PERSONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT
4/6/2019

SUBMITTED TO: SIR UBED SHAIKH

SUBMITTED BY: NAVYAN UL HAQUE KHAN

62885
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

“IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST BENEFICIAL AND THE MOST
GRACIOUS”

First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to Almighty Allah to enabling
us to complete this report. “Gratitude is the hardest of emotion to express and often
does not find adequate ways to convey the entire one feels.” This study was a team
project offered to us in course PERSONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT which
helped us to learn a lot of by way of implementing theory on practical grounds.

We are especially thankful to our TEACHER; SIR.UBED AMJAD SHAIKH,

whose valuable guidance, suggestions, support, outstanding mentorship and
experience helped us in the successful completion of this project. We would like to
thank our family and friends who lent us their support and goodwill which help to
keep up our motivation despite the time constraints and work load.
Skills
Skills are your character traits and the abilities you learn that make you a good employee.
They build your professional know-how and help you perform your job responsibilities
well. You can have soft skills such as interpersonal skills or team work skills, and hard
skills such as technical skills etc.

HARD SKILLS
Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured, such as
typing, writing, math, reading and the ability to use software programs. By contrast, soft
skills are less tangible and harder to quantify, such as etiquette, getting along with others,
listening and engaging in small talk. In business, hard skills most often refer to accounting
and financial modeling.

BREAKING DOWN Hard Skills

Hard and soft skill sets are highly valued in the workforce for performing at top levels.

Characteristics of Hard Skills

Hard skills are quantifiable, such as proficiency in a foreign language, earning a degree or
certificate, operating a machine, or programming a computer. Hard skills are often listed
on a job applicant's cover letter and resume so employers know the applicant's
qualifications for an open position.

SOFT SKILLS
Think of soft skills as your personal skills. Things you do that make you a great employee
outside of the technical skills that are needed for the job. They may come naturally to you
or perhaps you’ve added some classes to your list to augment these abilities. If you haven’t,
consider working to develop your soft skills in the workplace. Soft skills, which may seem
basic to some, are difficult for employers to find, so they’re impressed by applicants who
can demonstrate a strong set.

There are too many soft skills to list them all, but here are some examples of soft skills that
employers most appreciate.
Characteristics of Soft Skills

Soft skills are more personality-oriented interpersonal skills, such as teamwork, flexibility,
patience, persuasion and time management. Because employers have an easier time
teaching new hires hard skills, employers often look for job applicants with specific soft
skills instead.

Differences Between Hard and Soft Skills

Possessing strong hard skills typically requires the left brain, or logic center. In contrast,
strong soft skills are typically formed in the right brain, or emotional center.

Hard skills involve rules remaining the same regardless of what business or circumstances
a person is in at any given time. Conversely, soft skills involve rules that change, depending
on company culture and colleagues' expectations. For example, the rules for how a
programmer can create the best code are the same regardless of where the programmer
works. However, a programmer may communicate effectively to other programmers about
technical details but struggle when communicating with senior managers about a project's
success and necessary support

DESIGNING SKILLS

1. Problem-Solving Ability
You solve problems every day. That’s the essence of good design. It creates a visual solution that
communicates something to others. Your resume needs to show that you can do more than just
make something pretty; it needs to show that you can develop solutions.

How can you do this? Provide examples or case studies that present problems that you have
solved in the cover letter that you attach to a resume or in the portfolio section of the document.
Explain how you developed an idea with a team and executed it in a manner that created a great
end product.

2. Marketing

Some of your marketing skills will inevitably show up in the resume itself. You need to have
some marketing knowledge and background so that you can both sell design projects (and
yourself to a potential client or employer).

Make it your job to understand concepts in SEO, advertising and how companies are targeting
and reaching customers. You don’t have to be an expert, but should be able to talk logically
about these concepts and understand them enough to include them in your resume.

3. Print Knowledge

Most clients and firms will tell you they need a design team that’s flexible and can complete a
variety of tasks. One of those includes printed design. While much of the design conversation
tends to center around digital concepts, it is just as important to know how to create something
and get it printed, from posters to package labels to billboards.

Make sure to include some printed projects in your portfolio and verse yourself in formats, colors
and moving projects from digital to print and back. Just as important as understanding how to
created printed items is working with vendors or other third parties to produce these elements.

4. Digital Design Knowledge

If you are someone who has always focused on print, you need to get versed in digital design
today. And if you are already fluent in website design, make sure to include that information,
including programming languages, content management system platforms and relevant tools that
you can use with ease.

One of the things that often happens as we put together a resume, is that you forget all the things
you know, almost taking for granted that everyone has the same skills. When it comes to a
resume, it is important to note all relevant items because many job sites use these keywords to
“read” and sort resumes based on potential fits. You don’t want to miss an opportunity because
you forgot to list skills you consider to be second nature.

5. Basic HTML

Be honest and upfront about your level of HTML and code understanding. How much you need
can vary greatly by position, but in today’s job market it is almost always important.

Even design candidates with basic HTML skills can beat out candidates without these skills. Can
you read HTML? Write a little? Are you versed enough to change stylesheets in an existing
website design? Include this information.

6. Software

Most job postings will note what software skills are important, but any fluency in design tools
should be standard on your resume. As with HTML, consider including notations for software
that you have certifications or particular expertise in.

Designers will almost always find that including the Adobe Create Suite is a great starting point.
Further note which programs within the toolset you use regularly. (Remember those keywords!)
Don’t pack your resume with software that is so common that everyone should be able to use it.
If you are fluent in Adobe InDesign, you can probably leave off that you know how to use
Microsoft Word.

7. Social Media and Networking

Your network will follow you everywhere. Even from job to job, this is important and most
employers want to see that you know how to use social media and can do it well. This often
extends to your personal accounts (if they are public) and knowledge of how to create design
elements for these platforms.

Make sure you understand the differences in the major channels and they type of visual elements
they use. Include social media links to your public or professional profiles so that others can see
how well you have mastered the tools.

8. Flexibility and Time Management

Nobody likes a diva designer. You know the one that gets one project, hogs it for months and
then flips out at any suggestion to make a change. Employers are equally terrified of this
unknown and want to know that you are flexible, can be part of a team and manage your time
and tasks well.

This is one of those soft skills areas that can be a little tough to visualize as you put the resume
together. Consider a few strong verbs that show your skills in a way that isn’t full of clichés.
(Consider this a creative challenge.)

9. Understanding of Typography

If it’s not readable, what’s the point? Every designer needs to have a good understanding of
typography. Again, this is one of those skills that you might almost forget to mention. But what
sets you out from the pack when you think about lettering?

Have your drawn your own typeface? Do you have a particular style or flair for combining words
and letterforms? While you can list these skills on your resume, it is also a great place to show
that you understand how to pair type and create killer content that’s easy to read and look at.

10. Communication

At the end of the day, it all comes down to communication. How good of a designer you are
parallels to how well you communicate. While visual communication is vital, written and spoken
communication are also important. Are you a great public speaker? Have you taught classes or
held seminars?

Include these elements in your resume as proof of performance. Examples of excellent ability to
communicate can help you stand out from a crowd. These skills are quite valuable on a daily
basis. Team members who communicate well are going to find it easier to work on projects with
a team and share and sell ideas.

DISPLAY SKILLS

1. Show Off Logos

This is a quick and dirty way to make your site a little more visual. Instead of just
writing about clients you worked with, use their logos to add a little visual interest.
If you’re in sales, you can use this to highlight major clients you sold to (as long as
there’s nothing proprietary or prohibited by your employer). In marketing, think about
companies you organized partnerships with. If you’re in business or finance, maybe
there is a slew of companies you have consulted for. Or, if you’re a writer or speaker,
include the logos of publications or conferences you’ve contributed to.

Whatever it may be for your industry, if you have more than three or four compelling,
recognizable logos to show off, do it!

2. Create a Narrative With Photos

Just because you don’t have pictures of your work doesn’t mean you can’t find pictures
that represent the work you do.

Think about ways you can incorporate general imagery as you explain what you do or
describe projects you’ve worked on. Maybe you work in HR and are talking about a
project you did to improve team culture. Could you include a picture of your team
looking happy or a stock photo of a team gathered around? Or if you work in operations
and are describing a new process you implemented, could you find a general photo of
people brainstorming to visually represent the hard work you put in? Even if the picture
isn’t actually of you or the specific work you did, a person reading your site will be able
to connect the idea of the picture with what you did—and are much more likely to
remember it.

3. Show Your Skills With Icons

If photos don’t feel quite right for you, you can accomplish a similar goal with icons. For
each of the skills you want to describe on your site, find a simple little icon that
represents it. For communication skills, you might find an email icon or a microphone.
For amazing sales capabilities, you might find an upward-trending graph. For product
development, you might look for a light bulb (for ideas) or a gear.
4. Share Information With Charts or Infographics

Speaking of data, why not actually create some graphs or charts with data related to
your work to add a visual element to your site?

If you work in a more analytical or numbers-oriented field, this is a great route for you,
but even if you don’t, there’s still data you can show off ,even when you don’t work with
numbers. The key is to not overwhelm with charts. Just pick a few that represent you the
best and are most impressive, and make sure they’re visually consistent so they look
good together on your site.

5. Try Smart Typography

Sometimes there just really isn’t any imagery that makes sense. And in that case, to
make your site more visually engaging, try getting creative with the typography.

Think of ways you can use colors, italics, or different fonts to pull out elements of your
skills or experience. The easiest way to do this is to create an image using Photoshop (or
a similar free service) and then embedding it on your site.

Conclusion
From hard skills such as technical ability to soft skills like teamwork and
flexibility, your resume is someone else’s first glimpse into your professional self.
Your resume should include the right keywords to help you make it through
screening processes, but then contain enough information about your abilities to
make you stand out. Keep your resume current and consider posting a version
online to complement your portfolio. You never know where the next opportunity
might be waiting.