completion of a Masters requires more commitment and capability. You will have developed skills such as:

• critical thinking;
• planning;
• research;
• data collection and analysis;
• time management;
• project management;
• IT;
• oral and written communication;
• analytical ability.

All of these skills are highly transferable and not necessarily subject specific. Employers will also value the more technical and vocational skills you may have gained from specific Masters study.

My MSc study provided me with technical high-level research skills and increased confidence, it also enhanced my organisational skills and communication skills.

Bill, PhD student

Following the steps outlined in action plan should give you a very good idea of the skills that you possess, and you may be able to use these skills to identify some career choices that may be suitable for you. The next stage is to present these skills to an employer.

Many employers use competency-based assessment criteria to select candidates. This means that they identify the skills they are looking for and ask questions in the application form or at interview designed to get the applicant to talk about a time when they have utilised such skills. For example, an employer might ask you to describe a project that you have been involved in in order to gain evidence of organisational ability. If the application method is by CV, then the CV would need to offer evidence of the skills developed. As well as technical or job-specific skills, the types of skills often looked for include leadership, organisation, teamwork and problem-solving.

For examples of skill-based CVs and more information about CVs and application forms, see CVs and covering letters and job applications.

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Evidence of skills

You will also need to provide evidence of your skills at interview. An employer may ask a range of questions designed to check whether you have the skills required of the job. Typical questions may include:

• Tell me about a time when you worked as a member of a team. What was the outcome and what role did you play?
• Tell me about your greatest achievement.

Questions like this are designed to test competencies such as teamwork, problem-solving and action planning.

For further information and advice about preparing for interviews, see interview tips. Also have a look at the AGCAS DVD Making an Impact: The graduate job interview, available at your university careers service.

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How to do a skills audit

You should begin with some self-assessment to build up a detailed profile of yourself. You could make a list, perhaps in the style of a CV, including:

• your present studies;
• key projects;
• other qualifications, both academic and vocational;
• past and present work experience, both paid and unpaid;
• responsibilities and achievements gained from leisure activities.

You may find the thought of a critical self-evaluation an uncomfortable idea or one that is totally alien to you. You will need to overcome this as self-assessment is a vital part of careers action planning - you need to have an accurate understanding of what makes you tick so that you are able to:

• make informed choices about your preferred work areas;
• match yourself against a range of careers;
• provide evidence of your suitability for specific jobs.

The following ideas and resources may help you through the process of self-assessment:

• What jobs would suit me? - helps you to consider your skills, abilities, needs and values and then matches these to possible job areas.
• Windmills - contains excellent self-assessment and career management skills materials, including ‘skill check’ and ‘career fitness check’.
• One-to-one careers appointment - you may find it useful to book an appointment with a higher education careers adviser.
• Personal development planning (PDP) and progress files - a thorough assessment of yourself involving personal reflection. Your course may include PDP-type activities.

	Written by higher education careers professionals	Date:  Spring 2008
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