Skills

Skills Explorer

©Copyright Dale Cobb 2012 All Rights Reserved

Skills are abilities that are developed or learned through training, coaching, deliberate practice and reflection.  Much has been written in the last few years about the 10,000 hours required to master a skill.  It's true.  And the most productive path is to identify your passion and talent, then begin to layer in a skill development program.

Below your will find 2 lists of skills.  The first is a list of more general skills based on research work from people at ONET.  Each skill is hyper linked back to the ONET website to provide a view of specific jobs that require the skill.  

The second list is much more specific and based on  the work of skills proficiency testing companies like eSkill and Prove IT.  

Assignment:  Go through both lists and identify the skills you have with a 1-10 score like the other indicators on this site.  Then go back with a highlighter and identify the skills you would like to develop.  And finally, go back again and place a ★ red star next to a handful that you would like to become world class.  Pay close attention to the underlying talents required to become truly world class.  And think carefully about the passion required.

O*NET General Skills List

Basic Skills (10 elements) — Developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the 

needs of the audience.

Complex Problem Solving Skills (1 element)

Complex Problem Solving Skills  — Developed capacities used to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings

Resource Management Skills (4 elements) — Developed capacities used to allocate resources efficiently

Management of Financial Resources — Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Management of Material Resources — Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Social Skills (6 elements) — Developed capacities used to work with people to achieve goals

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.

Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Systems Skills (3 elements) — Developed capacities used to understand, monitor, and improve socio-technical systems

Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Technical Skills (11 elements) — Developed capacities used to design, set-up, operate, and correct malfunctions involving application of machines or technological systems

Equipment Maintenance — Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Equipment Selection — Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Installation — Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Programming — Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Repairing — Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Technology Design — Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.

Troubleshooting — Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Specific Skills List

HIPAA - Health Insurance Coverage

Definition of Terminology
General and Miscellaneous Provisions 
Group Market Rules
Individual Market Rules

Overview of HIPAA 

HIPAA - Privacy and Security Standards
Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program 
Privacy Ruling

Sanctions for HIPAA Violations 
Security Ruling

Transaction and Code Sets 
Unique Identifiers 

Medical Coding 

Anatomy and Physiology 
Coding Ethics
E/M Coding
General Coding Guidelines 
ICD-10-CM Coding
Legal Aspects 
Medical Terminology 
Procedural Coding 

Medical Office Administration Skills

Drug and Laboratory Records
Financial Office Management
Interpersonal Communications
Medical Office Assisting Foundations
Medical Office Information Processing

Medical Records Management and Filing Procedures 
Professional Responsibilities 

Medical Terminology

Anatomical Position, Directional Terms, and Body Movements 
Drugs and Drug Administration
Infectious Diseases
Laboratory and Diagnostic Examinations
The Cardiovascular System 
The Endocrine System

The Gastrointestinal System 
The Genito-Urinary System 
The Hematological System 
The Immune System 

The Integumentary System
The Musculoskeletal System
The Nervous System
The Respiratory System
Treatment and Surgical Procedures

Basic Electronics

Electronics Application 
General Knowledge 
Oscillators and Amplifiers 
Passive Elements

Power Supply 
Semiconductor Devices 
Types of Circuits 

PC Hardware 

Central Processing Unit
Computer Cases and Power Supply Hard Disk (HDD)
Input/Output devices
Memory
Motherboard
Networking
Optical Drives
Peripherals
Troubleshooting and Repair
Video Card

Routing Fundamentals

Closer Look at Routing Table 
Distance Vector
Dynamic Routing Protocol 
EIGRP
Link State Routing Protocols 
OSPF
RIP v1 and RIP v2
Router

Static Route 
VLSM and CIDR

TCP/IP

ARP and RARP 
BOOTP and DHCP DNS
FTP, TFTP, and NFS 
ICMP
IP Addressing

IP Routing 
Multicasting 
Routing Protocols 
SMTP and MIME 

SNMP Subnetting
TCP
TCP/IP Overview Telnet
UDP

VMware

Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) High Availability
Monitoring and Alerting
Permissions and Rights
Resource Optimization
VMware Fault Tolerance (FT)
VMware Workstation
Virtual Machines
vApps
vCenter 4.0
vCenter Converter
vCenter Guided Consolidation
vSPhere 4 Server Installation
vSphere 4 Server Networking Configurations
vSphere 4 vStorage Configurations

vStorage APIs for Data Protection and VMware Data Protection

Networking Essentials

ATM
Connectivity Devices
Ethernet
Local Area Network Topologies 
Media Access
Modems and Routers
Network Operating Systems 
Network and Transport Layers 
Networking Related
OSI Reference Model 
Standard Frame Types
TCP/IP Suite
Transmission Facilities 
Transmission Media

Wide Area Networks 

LAN Switching & Wireless Fundamentals

Basic Switch Concepts and Configuration 
Inter-Vlan Routing
LAN Design
STP

VLANs VTP 
Wireless 

Time Management

Decisions
Focus
Goal Setting
Prioritization
Time Management Challenges

Time Management Tools and Methods

Project Management

Communication and Team Development 
Managing Costs
Managing Procurement
Project Management 
Framework 
Quality Management

Risk Management 
Scheduling 

Management Skills

Analytical Skills 
Communication 
Delegating
Employee Performance Motivation

Planning 

Problem Solving and Decision Making 
Quality Management
Risk Management
Time Management 

Leadership Skills

Character Development 
Communication 
Concepts of Leadership 
Conflict Resolution 
Decision Making 
Evaluation

Leadership Styles 
Motivation 
Teamwork 

Basic Arithmetic

Addition and Subtraction 
Decimals
Equations
Fractions
Multiplication and Division Numbers
Order of operations 
Percentages and Proportions Problems

Series and Ratios 

Retail Math

Discounts
Giving Change 
Inventory Control 
Markdown
Markup
Profit Calculations 
Retail Math Terminology 
Returns

Sales 

English Proofreading
Abbreviations 
Acronyms 
Grammar 
Meaning 
Punctuation 
Spelling 
Vocabulary 
Word Order 

English Language

Adjectives 
Adverbs
Articles
Common Mistakes 
Errors
Idiomatic Phrases 
Nouns
Numbers
Prepositions
Pronouns
Punctuation
Reading Comprehension 
Sentences

Spelling 
Verbs 
Vocabulary 

Sales Concepts
Building Relationships 
Closing 
Communications 
Handling Objections 
Product Knowledge 
Professionalism 
Profiling 
Prospects 
Strategy and Tactics 

Marketing Concepts

Advertising and Sales Promotion 
Consumer Behavior
Marketing Channels
Marketing Research
Marketing Strategies Overview and Market Segmentation 
Pricing

Products and Services 

Business Communication

Business Meetings
Business Vocabulary
Channels of Communication 
Communication in the Workplace 
Listening Skills

Writing Skills 

Web Search Skills

Ways to Search the Web
Web Search Environment
Web Search Shortcuts

Web Search Strategies and Techniques 

Basic Computer Knowledge for Windows

Computer Programs 
Files and Systems 
Internet and E-mail 
Keyboard and Shortcuts 
PC Hardware

Windows Components 
Word Processing 

Typing and Data Entry 

10-Key Data Entry
Business Text
General Text
General Typing 

Event Planning Skills
 Ethic Code and Etiquette Event Steps

Interaction 
Organizational Abilities 
Planning Knowledge 
Professional Attitude

Food and Beverage Serving Skills
Checkout Procedures

Personal Appearance
Quality of Service
Sanitation and Safety Concepts 
Server Function and Responsibilities 
Service Equipment

Serving Drinks 
Serving the Meal 
Using Technology 

Front Desk Skills
Computer Knowledge

Customer Service
Daily Tasks
Direct Customer Interaction
Professional Attitude
Telephone and E-mail Etiquette

Time Management and Organizational Skills


Guide and Tour Operator Skills
Guide and Tour Operator Skills 

Problem-Solving Ability

Tour Operator 
Customer Interaction 
Traveling, Adventure, and Culture 

Room Service Management Skills
Place Settings
Room Service Orders 
Task Performance 
Trays and Carts 

Attention to Detail
Analogies

E-mail and Letter Etiquette Fill in the Gap
Finding Errors
Homonyms
Logical Sequence of Words 
Main Idea
Pictures
Short Passages
Word Analysis
Word Meaning

Word Order

E-mail Etiquette
Content and Formatting

E-mail Functions, Terms, and Tactics E-mail Security
E-mail Tone and Etiquette
E-mail in the Office

Forwarding E-mail
How to Address E-mails 
Salutations and Sign Offs 
When to Avoid E-mail 

Logical Thinking

Anagrams 
Analogies 
Deductive Logic 
Inductive Logic 
Logical Puzzles 
Matching Definitions 
Math
Series Completion 
Verbal Analysis 
Visual Logic

Word Problems 

Office Filing
Alphabetic Filing

Alphabetic Indexing Procedures
Basic Records Management Concepts 
Cross-Referencing 

Geographic Filing 
Numeric Filing 
Subject Filing 

Technical Writing Skills 

 Basics of Technical Documents 
Reviewing Work

Steps in Creating Technical Documents 
Structure of Technical Documents
The Style of Technical Documents 
Types of Technical Documents
Visual Elements 

Accounting and Bookkeeping Principles 

Accounting Fundamentals Managing Inventory
Monitoring Sales
Working with Accounts Payable 
Working with Accounts Receivable 
Working with Payroll
Working with the General Ledger 

Bank Teller Skills

Banking Terms
Code of Ethics Compliance
Customer Service
Debits and Credits
Money Handling

Product Referral and Sales

Debt Collection 

Accounts Receivable
Credit Policies and Forms

Debt Collection Remedies 
Third-Party Debt Collection Law 

Workout Options

Intuit QuickBooks Pro

Bank Accounts Customers
Customizing Quickbooks 
Finding Reports 
Integrating with MS Office 
New Company
Security
Setting up a New Company 
Setting up the Lists
Using Time Tracking
Using the Time Tracker 
Vendors
Working with Accounts Payable 
Working with Accounts Receivables 
Working with Bank Accounts 
Working with Budgets
Working with Financial Statements 
Working with Inventory
Working with Invoices
Working with Job Costing and Tracking 
Working with Journal Entries
Working with Payroll
Working with Reports

Working with the General Ledger 
Workspace and Preferences

MS Office 2010 - Word 

Formatting
Keyboard Access
Macros and VBA
Mail Merge
New Features of Word 2010 
Page Layout and Printing 
Picture Operations References
Review Tab
Security
Views
Working with Objects 
Working with Word 2010 

MS Office 2010 - Excel

Charting
Conditional Formatting
Data Tab
Formatting
Formulas and Series
Insert Tab
Keyboard Access
Macros and VBA
New Features of Excel 2010 
Picture Operations 
PivotTables
Review Tab
Security
Views

Working with Excel 

MS Office 2010 - Outlook

Accounts
Calendar and Appointments 
Contacts and Address Book 
Creating and Sending Mails 
Folders and Junk Mail 
Keyboard Access
Macros and VBA
RSS Feeds
Rules
Security
Tasks

Working with Outlook 2010 

MS Office 2010 - PowerPoint 

Animations and Transitions Charts
Macros
Photo Album
Pictures
Printing and Creating Support Materials 
Saving Presentation Files
Security and Privacy
Shapes
Slides and Presentations
SmartArt

Tables
Text

Video and Audio Workspace

MS Office Publisher 2007

Automation 
Color 
Graphics 
Layout
MS Publisher Environment 
MS Publisher Help
MSP Basics
Publishing Documents 
Publishing Workflow
Text 

MS Office 2007 - Visio

Diagrams 
Environment 
Layers
Precisely Working 
Printing 
ShapeSheet 
Shapes
Stencils
Templates 
Toolbars

Working with Pages 
Working with Text 

Google Chrome 10

Basic Browser Settings
Bookmarks
Downloading, Saving and Printing
Errors and Webpage Issues
Installing and Removing Google Chrome 
Privacy and Security

Tabs and Windows Tools 

AutoCAD 2010 for General Use
3D Drawings

Creating and Modifying Objects Creating, Saving, and Viewing Drawings Layers, Colors, and Lines
Managing Drawings
Printing and Plotting
Setting Up the Environment
Working with Annotations
Working with Blocks and Attributes 

Adobe Photoshop CS3 - Windows

Automating Tasks Color
Drawing
Filters
Layers
Making color and tonal adjustments Painting
Printing
Retouching and Transforming 
Saving and Exporting Images 
Selecting
Type
Web Graphics

Workspace 

Adobe InDesign CS3 - Windows

Books
Color
Drawing
Frames and Objects Graphics
Layout
Printing & Separations Styles
Tables
Text

Typography Workspace

Adobe Illustrator CS5 - Windows

Automating Tasks
Color
Drawing And Painting 
Importing, Exporting And Saving 
Printing
Selecting And Reshaping Objects 
Special Effects
Typing And Graphs
Web Graphics

Workspace