Ever feel drawn to an opportunity but unsure you are ready for it?
This short skills audit helps you get clear on what you already do well, what you are actually doing week to week, and what to focus on next so your growth is intentional.
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Goal: Create a personal skills map you can revisit quarterly.
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How it works
Set aside 25–40 minutes and follow these 10 steps.
The 10-step skills audit
- List your weekly work.
- Write 1–2 sentences for each recurring responsibility you handle in a typical week.
- Skip vague labels like “respond to emails.” Instead, describe the work in a full sentence.
- Batch similar tasks into groups + give each group a name.
- Put communication tasks together.
- Put project tasks together.
- Put troubleshooting tasks together.
- Order the groups by size.
- List the group with the most tasks first.
- List the group with the fewest tasks last.
- Review and reflect on what your list reveals (5–10 minutes).
- This is a mirror of your current role.
- Ask: Am I happy with this reflection? Does this match my capabilities and training?
- Rate your strength in each group (1–10).
- 10 means you are excellent at it.
- Multiple groups can share the same score.
- Rate each group’s value (1–5 stars).
- Avoid using 1–10 again so you do not confuse the two ratings.
- Ask: Which work moves the needle most, and for whom?
- Name your long-term direction.
- What do you want to be doing in the long run?
- Mark which groups support that direction.
- Which skill groups are relevant to the future role you want?
- Identify what is missing.
- Which skill groups are absent from your current work, but required for your desired career path?
- Pick your next two growth moves.
- Choose one skill group to improve in the next 3–6 months.
- Choose one additional skill group to find a book or course about.
Bonus: validate against the market
Look at job postings for roles similar to your dream job.
- What skills and qualifications show up repeatedly?
- How do they stack up to your list?