How to Identify the Required Skills to Start Your Career

For every career you choose, you must know and develop the required skills.

I was still on the mandatory NYSC program at Onitsha, Anambra State when I made a decision to try out a Career in HR.

Some days after I made that decision, i made a call to Samuel Akinlotan (someone who was already practicing HR),  to share with me some of the skills he thinks I should sharpen to start in that path.

Skills are the abilities that you have gained by practice or by knowledge and helps you effectively execute or perform a given task.

For example, you can have a good voice but to be a Musician, you need skills. Skills are LEARNED abilities.

But many career starters have difficulties identifying the skills they need to pursue the career they have chosen.

How should you handle this?

First, know that there are two set of skills every career professional needs:

1. Job related skills. This is also called technical skills. The skills you use on a specific job. For example, to be a Digital Marketer, you need skills in Social Media Management, Content Creation, etc.

2. Transferable skills. These are skills you use regardless of your job. For example, whether you are a Doctor or HR professional, you need Emotional Intelligence.

Importantly, learn my approach. In the career you choose for yourself, find someone already playing in that field and ask questions about the skills to help you develop them.

What skills do you have currently? Let’s start from there.

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