P R E S E N T I N G Y O U R S K I L L S

PRESENTING
YOUR SKILLS
I N T E R V I E W S, R É S U M É S, A N D O T H E R I N T E R A C T I O N S

P R E S E N T I N G Y O U R S K I L L S
When presenting your skills to others, use concise statements that briefly describe the value you can bring to the organization. Highlight a strength you have, and show how you have used that strength to achieve results. This kind of statement is referred to as a Power Statement.
Presenting facts about your skills and experience is not boasting; it allows others to understand how you can add value to their organization. Power Statements strengthen interviews, résumés, thank-you letters, and “Me in 30 Seconds” statements Power Statements include two elements, “power words” and achievements.

P O W E R W O R D S
When highlighting your strengths, use “power words”—positive words or short phrases that describe you, such as the following:
• Self-starter • Results-oriented
• Creative • Productive
• Motivated • Problem-solver
• Decisive • Teachable
• Resourceful • Responsible
• Persistent • Adaptable
• Organized

A C H I E V E M E N T S
When you describe an achievement, you may include:
• A challenge you faced.
• Actions you performed to overcome the challenge.
• The results of your actions.
Be sincere about your achievements, and do not explain every detail. Be very brief, but share enough so that the person you are talking to will be interested in hearing more. He or she will keep the conversation going by asking for more detail or calling you for an interview. Below are some examples of different types of achievements you could share:

Efficiency
• Implemented a new statistical tracking method that reduced the average error rate by 14 percent.
• Introduced the design of a new product line that became a best seller in the marketplace.
• Successfully kept all delinquent accounts under 5 percent each week.

Value
• Developed a new employee training program that increased employee retention by more than 80 percent.
• Facilitated the reorganization of the inventory- purchasing department. More than 90 percent of the employees identified the changes as improvements.
• Implemented product design changes that resulted in fewer rejects.

Magnitude
• Developed a training program that contributed to a 35-percent increase in customer participation.
• Implemented a marketing strategy that directly increased quarterly sales by 25 percent.
• Restructured the manufacturing department, increasing daily yield by 15 percent.

Cost and Revenue
• Designed a new product line that increased annual revenue by $250,000.
• Negotiated a contract that increased annual revenue by over $3 million.
• Reduced quarterly operating expenses by 35 percent.
• Facilitated the turnaround of a troubled organization from a negative $150,000 to a positive $1.5 million.

S A M P L E P O W E R S T A T E M E N T S
• I can achieve results. For example, I started a new tracking method that reduced the errors by 14 percent.
• I make good decisions. For example, I applied product- design changes that resulted in fewer rejects.
• I am creative. For example, I designed a new product line that increased revenue by $250,000.
• I have organization management skills. For example, I reorganized the company’s manufacturing department, increasing yield by 15 percent.

C R E A T E Y O U R O W N P O W E R S T A T E M E N T
Use the following formula to create a Power Statement:
I am [use a “power word” to describe a major strength]. For example, I [describe an achievement].