Skills versus personal qualities

Looking for a job is a big task! That is why it is especially important to understand job adverts. Apart from typical information like the name of the company, duties and responsibilities of the job, qualifications and experience required, job adverts sometimes specify skills and qualities that the candidates are required to have. But what's the difference between skills and personal qualities?

Look at some examples below. The words underlined in red refer to skills whereas the words underlined in green refer to personal qualities. Have a think what the difference is between them.

Generally speaking, the difference between skills and personal qualities is that skills refer to something that we can do while personal qualities refer to the way we are, our character. We can also say that we can get better at our skills, for example, the longer we use computers, the better computer skills we have. On the other hand, our personal qualities remain the same throughout our lives, for example, you can be a friendly person by nature. We can't really become 'friendlier' in time. 

Sometimes, however, the distinction isn't as clear-cut. Let's think about the word 'persuasive'. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, this word means 'able to persuade somebody to do or believe something', which would imply that it is more of a skill. This sort of skill would be sought after in a call centre where, as a representative, you often have to sell things. Let's say you have to sell home insurance. The more insurance policies you sell, the stronger persuasive skills you have. And of course, as you have to practise selling them every day, you become better at persuading people and you sell even more policies. In other words, 'persuasive' is a skill because you get better at it in time. 

On the other hand, some people are naturally persuasive. Maybe it's their tone of voice or maybe certain words that they use. Regardless of the reason, people tend to give in to their persuasiveness. That is why some of the call centre workers achieve remarkable results in selling insurance whereas other people just can't sell any insurance policies at all. So, we can say that 'persuasive' is a bit the way you are. You can't just learn it because otherwise all call centre workers would sell the same amount of policies.

Below, there is a list of skills and personal qualities that the employers look the most in  their future employees. Maybe you can use some words in your CV or an application form?

Formal letters- how to plan & write them?

From time to time we are required to write a formal piece of writing, usually a letter. We can write a covering letter to support our job application form or a letter of complaint when we are dissatisfied with service that we received. Regardless of the type of letter that we need to write, it's always good to have a plan.

Let's look closely at the following situation:

You have a direct debit of £35 set up with your mobile phone provider to pay for your phone bill every month. Last month, £335 was taken from your account and as a result you went £200 overdraft. You need to write a letter of complaint to the bank manager of your bank explaining the situation and suggesting resolution to the problem.

First, we need to have a plan for our letter. There are a few ways in which you can plan your writing. Here, you have got four examples: a list, a writing frame, a flow chart and a mind map. All of the examples show various ways in which you can plan the letter above.

List

Writing frame

Flow chart

Mind map

So once you have a plan you need to write a draft. A draft is the first version of your letter. Many students think that the first version of their piece of writing is good enough to go. That's a mistake.  A draft is just a way of putting your plan into a letter-like shape but it is NOT the letter that you can send. At this stage you just need to write and not worry about the grammar mistakes or spelling problems. You will correct them later. Below, you have an example of a draft. 

Once you have your draft, there are many ways in which you can improve it. Below you have a mind map which shows different aspects that need to be looked at when editing a piece of writing. 

by mariolahejduk

So, below you have an example of how we could correct the draft. Please bear in mind that this might not be the final version yet. You might need more editing before you arrive at a version that you are happy with.

So now it's time to write the final version of our letter. Here's an example:

                                                                                                                                Jane Smith

                                                                                                                                12 White Gardens

                                                                                                                                London

                                                                                                                                WS1 4QR

The Manager                                                                                                            22.01.14

Lloyds Bank

12 Poor Street

TS5 7RJ

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about an unauthorised transaction that took place on my bank account (bank account number 44123124) on Thursday 18.01.14.

I have a direct debit set up with my mobile phone provider, Vodafone, of £35. The amount is taken from my account at the beginning of every month. Last week, £335 was taken from my bank account. I called Vodafone to enquire about it but they said that they only received the usual amount. So the problem seems to be with your system.

As a result of this mistake, I went £200 overdraft and I am being charged an overdraft fee of £5 every day. What is more, last weekend I could not afford my weekly shopping and I am not able to pay other bills which are due this month. I find this whole situation very stressful and I am disappointed with the fact that your bank allowed such situation to happen.

Can you give this matter your immediate attention? I would like you to refund my money immediately and cancel any overdraft charges.

Yours faithfully,

Jane Smith

                                                                                               

Remember that writing is a process. You need to start with a plan, i.e. you generate ideas and try to write them down showing relationship between them. Then, you write your ideas in sentences in paragraphs, i.e. you create your draft. Finally, you edit your work. You check for grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes but also you add and delete sentences and you change words so that they sound more formal.