5 Steps to Successfully Create and Manage Your Skills Inventory

Are you looking into a new job or a career change? Before beginning your job search, it is absolutely important to assess your skills inventory. But how exactly can you determine which skills to include in your resume and which skills you need to improve on?

Many jobseekers like yourself have a hard time identifying their skills. Some do not think through what skills they bring to employers; those who do take stock of their abilities most often underestimate them and undercut their value. An inventory of your skills will help you get to know yourself better and guide you in your career plans.

What is a skills inventory?

A skills inventory is a collection of your skills, education, and credentials. It captures your professional expertise and the abilities you have acquired throughout your work experience. It is a valuable tool that you can use to meet job expectations and achieve your career goals.

Your skills inventory should reflect changes in your career, your career growth, and your personal goals. It should include the abilities you like to do and what you are good at. It can also include the skills you want to improve on or develop over time to future-proof your career.

Malaysian employers nowadays are particular about the jobseekers’ skills and talents, especially with the push for digitisation across industries. They use skills inventory as strategic data to identify gaps between the skills, knowledge, and experience of their existing employees to grow their businesses and meet future business needs.

Importance of a skills inventory

Creating a skill inventory provides you with a detailed overview of your skills. You need to identify the skills you already have and need to improve on to help you advance in your career path. It can also help enhance your ability to work. Not only does it help compile new experiences, but it also contributes to your confidence in applying for new positions.

You need to assess your skills at all stages of your career. Keep in mind that you develop skills in many areas throughout your life, whether in school, work, and extracurricular activities. Updating your skills inventory regularly will help you determine where to upskill to move forward and further define your career goals. 

How to do a skills inventory

How do you decide on your strengths and how to use them? Here are the steps you can take to build your own skills inventory.

1. Identify your skills

If you know what your skills are, you will be able to set better career objectives. Identifying your skills will help you prepare for job interviews, where you will be evaluated for your skills. It is essential to know your skills in great depth before you start job hunting.

The skills you should include in your inventory should be relevant, future-fit, and appropriate for the job position you are interested in. You will want to identify both technical skills and transferable skills.

Technical skills or hard skills are those that can be measured or can be learned through school or training. Transferable skills or soft skills, on the other hand, are usually broader and related to leadership, communication, and critical thinking — skills that can be transferred and utilised in a variety of jobs and career paths.

Take a step back once in a while to get to know yourself better. Your values, interests, and skills change as you advance in your career. It is important to acquaint yourself regularly with your skills to help you move forward in your career.

2. Assess your current skill level

Once you have your list of skills for each category, you will want to indicate which skills you really enjoy and which you would like to develop. You can do this by assessing your skills. 

Skills assessments may be conducted online through a series of tests available. You can also assess your skills by asking for feedback from your colleagues or friends. By evaluating your skills, it will be easier for you to match and demonstrate your abilities to the needs of employers. 

Assessing your skills is critical not only for successful career exploration but also in creating your resume. Having a clear understanding of your strengths will help you build your personal brand and market yourself more effectively to potential employers.

3. Identify opportunities to develop skills.

Now that you have identified your strengths, you should also identify your weaknesses. As a jobseeker, you must stay ahead of the pack. It is important to point out what skills you need to improve and what you lack to keep up with the evolving workforce.

One of the goals of creating a skills inventory is to help you optimise the skills you have and spot opportunities for improvement. The opportunities to develop the skills can be done online through courses or mentorship. Get into the habit of setting goals and make a conscious effort to achieve those goals to develop your skills.

Spending time improving your skills shows your determination to succeed. It can help you achieve personal career goals, such as earning a promotion or becoming an expert on a specific topic. Learning to identify and improve your skills is one of the best ways to become more successful in your career and stand out from the competition.

4. Update your skills inventory

Employer needs are changing continuously. As a jobseeker, you must be aware and keep up with the changes to stand out from the competition. It is important to update your skills inventory regularly to ensure it accurately reflects your current skill set and workforce demands.

Consider doing a skill audit from time to time to assess your employability. The best times to update your skills inventory are right before starting a job search and/or after leaving a position. This way, you can see what skills you have improved and have acquired from your previous position.

Actively developing and growing your skill set is a skill in itself. Working on a skills inventory can help you understand your skill development and how you gain skills through your work experience. 

5. Learn how to sell your skills 

Having the right skills and experience required for the job position is one thing. Convincing your potential employer that you are qualified for the job is another thing altogether. You must know how to market your skills effectively to really get noticed. To sell yourself to an employer, you need to verbally explain how your skills, experience, and knowledge will help improve their company.

Understand your potential employers inside out. Do as much research as possible to identify how your skills can contribute to their business success. Read through the job description carefully and use it as a basis for their needs and work out how your skills will fit in it.

These days, expanding your skill base and knowledge is more of a requirement than a choice to keep up with the demands of the workforce. More and more job roles are doubling down on required skill sets because of the continuous evolution of the workforce. Developing your skills inventory will help diversify your job options and help you develop new techniques to keep up with the fast-changing world. 

Do you want to stand out in this competitive job market? Update your JobStreet profile to get noticed by potential employers! Once you are ready, search for #JobsThatMatter. Visit JobStreet's Career Resources Hub for more insights on job trends and expert career advice.