Skills-First Practices for Individuals: Skills Identification & Career Navigation

You plan your next career move around what you can actually do, not just the certificates you hold — because employers increasingly hire and promote based on proven ability.

Try this:

• List the skills that you have developed through your work and experience, not just the qualifications you've earned. 

• Gather evidence, such as work samples and testimonials, that can demonstrate your skills application.

• Identify jobs that interest you, including roles you may not previously have considered. 

You assess how your current skills map onto other jobs, including ones you may not have considered.

Try this:

• Use the Skills Framework to find jobs that require similar skills like yours.

• Identify the additional skills you would need to develop and use these to plan your next learning steps.

You identify skills you already have that would let you move sideways into a different job — useful if your current role is shrinking or changing.

Try this:

• Identify a job of your interest and find out the skills required.

• Compare the skills that you have against the skills needed for the job to determine the transferable skills.

• Examine the required skills and development areas, and work with your supervisor or a career coach to plan your next career move.

You set aside time — for example, once a year — to take stock of your skills and experience, so you have an up-to-date picture ready when a new opportunity or job change comes up. 

Try this:

• Schedule a yearly skills review to identify skills you are using less, need to refresh or want to develop further.

• Note new skills that you have gained through work, projects or learning. 

You hold onto a clear sense of who you are and what you want from your career, so that a setback — including losing a job to automation — becomes a chance to choose a new direction, not just a search for the same job again.

Try this:

• Write down what matters to you in a career beyond any single role.

• Treat a setback as a prompt to reassess direction, not just replace the same job.

• Use your skills as the foundation for choosing a new path forward.

You check that a course fits your interests and life priorities before spending time or money on it, rather than choosing it simply because it is popular or in demand.

Try this:

• Ask whether the course builds a skill you'll actually use before enrolling.

• Check the time commitment fits your work and family life.

• Choose learning that moves you toward your goals, not just what's trending.

You make use of shared tools, such as Skills Frameworks and Jobs Transformation Maps, to better understand your skills, career options and changing job opportunities, without needing expert interpretation.

Try this:

• Reference the Skills Framework to describe the skills you have in your current job.

• Use Jobs Transformation Maps to spot which of your skills are in demand and find out how different jobs are being disrupted.

You keep your Careers & Skills Passport and career planning documents up to date, so they reflect your latest skills, experience, career goals and next steps.

Try this:

• Seek endorsement of your skills from your peers, such as managers, supervisors, and colleagues. 

• Gather evidence, such as work samples and testimonials, that can illustrate the skills that you have.

• Add new skills to your Careers & Skills Passport as you acquire them.

At every major career transition, you discuss your skills and career plans with your employer or a career coach, and review whether your actions are improving your career opportunities, skills and earnings. 

Try this:

• Use career transitions as opportunities to reassess your aspirations and explore new pathways, rather than simply seeking a similar role. 

• Discuss your options with your supervisor or a career coach and identify possible pathways forward.

• Check whether your recent learning and moves are opening better opportunities.