What is a Skill Set?

People preparing for a morning meeting
Ezra Bailey / Taxi / Getty Images

A skill set is a particular category of skills or abilities necessary to perform a job. Examples of specific skill sets include human relations, research and planning, leadership, management, and computer skills.

Read below for information on types of skill sets, and how to match your skill sets to particular job requirements.

What Types of Skill Sets Are There?

There are multiple types of skill sets.

  For example, skill sets can be considered soft or hard.

Soft skills are interpersonal, or people, skills. They are difficult to quantify, and relate to a person’s personality and ability to work with others. Soft skills include communication, critical thinking, and conflict resolution, among others.

Hard skills are quantifiable and teachable; they include specific knowledge and abilities required for a job. Examples of hard skills include computer programming, accounting, mathematics, and data analysis.

Here's more information on the difference between hard skills and soft skills.

There are also job specific and transferable skill sets. Transferable skills and skill sets are those that can apply to many different career fields. These include soft skills like critical thinking and problem solving.

Job specific skill sets are those necessary for a particular job. For example, a hair stylist must know hair-coloring techniques, a clerk must have payroll skills, and a nutritionist must have diet management knowledge.

Here is a list of job specific employment skills for many different occupations.

How Do I Match My Skill Set to the Skills Required for a Job?

It is important to show employers that you have the skills necessary for the job you are applying for. You can demonstrate this in your resume, cover letter, and in the interview.

Job listings often include a list of skill sets that applicants require. In your resume and cover letter, reference the skill sets you have that apply to the job listing.

For example, if a position requires an applicant with strong computer skills, include in your resume a list of the software programs you are familiar with.

In your cover letter, mention your computer skills, and provide a specific example of a job you had where you used those skills regularly.

Use this list of resume and cover letter keywords to find ways to describe your skills to employers.

You should also emphasize your skill sets that relate to the job in your interview. Before an interview, make a list of your skill sets that relate to the job. For each skill set, come up with a particular example of a time you have demonstrated or used that skill in the past.

The closer a match your credentials are to the hiring criteria, the better your chances of getting a job offer.

Here's information on job specific skills including examples and how to promote them when applying for jobs. Also review this list of employment skills for many different occupations.

How Do I Develop New Skill Sets?

If you are looking for a job in an industry that requires a particular skill set, it is important for you to develop that skill set.

One way to do that is through skillsharing. Skillsharing is when someone with a particular skill shares his or her knowledge in exchange for lessons in another skill. Often, this can be done online through a web tutorial. For example, someone looking for a job in marketing might exchange an online tutorial about web design for a tutorial in marketing strategy.

You can also develop skills in other ways, including taking online courses in both hard and soft skills.

Read More: Hard Skills | Soft Skills | Transferable Skills | Skills and Abilities | Resume Skills List | Skillsharing