Skills and Competency Checklists

In many industries, skills and competency checklists are extremely important, as they ensure that all employees meet a minimum ability level. You need your technicians to understand the equipment they fix, for example. Typically, this means that they need to test into some form of core competency around circuitry, networking and pressure systems. One of the most effective ways to test core competency is to use a checklist, though how and when to use these checklists can largely depend on your profession.

Skills and competency checklists are an extremely useful management tool when utilized correctly. Large organizations often have these lists available for all of their employees to access. On a small shop-by-shop basis, a manager may add other things to the checklist, but it is typically frowned upon for him to remove things.

A basic technical profession checklist might include the following required skills:

• Displays an understanding of basic electrical circuitry.
• Able to clearly and effectively communicate with nontechnical staff.
• Able to prioritize on their own with work orders.
• Understanding of personal protective equipment (PPE) for their location.
• Up to date on chemical safety procedures.
• Understanding of facility’s lock-out-tag-out procedures.

In more regulated fields, there might be very long checklists that ensure your staff has completed all the annual training that they need in order to do their jobs effectively. Many shops also have individual checklists for specializations to ensure that best practices are maintained.

There are always going to be different skill sets that you might need for any given profession. Some of those skills are extremely general, and others are required only for specialists. These example industry samples are not meant to be precise for any given position, so be sure you check with your employer or potential employer to verify.

The skills and competency checklist for a construction worker could include any of the following:

• Ability to carry up to 100 lbs.
• Ability to accurately measure.
• Precision welding.
• Ability to clearly follow directions.

Nurses need to be able to handle a multitude of tasks and have certifications up to date that allow them to practice. Every state and hospital network is different. A competency skills checklist sample for a nurse might include:

• Awareness of PPE.
• Up to date on incident reporting training.
• Up to date on blood-borne pathogens training.
• Strong interpersonal skills.

Like construction workers, carpenters should have strong analytical and lifting skills. Most states require that they have some form of license that will need to be updated with the state in which they work. Some checklist skills for a carpenter might include:

• Able to accurately estimate job time.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Understanding of building codes.
• Aware of city and state permit requirements.

Listing your skills on a resume has become more complicated since the application process has become increasingly automated. The layout of your resume is extremely important, and what’s considered ideal changes often. What sort of industry you are looking to join can also play a part in how your ideal resume should look.

Skilled trades people such as mechanics, engineers or nurses can have a multicolumn section of skills and certifications listed first on the resume. Keep in mind that basic skills may not be worth noting. In the past, saying that you were proficient in Microsoft Word and Outlook was worth putting on your resume. These days, it tends to look a bit out of touch.

In general, you should use your resume to highlight your soft skills while you discuss your accomplishments. The resume is a place to list a position held and explain an achievement of which you are proud or that employers might find significant. Your explanation should be a sentence or two and should show that you are able to do the job for which you are applying in the correct way.