Examples of Skills: Job, Life, and Personal Skills

These examples of transferrable skills are in demand in today's job market.

By
, Director of Content Strategy
Updated February 21, 2023
A woman leading team meeting.
  • DESCRIPTION
    Meeting as Job Skills Example
  • SOURCE
    Meeting: monkeybusinessimages / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Background: Tolchik / iStock / Getty Images Plus
  • PERMISSION
    Used under Getty Images license

Skills are the expertise, talent, and understanding needed to do a job or task. "Job" doesn't just mean a profession here, either. There are many different types of skills that can help you succeed at all aspects of your life whether it's school, work, or even a sport or hobby. It might take determination and practice, but almost any skill can be learned or improved. 

Types of Skills

Okay, so we already mentioned there are different types of skills for jobs, parenting, life, school, or hobbies. But how do you know the difference? And can some skills work for your profession and your life at the same time?

Well, determining which skills are useful in particular areas of your life all starts with defining the differences between the two main types: hard and soft skills.

Hard vs. Soft Skills

A hard skill is technical. It can be taught and measured. People usually build up their knowledge of hard skills through training, education, and experience.

Hard skills are usually closely aligned with careers, sports, and hobbies. These are also the types of skills that are featured on resumes or job applications.

Examples of hard skills include:

  • computer programming
  • data analysis
  • accounting
  • project management
  • writing and editing

soft skill is a personal attribute that creates a greater understanding of how to perform a job or task. It can also include presentation. communication, and leadership qualities.

Unlike hard skills, which are specific and teachable, soft skills are harder to quantify. However, they are just as important for career success as well as greater personal relationships. 

Soft skills are often developed through experience, personal relationships, and interactions with different cultures and social environments.

Examples of soft skills include:

  • communication
  • teamwork
  • problem-solving
  • adaptability
  • leadership
  • time management 
  • emotional intelligence
Advertisement

Skills vs. Talents vs. Abilities

It's also important to discuss the difference between the meanings of skillstalents, and abilities. These terms are fairly similar and are often listed as synonyms to one another, but they do have distinct meanings that can be helpful to know.

A skill, as mentioned above, is a great ability or proficiency; expertness that comes from training, practice, etc. It can also be defined as knowledge, understanding, or judgment. This is why hard and soft skills are both classified as, well, skills.

talent is any natural ability or power; natural endowment. It's usually viewed as innate, which means you didn't have to learn or train to gain this talent.

Instead, it's just part of your personality or natural makeup. We often see professional athletes as having talent for their sport — it comes natural to them. Artists can also be defined as having creative talent. 

Lastly, an ability can be a skill or a talent. That's because an ability is really just the quality of being able to do something, especially the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to accomplish something. So, if you can physically or mentally do it, you have that ability. 

Advertisement

Job Skills Examples

Now that we know what a skill is, we can look at examples that are helpful for most jobs. There are hard and soft skills needed for jobs that are not only desirable by employers but necessary in order to grow in your role or work well with others. 

Leadership and Management Skills

  • Advising
  • Coaching
  • Conflict resolution
  • Decision making
  • Delegating
  • Diplomacy
  • Interviewing
  • Motivation
  • People management
  • Problem solving
  • Strategic thinking

Professionalism Skills

  • Dedication
  • Ethics
  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Maturity
  • Patience
  • Presentation
  • Reliability
  • Self confidence

Organizational Skills

  • Categorizing data
  • Coordinating
  • Goal setting
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Multi-tasking
  • Prioritizing
  • Project management
  • Scheduling
  • Strategic planning
  • Time management
Advertisement

Team Building Skills

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Flexibility
  • Listening
  • Observation
  • Participation
  • Respect
  • Sharing

Analytical Skills

  • Critical thinking
  • Data analysis
  • Numeracy
  • Reporting
  • Research
  • Troubleshooting

Life Skills Examples

A woman checking the engine of her car.
  • DESCRIPTION
    Woman checking her car as life skills example
  • SOURCE
    Woman:PeopleImages / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Background: Tolchik / iStock / Getty Images Plus
  • PERMISSION
    Used under Getty Images license

There are many skills that are useful and necessary in your day-to-day life. Depending on what stage of life you are in, these skills can differ from person to person.

Some of the most common life skills include:

  • Car maintenance
  • Cleaning
  • Driving
  • Emergency preparedness
  • First Aid and CPR
  • Washing laundry
  • Following a recipe/basic cookery
  • Garden maintenance
  • Getting ready for work/school on time
  • Grocery shopping
  • Making a bed
  • Making a household budget
  • Organizing: closet, cupboard, shed, attic, garage
  • Painting a room
  • Parenting
  • Setting and clearing the table
  • Studying
  • Taking out the trash
  • Tracking personal finances
  • Unclogging a toilet and basic plumbing
  • Vacuuming
  • Taxes
Advertisement

Personal Skills Examples

There are also many skills that contribute to someone's personal development. These skills can better your life and open you up to expanding and improving yourself in various ways, including developing personal relationships.

Personal skills include:

  • Adaptability
  • Compassion
  • Common sense
  • Cooperation
  • Curiosity
  • Effort
  • Empathy
  • Flexibility
  • Friendship
  • Humility
  • Initiative
  • Integrity
  • Organization
  • Patience
  • Perseverance
  • Problem solving
  • Responsibility
  • Sense of humor
  • Stress management
  • Verbal and nonverbal communication

Student Skill Examples

A student working on an orange laptop.
  • DESCRIPTION
    Student and laptop as student skill example
  • SOURCE
    Student: Xavier Lorenzo / Moment / Getty Images / Background: Tolchik / iStock / Getty Images Plus
  • PERMISSION
    Used under Getty Images license

Students need many skills that are essential to learning in a classroom setting. Not only will these skills prepare you for your next level of education, but they will also help you succeed at your current level.

Some student skills include:

  • Accountability
  • Analyzing information
  • Communication
  • Critical thinking
  • Digital literacy
  • Following directions
  • Imagination
  • Initiative
  • Notetaking
  • Organization
  • Public speaking and presentation
  • Problem solving
  • Questioning
  • Reading
  • Time management
  • Writing
Advertisement

Sports Skills Examples

There are a wide variety of skills needed for different sports: running, passing, throwing, and so on. 

Some other sport-related skills include:

  • Concentration
  • Coordination
  • Dealing with pressure
  • Flexibility
  • Footwork
  • Performing repetitive drills
  • Power
  • Precision
  • Tactics
  • Teamwork