2.2 Auditing my own skills
A personal skills audit is a tool commonly used in career coaching. It allows you to reflect on the skills that you already have and those that could do with further development. In Activity 2, you’ll have an opportunity to reflect on your evidence for some of the key skills that successful freelancers use.
Activity 2 Personal skills audit
In the tables below, you will find a list of skills and attributes that are mentioned in numerous sources focused on successful self-employment and freelance work. If you can think of any more from your own experience, add them to the empty boxes in the table.
Score your level of expertise against each skill and ability as follows:
0 = no experience yet 1 = basic 2 = competent 3 = proficient
Add at least one example of when you’ve demonstrated that skill in practice.
When you’ve completed the task, ask a colleague, manager, mentor or friend who knows you well whether they agree with your assessment. Note down their comments in the boxes beneath each table.
| Proficiency | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|
| Persistence | ||
| Resilience | ||
| Self-confidence | ||
| Self-awareness | ||
| Self-discipline | ||
| Optimism | ||
| Ambition | ||
| Motivation | ||
| Proficiency | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | ||
| Relationship building | ||
| Networking | ||
| Delegation | ||
| Negotiation | ||
| Proficiency | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|
| Innovation | ||
| Initiative | ||
| Problem solving | ||
| Risk taking | ||
| Decision making | ||
| Strategic thinking | ||
| Planning | ||
| Organisation | ||
| Time management | ||
| Flexibility | ||
| Adaptability | ||
| Project management | ||
| Proficiency | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|
| Use of technology | ||
| Financial skills, e.g. basic accounting | ||
| Marketing skills, e.g. social media marketing | ||
| Sales techniques | ||
Discussion
If you group your skills by score e.g. all those that scored 3, all the 2s etc. – you can identify what you see as your strengths and areas for further development. Is there an obvious gap in your knowledge or experience, or is your next step to grow your overall expertise from basic to competent? You’ll look at this in more detail in Week 3.
You don’t need to have all the skills listed here in order to succeed in business, but this activity may have highlighted some areas for development. In Week 3 you’ll find out about organisations that offer support and training opportunities that could be useful.
In the final part of the activity, talking to someone who knows you well can help you to understand whether your perceptions of yourself are accurate. They may also have ideas to add. Many people underestimate their own abilities!
Now you’ve had a chance to reflect on your idea and the skills that can help you achieve it, you can move on to focus on what you hope to gain from completing this course.