DEFINING SKILLS

Vocational, or work content skills, are those which deal with mastering a particular vocabulary, procedure or subject matter. They are related to performing a job in a particular field. They are rooted in personal experience acquired by such means as technical education, apprenticeship, or on-the-job training. Differentiation should be made between skill/knowledge specific to the University.

Examples

Skill in management of space, equipment and material resources including developing utilization plans and justifying acquisitions.

Knowledge of public sector collective bargaining including scope of representation, contract compliance and public sector labor union behavior.

Knowledge of where to go within the organization for needed information and ability to judge what information should be passed on to different levels of management.

Skill in projecting and monitoring income trends on the basis of existing revenue and cost data.

Knowledge of purchasing practices (including determination of needs, selection of items, bid letting and store management) sufficient to develop new procedures and purchasing programs.

Knowledge of federal and state affirmative action and equal employment opportunity laws and regulations applicable to public higher education institutions sufficient to analyze proposed personnel policies and procedures.

Knowledge of related outside________ agencies, their services, roles and responsibilities to contact them appropriately to obtain needed information.

Word Processing skill to prepare business correspondence and reports with speed and accuracy.

Knowledge of chart, graph and table formatting.

Knowledge of different herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers and plant foods and how to use them appropriately to maintain the growth of grasses, trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Knowledge of the rules and procedures of sanitation and safety as applied to kitchens, dining areas and food supplies.

Knowledge of the habits, care, feeding and shelter of small rodents including mice and guinea pigs sufficient to maintain a small laboratory colony.

Basic Arithmetic	Skill in adding and subtracting two digit numbers to ______________.
Measures and Weights	Skills in performing operations with units such as cup, pint, and quart; inch, foot, yard; ounce and pound to _____________.
Metric System	Knowledge of the metric system units (length, area, volume, capacity, mass and weight) and U.S. equivalents to ____________.
Money Computation	Skill in making change involving all denominations of American currency.
Arithmetic	Skill in adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing whole numbers, fractions and decimals without a calculator to ___________.
Ratios, Rates and Percentages	Skill in computing ratios, rates and percentages to ______________.
Shop Math	Skill in the practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions, logarithms, slide rule, practical algebra, geometric constructions, and essentials of trigonometry to __________.
Statistics	Knowledge of descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion.

Comparing	Skill in comparing/ inspecting _______ and judging whether they are similar to or different from prescribed standards.
Classifying	Skill in systematically arranging into groups or categories according to established criteria.
Copying	Skill in accurately copying, posting or transcribing data.
Analyzing	Skill in analyzing information, problems, situations, practices or procedures to: Define the problem or objective. Identify relevant concerns or factors. Identify patterns, tendencies and relationships. Formulate logical and objective conclusions. Recognize alternatives and their implications. Skill in perceiving and defining cause and effect relationships in _______________. Ability to analyze complex technical data such as using logic and quantitative reasoning.
Coordinating	Skill in coordinating _____________ by determining the time, place and sequence of actions to be taken on the basis of analysis of data.
Innovating	Skill in organizing material, information, people in a systematic way to optimize efficiency and minimize duplication of effort.

Coaching	Skill in encouraging individuals on a personal, caring basis by approximating a peer or family type relationship either in a one-to-one or small group situation. Skill in establishing rapport and gaining the trust of others. Skill in listening perceptively and conveying awareness.
Persuading and Negotiating	Skill in selling or promoting _____________. Skill in motivating others; stimulating people to effective action. Skill in mediating between contending parties or groups. Skill in negotiating; exchanging ideas, information, and opinions with others to formulate policies and programs and/or arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions or solutions. Skill in reasoning persuasively to __________.
Teaching	Skill in fostering a stimulating, accepting learning environment.
Teamwork	Skill in working as part of a team; collaborating with colleagues.
Establishing Work Relationships	Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with ______________.
Interacting with People of Various Backgrounds	Skill in interacting with persons of various social, cultural, economic and educational backgrounds for the purpose of _________.
Public Relations	Skill in interacting diplomatically with the public in a high volume, continuous public contact setting. Ability to maintain equanimity in the face of resistance, indifference or hostility.
Supervising	Skill in supervising _________________ including: organizing objectives. delegating responsibility. training. evaluating subordinate effectiveness. administering necessary discipline.

Changing Tasks	Skill in performing a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another of a different nature. (Consider when several duties in a job indicate significant differences in technologies, techniques, environmental factors, physical demands or work situations.)
Repetition	Skill in performing repetitive work according to set procedures, sequence and pace. (Consider when the work is performed according to a routine or set sequence and there is an absence of diversion or room for independent judgment.)
Distractions	Skill in performing under the stress of frequent interruptions and/or distractions.
Fluctuating Workload	Ability to perform effectively under conditions of fluctuating workload.
Prioritizing	Skill in setting priorities which accurately reflect the relative importance of job responsibilities. Skill in prioritizing assignments to complete work in a timely manner when there are: Changes in a workload. Changes in assignment. Pressures of deadlines. Competing requirements. Heavy workload.
Follow Through	Skill in working independently and following through on assignments with minimal direction.
Ambiguity	Ability to accept equivocal circumstances and take action where answers to a problem are not readily apparent.

Reading Skills

Reading to File	Skill in reading English words, simple sentences and numbers on documents so they can be properly filed.
Reading Standard English Text	Skill in reading documents written in standard English text (e.g. administrative manuals).
Reading Technical	Skill in reading (technical, legal or scientific) documents, such as ____________.

Writing Skills

Basic Writing

Skills in using basic English words and phrases to complete _____________________.

Skill in writing brief sentences to _____________. (No emphasis placed upon proper grammar and punctuation knowledge due to presence of a number of standard examples which can be followed).

Visualization

Writing skill to vividly describe people or scenes so that others can visualize them.

Businesss Writing

Skill in writing grammatically correct routine business correspondence such as brief transmittal memoranda.

Skill in writing concise, logical, grammatically correct analytical reports to explain ______________________________.

Skill in writing technical reports on ____________________ which are suitable for publication in professional journals.

Speaking Skills

Basic Oral Communication	Skill in speaking simple sentences to _________________ (Appropriate vocabulary and grammer not critical factors.)
Conversational Speaking	Ability to speak on a one-to-one basis using appropriate vocabulary and grammar to: obtain information explain policies, procedures, etc. persuade others to accept or adopt a specific opinion, action, etc.
Public Speakiing	Ability to make oral group presentations to: persuade others to accept a specific opinion, action, etc. provide information or explain procedures, policies, etc.
Extemporaneous	Skill in discussing a variety of job-related topics on short or no notice. Skill in handling rapid changes in conversation involving difficult questions.
Speaking with People of Various Backgrounds	Skill in speaking with persons of various social, cultural, economic and educational backgrounds to ________.
Bilingual Speaking	English/Spanish bilingual oral communication skill to __________.
Phone Reception	Skill in speaking clearly and distinctly using correct English to ___________.