Skills are established procedures that lay the foundation to work with knowledge and is learned through experience and training. The Skills taxonomy we use is from O*NET(Mumford et. al., 1999) and the details are provided below 

Basic Skills — Developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge

Content — Background structures needed to work with and acquire more specific skills in a variety of different domains

  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
  • Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Process — Procedures that contribute to the more rapid acquisition of knowledge and skill across a variety of domains

  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Cross-Functional Skills — Developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs

Social Skills — Developed capacities used to work with people to achieve goals

  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
  • Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

Complex Problem Solving Skills — Developed capacities used to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings

  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Technical Skills — Developed capacities used to design, set-up, operate, and correct malfunctions involving application of machines or technological systems

  • Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
  • Technology Design — Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
  • Equipment Selection — Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
  • Installation — Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
  • Programming — Writing computer programs for various purposes.
  • Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Equipment Maintenance — Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
  • Troubleshooting — Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
  • Repairing — Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
  • Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Systems Skills — Developed capacities used to understand, monitor, and improve socio-technical systems

  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Resource Management Skills — Developed capacities used to allocate resources efficiently

  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Management of Financial Resources — Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
  • Management of Material Resources — Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
  • Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

For more details refer to O*NET