How to Prepare Your Life Skills Inventory for a Job

Life skills are important in daily life. They help you make friends, solve problems, and survive in the real world. They also help you land jobs and make valuable work. However, choosing which skills to highlight in your resume may be hard. A life skills inventory would be helpful in this case.

A life skills inventory highlights your strengths and weaknesses. It shows you which skills you need to learn to land a specific job. It also points out which skills you need to improve on.

Making a life skills inventory isn't as easy as it sounds. It requires a basic understanding of life skills first. What are life skills? What is a life skills inventory? How can a life skills inventory help with job hunting? Read on to learn about the importance of life skills and a life skills inventory.

What Are Life Skills?

You can define life skills in many ways.

1. Life skills are used in everyday life

   Life skills such as active listening, decision-making, and problem-solving are useful in everyday life. They help you go to work, understand certain situations, and build meaningful connections.

2. Life skills help with personal development

   Life skills help you become a better person as you mature. Different life experiences allow you to solve specific problems and make quick but wise decisions. For instance, study skills developed in childhood can help you focus at work. Actively listening to your friends can also help you build trust in the workplace.

3. Life skills develop over time

   You develop life skills as you grow up. For instance, you create a sense of curiosity as a child. This curiosity helps you learn about people and jobs when you start working as an adult. Additionally, you learn to drive, shop, and manage money as you mature. These life skills improve as you change jobs, make big decisions, and retire.

4. Life skills help you deal with problems

   Many life skills allow you to manage stress and resolve problems. Budgeting skills help you balance your income and expenses. Making lists also allow you to set priorities and finish tasks on time.

5. Life skills are useful anywhere

   Unlike hard skills, life skills are useful wherever you go. Strong communication skills can help you get into any job or career. Meanwhile, basic cleaning skills make you look organized, neat, and presentable.

How to Prepare a Life Skills Inventory for a Job

A life skills inventory is a detailed list of your abilities. It can help you ace interviews, gain job opportunities, and advance your career. Follow the steps below to create a good life skills inventory for a job.

1. Identify your life skills

   List life skills related to the job you're applying for; if you're applying as an accountant, list skills such as critical thinking and time management. For a graphic designer application, put creativity and imagination in your life skills inventory.

   Knowing yourself is key to being happy at work. This step is continuous as you change jobs or careers and gain new experiences. As such, review your values, interests, and skills before and after getting a job.

2. Describe each skill

   Describe the life skills that support your everyday work. Understanding your life skills ensures you know your strengths and weakness. It also helps you learn which skills fit specific jobs or tasks.

3. Include an example where you used each skill

   Show how you apply your life skills at work. For instance, you can say budgeting skills have helped you manage company finances before. You can also share that flexibility enables you to explore new project ideas.

4. Determine your level for each skill

   Take a skills assessment test to learn which skills you're good at and working on. You can also review your wins and losses and identify which skills helped you achieve those results. Assessing your skills lets you see which abilities match your potential employer's needs.

5. Ask a friend to test your skills

   Your friends and co-workers can provide an outsider's view of your skills. Ask them to validate your skills by running a test.

Keep Your Life Skills Inventory Well-Stocked

Every time you apply for jobs, go back to the question, "What are life skills?" Understanding and developing your life skills are key to being a professional employee. They also help you become more aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Creating a life skills inventory would also help you with your job search. Aside from the tips above, you can customize your inventory the way you want. You can list ten skills you'd like to have and another ten you'd like to improve on. Organizing your inventory can help you track your progress and become a better person.

Career.com understands the importance of life skills in every job. We feature jobs based on skills to make job hunting easier. Visit Career.com today to find a job that matches your abilities!