Week 2: Skills List

I have never really enjoyed the interview process.  This is why I am so grateful to have held the same job for over 9 years...no interviews!  I have moved positions four times during the past 9 years but have always felt confident in myself due to the fact that I already had my "foot in the door", so to speak, so it was never really an issue.  Do I have marketable, tangible, specific skills that I would like to develop this semester?  I would like to think so.

These are some of the skills that I feel I already have but would like to develop more over the semester:

• Problem-solving skills
• I feel as though this skill is one that I have always excelled at, but there is always room for improvement.  I am pretty proficient at work when it comes to solving problems, on my own, and rarely do I need to ask for help or permission to solve these problems on my own.  I would like to be able to hone in on this skill a little more this semester to gain more confidence in my job and in my life.
•  Human skills
• According to Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice, the human skill is the ability to work with people.  I have always felt that I have done a pretty decent job with this one.  My only job experience has been working in the "front of the house"; I have always worked with the general public and I love it.  Customer service is one of the things that I feel I can honestly say that I have perfected over my life.  There is always room for improvement, however.  Sometimes a bad day leaves me grouchy and I let my emotions get the best of me and will occasionally take these out on unsuspecting library patrons.
• Technical skills
• I have some technical knowledge.  This is most definitely one of the areas that I can use a lot more help.  
• Social judgement skills
• This skill is the main one that I really need to work on this semester.  According to our text, social judgement skills "are the capacity to understand people and social systems...they enable leaders to work with others to solve problems and to marshal support to implement change" (Norhhouse 45).  Although I feel that I have a pretty good handle on human skills, the social judgement skills are those that I feel I could use a lot of work.  As I stated in my previous post, I do not feel that I have the ability to lead others; I am more of a loaner when it comes to problem solving.