Need for Skill Building

Whether technical or soft, skills are important attributes and traits for success in a workplace. It is important to develop transferrable skills that can make you competitive in your workplace. Understanding relevant skills, their importance and how to develop them can help you constantly improve them for personal and professional growth.

Developing skills is important because it allows you to improve attributes and qualities vital to effective workplace performance. By developing these skills, you can also begin your path to personal development, which can help you maximise your potential and achieve your career goals in record time. Beyond this, by developing specific skills, you can naturally fit them into your routine and use them to better yourself, improve your talents and strengths, find satisfaction and fulfilment and advance in your career.

Skill development can benefit individuals in various ways, such as increasing their confidence, self-esteem, creativity, and motivation. It can also improve their mental and physical health, as it can reduce stress, boredom, and depression, and promote wellness and happiness.

Skill development can also benefit society in various ways, such as boosting economic growth, social stability, and innovation. It can also foster social inclusion, diversity, and equality, as it can reduce poverty, unemployment, and discrimination, and increase opportunities and participation for all.

Skills can be divided into two main types:

Hard Skills: These are concrete, learnable skills that are often related to a job and can be measured or tested. Examples include coding, woodworking, data analysis, and language skills.

Technical skills, or hard skills, are those you can quantify. For example, if you're a great typist, you can prove that by typing 70 words per minute. If you're great at social media, you can show the accounts you run with many followers and heavy engagement. If you've mastered Microsoft Office, you can present the certificate you earned.

Soft Skills: Also called interpersonal or people skills, these are more abstract and focus on an individual’s ability to communicate and interact with others and handle social situations well. Soft skills include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and adaptability.

You use human skills at work to interact with others and solve problems independently. Some may come naturally to you, and some may require development. Some common human skills include:

• Communication
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Teamwork

These skills can be challenging to showcase on a resume because you usually prove them through actions and interactions. They can be subjective, and they're not easy to quantify.

Skill development can happen through various ways, such as formal education, on-the-job training, self-study, mentorship, workshops, and online courses. It is important for personal and professional development, as it helps individuals to keep up with the job market, advance in their careers, and live satisfying lives.

The more you practice a skill, the more you'll get the hang of it. Open up that Instagram or Twitter account and get to work. Apply the skills you learned from your network, coach, or online courses. Practice daily with your personal account. While you practice, pay attention to feedback, no matter its source. Your coach or mentor may have tips to help you improve your work. In the case of social media, a lack of engagement or criticism from your followers may be a form of feedback. You can even ask a friend to look at your account and tell you what they think.

Once you have a good command of any skill, you'll want to add it to your resume. To do this, simply create a section called “Skills.” Make two separate lists—one of your human skills and one of your technical skills. Then, list the skills that are your strongest and most relevant to the job to which you’re applying.

When you’re called in for an interview, your interviewer will likely address this section of your resume. For technical skills, they might want concrete proof of what you've listed. If you mention you have strong social media skills, they might ask to see your personal account. If you claim you have taken an online course in social media optimization, they may want to see the diploma or certificate.

It’s harder to demonstrate your human skills. In this case, the interviewer might ask about a time when you used these skills at work or school to solve a problem. Be sure to come up with some good examples before your interview and practice telling someone about them.

Strategies to Build Resilience

Imagine you’re going to take a raft trip down a river. Along with slow water and shallows, your map shows that you will encounter unavoidable rapids and turns. How would you make sure you can safely cross the rough waters and handle any unexpected problems that come from the challenge?

Perhaps you would enlist the support of more experienced rafters as you plan your route or rely on the companionship of trusted friends along the way. Maybe you would pack an extra life jacket or consider using a stronger raft. With the right tools and supports in place, one thing is sure: You will not only make it through the challenges of your river adventure. You will also emerge a more confident and courageous rafter.

Life may not come with a map, but everyone will experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-altering accident, or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions, and uncertainty. Yet people generally adapt well over time to life-changing situations and stressful situations—in part thanks to resilience.

Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. As much as resilience involves “bouncing back” from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth.

While these adverse events, much like rough river waters, are certainly painful and difficult, they don’t have to determine the outcome of your life. There are many aspects of your life you can control, modify, and grow with. That’s the role of resilience. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way.

Being resilient doesn’t mean that a person won’t experience difficulty or distress. People who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives commonly experience emotional pain and stress. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress.

While certain factors might make some individuals more resilient than others, resilience isn’t necessarily a personality trait that only some people possess. On the contrary, resilience involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that anyone can learn and develop. The ability to learn resilience is one reason research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary.

Like building a muscle, increasing your resilience takes time and intentionality.

Connecting with empathetic and understanding people can remind you that you’re not alone in the midst of difficulties. Focus on finding trustworthy and compassionate individuals who validate your feelings, which will support the skill of resilience.

The pain of traumatic events can lead some people to isolate themselves, but it’s important to accept help and support from those who care about you. Whether you go on a weekly date night with your spouse or plan a lunch out with a friend, try to prioritize genuinely connecting with people who care about you.

Join a group. Along with one-on-one relationships, some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based communities, or other local organizations provides social support and can help you reclaim hope. Research groups in your area that could offer you support and a sense of purpose or joy when you need it.

The practices above are helpful for past struggles, ones that we’ve gained enough distance from to be able to get some perspective. But what about knee-shaking fears that we’re experiencing in the here and now?

The Overcoming a Fear practice is designed to help with everyday fears that get in the way of life, such as the fear of public speaking, heights, or flying. We can’t talk ourselves out of such fears; instead, we have to tackle the emotions directly.

The first step is to slowly, and repeatedly, expose yourself to the thing that scares you—in small doses. For example, people with a fear of public speaking might try talking more in meetings, then perhaps giving a toast at a small wedding. Over time, you can incrementally increase the challenge until you’re ready to nail that big speech or TV interview.

In a 2010 study, researchers modeled this process in the lab. They gave participants a little electrical shock every time they saw a blue square, which soon became as scary as a tarantula to an arachnophobe. But then, they showed the blue square to participants without shocking them. Over time, the participants’ Pavlovian fear (measured by the sweat on their skin) gradually evaporated.

In effect, this kind of “exposure therapy” helps us change the associations we have with a particular stimulus. If we’ve flown 100 times and the plane has never crashed, for example, our brain (and body) start to learn that it’s safe. Though the fear may never be fully extinguished, we’ll likely have greater courage to confront it.

Try to find time to relax. This might feel hard if you can't do anything to stop a situation that is making you stressed. But if you can allow yourself a short break, this can help with how you feel. 

Develop your interests and hobbies. Spending time on things you enjoy could help distract you from a stressful situation. If stress is making you feel lonely or isolated, shared hobbies can also be a good way to meet new people.

Look after your physical health. Getting enough sleep, staying physically active and eating a balanced diet can make stress easier to manage. Stress can sometimes make these things difficult to look after. But even small changes can make a big difference.

Getting help when you need it is crucial in building your resilience.

For many people, using their own resources and the kinds of strategies listed above may be enough for building their resilience. But at times, an individual might get stuck or have difficulty making progress on the road to resilience.

A licensed mental health professional such as a psychologist can assist people in developing an appropriate strategy for moving forward. It is important to get professional help if you feel like you are unable to function as well as you would like or perform basic activities of daily living as a result of a traumatic or other stressful life experience. Keep in mind that different people tend to be comfortable with different styles of interaction. To get the most out of your therapeutic relationship, you should feel at ease with a mental health professional or in a support group.

The important thing is to remember you’re not alone on the journey. While you may not be able to control all of your circumstances, you can grow by focusing on the aspects of life’s challenges you can manage with the support of loved ones and trusted professionals.

Improve your Sense of Digital Wellbeing

Digital wellbeing is quite a complex subject. Defining what is right and what is wrong in digital wellbeing, is not that straightforward as digital technology brings both positive and negative outcomes to our overall wellbeing.

Digital wellbeing is a term used to describe the impact that technologies and digital services have on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. On an individual level, it is the state of personal wellbeing one experiences through the use of electronic tools, systems, devices and resources.

TECHNOLOGY IS EVER MORE INTEGRAL TO THE THINGS THAT WE DO

Overuse of screens and handheld devices, and the expectation that we need to be available 24 hours a day, not only impacts our physical health, resulting in medical issues such as digital eye strain, headaches and fatigue but it also affects our mental health with an increased risk of conditions such as depression, low self-esteem and anxiety. Our emotional wellbeing is impacted too as it distracts us from the things that matter most to us.

Promoting a healthy use of technology will proactively help you to maintain positive mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

Digital wellness is defined by sociologists Marco Gui, Marco Fasoli and Roberto Carradore as “a state where subjective well-being is maintained in an environment characterized by digital communication overabundance.”

The ability to navigate this crazy environment of technology and emerge with “a sense of comfort, safety, satisfaction and fulfillment” is what ultimately determines our digital wellness.

We can achieve this through making mindful decisions regarding our relationship and interactions with technology.

Life has its fair share of stressors. How we perceive our life stress and how we manage the resulting emotions can have a significant effect on our mental health.

Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to take to technology and social media to cope with this stress in ways that are hurt our overall well-being. Difficulties managing our emotions have been linked by research to increased levels of smartphone use, internet gaming disorder and unhealthy social media use.

So, if you notice a big uptick in your time spend gaming or mindlessly surfing the web, it may be a good time to check in with your emotional needs.

However, it isn’t all bad news when discussing the link between technology and our emotions. It is possible to use our technology to our emotional advantage. Research has shown that social media can act as a buffer against the impact of geographical isolation and loneliness.

Remember: it’s our relationship with and how we use technology that matters! When we engage in supportive interactions using online technology, we are less likely to feel depressed. Additionally, the internet is often one of the first accessed resources when seeking emotional help and education. We can use technology to make a positive impact not only on ourselves, but the community around us as well!

For better or worse, social media is heavily engrained into the landscape of many peoples’ digital well-being. When you’re on social media, your brain is doing a very important job—comparing yourself to what you see.

According to the Social Comparison Theory, this comparison plays a significant role in self image and subjective well-being. We can compare ourselves upward to someone we see as better than ourselves, downward to someone we see as inferior, or laterally to someone we see as an equal. When we approach these comparisons with a negative mindset, we see higher rates of depression.

If you feel like your online interactions are mostly negative, it may be time to take a break.

How we compare ourselves to others is what’s important—but it’s not all bad! Recent research has shown it is also possible to draw inspiration from upward comparison, giving us a boost to our self-concept. We also rate our own abilities as greater when we maintain a friendship with someone who we compare upwardly to. Our relationship with online technology has real impacts on our relationships in real life. Try to make your online interactions just as positive as the interactions in your day-to-day.

It’s important to incorporate breaks into your schedule if you have a job that requires a lot of computer time. During your downtime, practise breathing techniques and mindfulness to promote present-moment awareness and mental clarity. You can also incorporate stretching exercises to correct postural issues.

All screens emit light that can disrupt your sleep. Take a screen break before bedtime and switch your phone off, so you won’t be woken by messages. Let your friends know that this is what you do, so they won’t be surprised when they don’t get a reply until morning.

Uninstall or restrict access to any applications that encourage aimless scrolling or prolonged screen time. Making it less convenient to access your social media profiles gives you time to evaluate your decision before logging on. Use tools such as Google’s Digital Wellbeing, screen-time monitors and focus modes to set daily use limits for apps and reduce distractions.

Living in the most connected era has its perks, but excessive technology use has consequences. With many of our everyday activities now taking place online, it’s easy to become dependent on technology for amusement and communication. This can prevent us from living in the moment and cause feelings of melancholy, anxiety and isolation, among others. It’s not surprising that many opt for a digital detox: a deliberate break from digital engagement.

Technology robs our brains of the downtime they need to process information, which is why it’s so important to give our minds the rest they need. A totally tech-free lifestyle might not be feasible for most. However, to counteract the detrimental consequences of excessive screen time and digital overload, we must take a thoughtful and balanced approach.

Positive Qualities: Discover your Positive Character Traits

Positive qualities are personal attributes, character traits, skills, or strengths that are considered good or help us in some way. It's important to know your positive attributes and keep them in mind to develop a healthy level of confidence and self-worth.

Qualities may also be referred to as personality traits, personal characteristics, or temperament. These all mean slightly different things, but these words can generally be used interchangeably.

It’s often easier to notice our weaknesses rather than strengths, but learning about your positive characteristics will give you the confidence boost you need to improve on weaknesses.

A great place to start is by identifying your Big Five personality traits score, each being ranked out of 100. A higher score means you express more of this trait, and vice versa.

• Agreeableness: This describes someone’s tendency to be trusting, sympathetic, and helpful.
• Conscientiousness: People who take their responsibilities seriously, are highly organized, and are dependable, display a high level of this character trait.
• Extroversion: Those who naturally gravitate toward and are energized by social interaction are extroverts.
• Neuroticism: People who tend toward anxiety and are highly detail-oriented, sometimes to a fault, score higher for this personality trait.
• Openness: This regards how receptive someone is to new experiences and perspectives. These people are often intellectually curious and imaginative.

Every other personality trait fits within these five categories. If you’re 75% agreeable, for example, this also means you’re a more positive person, since positivity is included in agreeableness.

Being able to practice and develop intellectual skills assists us in engaging with and comprehend the world. We can better evaluate information and are able to think critically about situations in order to make better choices.

• Excited: showing a determination to understand as much as you can about a topic.
• Pay attention: noting particulars
• Intelligent: showing the ability to apply knowledge and reasoning to make decisions or create solutions to complex issues
• Analytical: ability to reason rationally, enabling you to draw the right conclusions and plot the possible outcomes
• Innovative: The ability to analyze the current product, belief or procedure to identify and implement improvements

Once you’ve got your list, select one trait you’d like to concentrate on improving. Concentrate on the smaller, more easily adjusted characteristics that help to improve larger traits. If you’re trying to improve your level of comfort, you could begin by becoming more friendly by focusing on the smaller things, like.

Example: You’d like to get your temper back within a certain timeframe.

Changes in your personality are difficult work that usually requires external support. Find someone who embodies the traits you’d like to achieve for guidance. It could be someone like a mentor or a family member or a partner who that you can trust. They’ll help you learn and support you, while also holding them on your objectives.

Example: If you’re having difficulty dealing with your temper, you should attend an anger management classes that pair you with a person who’s gone through the program to offer support.

Maintain a journal to document your daily experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Regularly reviewing your journal entries can reveal patterns in your behavior, reactions, and decision-making. It can help you identify recurring qualities and understand how they influence your actions.

Reflect on the skills and talents that come naturally to you. These could be anything from excellent communication and organizational skills to creativity or problem-solving abilities. Your skills and talents are often a reflection of your inherent qualities.

Understand your qualities, strengths, and attributes because it is a fundamental step toward personal growth and career success. Identifying and recognizing your positive traits enables you to leverage them effectively in various aspects of your life.