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Job Interviews & Careers vocabulary · Skills, Strengths & Weaknesses

Skill

Meaning in job interviews & careers, with examples

/skɪl/nounCore term

In job interviews & careers, skill means: An ability to do something well, usually because you have learned and practised it, such as writing reports, coding or managing a budget.

In Turkish: beceri, yetenek, yetkinlik

How it is used

Very frequent on CVs and in job ads: communication skills, IT skills, language skills, a 'Skills' section. You have, develop, improve or demonstrate skills. Recruiters often ask, 'What skills can you bring to this role?'

Example sentences

  1. This job needs strong communication skills and attention to detail.

  2. I developed my negotiation skills while working in procurement.

Common collocations

  • communication skills
  • develop your skills
  • language skills
  • key skills
  • skills section
  • soft skillsPersonal and social abilities that help you work well with others, such as communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving.
  • hard skillsSpecific, teachable abilities that can be measured or tested, such as using Excel, speaking German, coding in Python or operating a machine.
  • transferable skillsSkills you have gained in one job, course of study or activity that are also useful in a different job or industry.
  • strengthA quality or ability that you are particularly good at and that helps you do your job well.

More terms: Skills, Strengths & Weaknesses

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