What Are Skill Sets & How Are Yours Affected by Internships?

Some people seem born to pursue certain careers.

We all know the person with a million contacts on Facebook and Twitter (social media maven). We recognize the “gamer” (future game designer, obviously). We can identify the guy who can sell ice to an Eskimo in December (business development savant). And a person with natural leadership skills is, well…a leader (future C-level executive).

But many are still asking the question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?”

This question is quite natural for those just starting their careers.   An internship – perhaps several – can certainly help provide an answer, and in turn help launch a career in the right direction.

How Does One Find the “Right” Internship?

Finding the right opportunity means matching your skill set to a company’s immediate needs. For example, a student majoring in marketing and communications is obviously not a good fit for a software programming internship. Someone with excellent math skills who has an affinity for detail, however, may excel in an accounting internship at a growing company. As your career center professional has probably already told you: there is more to your skill set than your major, degree, or work experience.

What Is a Skill Set?

By definition, a skill is the ability to do something well. In general, there are three primary skills set categories:

• Knowledge-based
• Transferable
• Personality traits/attitude (also known as “soft skills”)

Knowledge-based skills derive from:

• Previous jobs and other internships
• School coursework and projects
• Self-taught skills, or those taught by current role models and mentors

Transferable skills are broken down into four broad categories:

• Communication – speaking, writing, persuading
• Research and Planning – gathering and analyzing information, goal setting and strategy development
• Human Relations – listening, motivating, representing others
• Organization, Leadership and Management – managing and directing people to achieve common goals

Soft skills refer to your personal traits and attitude. They typically describe how you work, and how well you work with others:

• Are you a stickler for detail?
• Do you thrive in high pressure situations?
• Are you driven by accomplishment; Self-motivated?
• Are you self-disciplined?
• Are you a team player?
• Are you a leader?

What makes you unique in the marketplace is your specific combination of skills. More important is how yousell your skill set to the recruiter or hiring manager – and how he perceives them, and you, as a fit for your company.

What is your marketable skill set right now? How does it compare to what may be required to be “what I want to be when you grow up”?

With each internship, seek to close the gap that may exist between where you are now and where you want to be – and in the process make yourself that much more employable.