The Skills Audit Method is useful in working with people in various situations in life – from someone who needs a broad diagnosis of their competences to a person trying to get a specific job or promotion.
The Skills Audit Method:
Clients who have had experience with career counselling emphasise that the audit provides a more detailed analysis of strengths and weaknesses than other methods used by counsellors.
Zbigniew will be retiring in a few years. He doesn’t know how he will cope financially then, so he would like to continue working. He has spent almost 30 years in a company manufacturing public transport vehicles and believes that he knows a lot in this field. However, he is not convinced that these skills could be useful in another job. He also knows that finding a job at his age is difficult. Moreover, he has no experience in looking for a job and is unfamiliar with the market. Zbigniew needs help in determining exactly which competences he has, and where they could be used.
Maria is studying international relations. To earn extra money, she works at the reception desk of a fitness club on weekends. She has many interests but none that she is keen on. She wants a stable job in a nice atmosphere, but she doesn’t know which sector or in which position she could work. She thinks she doesn’t know much, even though she has always been a good student. She feels quite lost – she has never really thought about herself or her goals. Maria needs help in getting to know herself better, understanding her competences, and sorting out what she considers important.
Elena came from Ukraine to study management (the secondary school completion exam is taken there earlier than in Poland). The scholarship does not cover all the costs of living, so she wants to find a job – preferably one that relates to managing a team, but she would also be happy with a part-time job. Previously, she helped her parents run a guesthouse, worked, among others, at the reception desk, handled social media, and managed the work of others. In Poland, as a minor and without citizenship, she has very limited opportunities to find a job. She does not speak Polish fluently, which is an additional barrier. Elena needs help with discovering what she requires to find a job as quickly as possible.
Zbigniew will be retiring in a few years. He doesn’t know how he will cope financially then, so he would like to continue working. He has spent almost 30 years in a company manufacturing public transport vehicles and believes that he knows a lot in this field. However, he is not convinced that these skills would be useful in another job. He also knows that finding a job at his age is difficult. Moreover, he has no experience in looking for a job and is unfamiliar with the market. Zbigniew needs help in determining exactly which competences he has, and where they could be used.
Expected benefits from the skills audit:
First meeting with the counsellor
Zbigniew decided to proceed with the skills audit after an initial conversation with the counsellor. He briefly presented his situation and received basic information about the Skills Audit Method.
The counsellor explained to him, among other things, the benefits he can gain from doing the skills audit. Together they agreed on how they will work together on this and the date and scope of their next meeting.
For Zbigniew, the skills audit is the first step in answering the question “What next?”
He learned from the counsellor that not only hard skills are important on the labour market. He hopes that the audit will allow him to name everything he knows – especially those competences that he has so far defined as “dealing with people” or simply as “professional experience”.
He is prepared for a long process if, as a result, he gains the information that will allow him to make further decisions.
What happened at the stage of identifying competences?
Zbigniew thought that all he could do was assemble buses.
When asked about his skills, he mentioned first those that he needed in his work as a mechanic. He had heard about “soft skills”, but did not think they were very important. In his opinion, a specialist should primarily know his job (“be able to diagnose and repair a faulty machine, be able to assemble a vehicle”). Anything that went beyond his hard skills he called “professional experience”.
The counsellor started by discussing with Zbigniew his experiences in various areas of life. As part of the biographical interview, she asked, among others, about his professional experience, education, courses, training and certified qualifications, interests, social activities, knowledge of foreign languages. It took almost two meetings to collect all this information.
As a result, they identified several areas to focus on during the behavioural interview. This consisted of a conversation about Zbigniew’s individual activities and the competences each of them required.
Additionally, the counsellor asked Zbigniew to fill out the Competences Assessment Tool (Narzędzie Badania Kompetencji – NBK). As a result, it turned out that Zbigniew had many skills unrelated to mechanics (including culinary, mathematics and management skills from leading a team of several people).
Together with the counsellor, they wrote down these competences, which took another meeting. Zbigniew then determined which of them he considered most important and which were less important. This way, they learned that he had a passion for teaching others, in addition to a few other things.
What happened at the stage of preparing a portfolio?
Zbigniew prepared an extensive portfolio, including evidence of as many recognised competences as possible.
With the help of his counsellor, he included not only certificates of completion of vocational schools and various courses. He also added a detailed description of how he trained younger colleagues to use new tools and added the opinion of his supervisor on this subject. He also used part of a video promoting his company at a job fair, in which he demonstrated safety tests of assembled buses (this helped him demonstrate knowledge about the subject as well as presentation and communication skills).
It took almost three months to prepare the portfolio, mainly because Zbigniew did not have much evidence of his competences and had to gather it.
An additional challenge for him was making an electronic portfolio. He turned to his grandson for help. Although it made the process longer, Zbigniew learned a few new things about using a computer (and showed his grandson what a portfolio is).
Zbigniew remained in contact with the counsellor at all times. They also met once to discuss the evidence that could demonstrate his listed competences.
Zbigniew will be able to modify the portfolio in the future depending on his needs (e.g., by selecting elements useful in applying for a specific job).
What happened at the stage of preparing a development plan?
When planning the next activities, Zbigniew wanted to focus first on selecting an area in which he could develop further.
He also began to consider other possibilities. Year by year, fewer and fewer young people were coming to his workplace for internships and vocational training. And although Zbigniew does not have the patience and willingness to oversee young employees, the results showed that he is capable of teaching others. So he thought he would propose an adult mentoring program to his employer. This would allow people with extensive work experience (even retired people) to train younger employees in various tasks. Zbigniew intends to use the evidence from his portfolio to increase the credibility of his proposal.
Story summary
Zbigniew worked mainly under the guidance of a counsellor.
Number of meetings – 5:
Additional techniques and tools:
Zbigniew’s work between meetings:
Maria is studying international relations. To earn extra money, she works at the reception desk of a fitness club on weekends. She has many interests but nothing that she is passionate about. She wants a stable job with a nice atmosphere, but doesn’t know in which industry or position she could work. She doesn’t think she knows much, even though she’s been a good student all her life. She feels quite lost – she’s never given much thought about herself or her goals. Maria needs help in getting to know herself, understanding her skills, and sorting out her values.
Expected benefits from the skills audit
First meeting with the counsellor
Maria wasn’t sure if she wanted to do the audit. On the one hand, she was curious about everything that could help her set her own goals (and get to know herself a little better). On the other hand, the meeting with the counsellor didn’t go the way she had expected. The process of identifying competences, preparing a portfolio, and developing plans for further action seemed long and tedious. She left the counsellor’s office undecided.
After talking to her mother and brother, she decided it was worth a try. She knew she could stop the process of doing the skills audit at any time.
What happened at the stage of identifying competences?
The counsellor conducted biographical and behavioural interviews with Maria. She also completed the “Schein’s Career Anchors” test. The counsellor also suggested the “Key to a Career” test to better identify her aptitudes.
The most difficult thing for Maria was to distinguish the specific competences of the various activities she had undertaken (“working at the reception desk requires good contact with people; it’s probably a soft skill, right?”).
It took two meetings, but self-reflection and a conversation with the counsellor during the audit allowed Maria to identify her values, aptitudes, and talents. As a result, she narrowed down the field of activities in which she wanted to work.
As part of this stage, the counsellor recommended that Maria familiarise herself with the realities of the job market (based on the sources he indicated). Maria learned more about the types of positions she could apply for while still studying.
What happened at the stage of preparing a portfolio?
When she started the audit, Maria didn’t think she had many skills. As a result, she thought her portfolio would have hardly any content. This made it easier for her to decide to gather as much evidence as possible of all the identified competences.
As her work with the counsellor progressed, it became clear that Maria knew and could do more than she had thought. She began to wonder if she really wanted to document everything. After some thought, however, she decided that an extensive portfolio could be modified depending on her needs (for example, by selecting items that would be useful in applying for a specific job).
Moreover, preparing a portfolio—although time-consuming and somewhat frustrating—allowed her to see all of her many competences, and that she could be proud of herself.
What happened at the stage of preparing a development plan?
Maria discovered that, on the one hand, she was very interested in the economic policies of Asia, as well as a stable job position in an international environment. On the other hand, she also learned that she did not mind travelling abroad and working hard, as long as it brought interesting challenges. Therefore, she specified her goal—to find employment in a corporation trading with China.
Her development plan focused on how to achieve this goal. First, she gathered information about potential employers (which companies operate in Poland, whether they employ students, which requirements must be met). She also determined how to optimally develop her missing skills (which subjects or additional courses are needed, and when). She wrote down her activities for the coming year in detail.
Story summary
Maria worked largely under the guidance of a counsellor.
Number of meetings – 6:
Additional techniques and tools:
Maria’s work between meetings:
Elena came from Ukraine to study management (the secondary school completion exam is taken there earlier than in Poland). Her scholarship does not cover all living expenses, so she wants to find a job—ideally one that relates to managing a team, but she would also be happy with a part-time job. Previously, she helped her parents run a guesthouse, worked, among others, at the reception desk, handled social media, and managed the work of others. In Poland, as a minor and without citizenship, she has very limited opportunities to find a job. She does not speak Polish fluently, which is an additional barrier. Elena needs help with discovering what she requires to secure employment as quickly as possible
Expected benefits from the skills audit:
First meeting with a counsellor
Elena approached a counsellor at the academic career center, thinking they would give her a job offer. They briefly explained to her the difficulties she would face in this regard, taking into account her lack of citizenship, being underage, and her intermediate-level knowledge of Polish. Therefore, they suggested that she should undergo a skills audit. Elena agreed, mainly interested in the prospect of learning about her strengths and creating an action plan based on the competences identified during the assessment.
Together, they agreed on doing a skills audit, determined the expected time frames, and reviewed the rules (including individual work between meetings, which Elena accepted with some hesitation).
To encourage Elena, the counsellor showed her an electronic tool where she could collect evidence of specific competences. They also scheduled another meeting.
What happened at the stage of identifying competences?
The audit of Elena’s competences began with a biographical interview. Elena talked about her education, plans, and hopes for her stay in Poland as well as about working at her parents’ guesthouse.
The counsellor focused mainly on the last aspect and moved on to the behavioural interview during this meeting. He mainly asked about her responsibilities at the guesthouse. Elena ran social media there, once a week she was on duty for several hours at the reception desk, and, if needed, she replaced her father in supervising the work of the cleaners.
After writing down Elena’s tasks, they began to think about which skills each of them required.
It took them another meeting, but as a result, Elena understood that running the social media of her parents’ guesthouse required her to have knowledge and skills that are valued on the labour market—she would be able to use them in other areas.
Between meetings, Elena completed the “Schein’s Career Anchors” test and searched for information about the Polish labour market (based on sources indicated by the counsellor).
At the end of this skills audit stage, they identified areas for further work and training needs. Elena learned that it would be easier to find a job if she developed the ability to work in a group and had self-presentation skills. She should also supplement her knowledge about organisational culture (so far, for example, she had little idea about the dress code).
What happened at the stage of preparing a portfolio?
Elena started by gathering evidence of her digital competences. In her electronic portfolio, she included links to the social media she ran and to her parents’ guesthouse website, which she helped modernise. Following the counsellor’s advice, she described the actions she took. She pointed out the problems she encountered along the way and how she overcame them. She also used a screenshot of a Facebook conversation to show how she dealt with a difficult customer (it was a response to an unfavorable review of the guesthouse).
Preparing all the descriptions in Polish was a problem for her, but it strengthened her motivation to continue learning the language.
What happened at the stage of preparing a development plan?
The development plan prepared for Elena was based on the goals that she wants to achieve.
While working with the counsellor, Elena learned more about the Polish labour market. As a result, she decided to focus on improving her Polish language skills and wait until she was 18 to look for a job. Elena planned a sequence of actions, starting with finding (with the help of the counsellor) the best Polish course offered outside the university. She also prepared a budget—since she cannot start working immediately, she must limit her expenses.
Elena’s development plan first took into account the next few months (until she reached the age of 18): finding an appropriate Polish language course and preparing a savings plan. However, she also planned general activities for the next 5 years: gaining knowledge about the Polish labour market and choosing additional subjects at university.
The counsellor illustrated all the steps on a life line.
Story summary:
Elena mainly worked with a counsellor.
Number of meetings – 6:
Additional techniques and tools:
Elena’s work between meetings: