Skills, knowledge and experience

Thinking about your skills, knowledge and experiences is a great way to figure out what jobs you could do and what you’d enjoy:

brainstorm your skills, knowledge, and experience with whānau and friends. Think about what you’re good at doing and the skills involved – it might be art, playing sport, carving, preparing a hangi, or baking.
read some job ads or job descriptions and circle the skills, knowledge, and experience listed. Then try and match each skill with things you have done, e.g. I gained communication skills by working at the supermarket.

The Tahatū Career Navigator website has great resources for figuring out your skills and finding your career path.

It’s also important to think about your passions and interests! Have a look at jobs that match your passions and interests and think about what skills, knowledge and experiences you bring to these jobs.

Employability skills

Employability skills are skills that are valued by employers when they hire for a job. These skills are commonly seen in job ads and they are:

A positive attitude | Te waia
Communication | Te whitiwhiti kōrero
Self-management | Te whakahaere-whaiaro
Thinking skills | Ngā pūkenga whakaaro
Teamwork | Te mahi ngātahi
Willingness to learn | Te hiahia ki te ako
Resilience | Te manawaroa

These skills can be learnt while you study, in your community or for yourself. For example,

joining a sports team or kapa haka group could help improve your teamwork.
creating and following a study plan can help improve your self-management.
socialising and meeting new people can help improve your communication and resilience.
doing work experience or community work can help add to your CV and are an awesome place place to start if you haven’t had a lot of jobs in the past.

There are programmes especially designed for young people to develop skills too, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Tahatū Career Navigator YouTube channel has heaps of videos showing different jobs and the skills you need for them.

Other valuable skills and knowledge

There are also some general skills and knowledge that many employers look for. These can help improve your chances of getting a job in different industries.

Being able to read, write, and do basic maths is important for most jobs. These help you to understand health and safety regulations, employment contracts, and other documents you might come across while you are working. The Tahatū Career Navigator website has some good information about where you can find help to improve your literacy and numeracy skills.

Having knowledge of different languages and cultures is often valuable to employers, especially in roles where you work with a wide range of people.

In Aotearoa, it’s also useful to have a basic understanding of te reo Māori, tikanga, and te ao Māori. There are many great resources for learning te reo Māori and tikanga, such as the Āke Āke and Kupu apps, Te Aka Māori Dictionary, and Māori Television.

There are some jobs that require a current first aid certificate and some employers value an applicant that has made the effort to get one.

Charities such as St John’s Ambulance and New Zealand Red Cross offer courses across the country, and you can often access first aid training through your education provider or workplace.

What job?

Now that you’ve thought about your skills, knowledge and experiences, you should consider what jobs suit you.

Some things to consider:

Where and how do you want to work?
What are your passions and interests?
How do you work with others?
What hours do you want to work?
How will your work support or impact on your whānau?
What challenges do you want in your work?

When you are deciding on which tertiary pathways you might like explore, Careers New Zealand is a good place to start. The video below shows some of the many vocational options that are available.

Video transcript available for Vocational Education and Training: the choice is yours Open

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Vocational Education and Training: the choice is yours

Host: When you’re choosing what to do, the choice feels huge. You need to be ready for anything. You need a vocation.

Horticulture worker: I chose to get in amongst it.

Electricity worker: I chose to make sure we’ve got power. . .

Electricity worker 2: . . . everywhere we need it!

Public water apprentice: I chose to earn, as I learned.

Nikita’s dad: When Nikita said she wanted to be a plumber, I chose to say. . . awesome.

Nikita: Out of the way Dad.

Construction manager: I chose to put a roof over people’s heads. . . to help put a roof over mine.

Bluebridge ferry engineer: I chose to be a part of the engine room of New Zealand. . . in an actual engine room.

Robotics worker: To find better ways to make stuff.

Farmer with robotic farm dog: To make the future happen. . . right now.

Car mechanic: I chose to give him an apprenticeship, and her, and him, and him.

Host: So choose skills for a world that never stops changing. Choose a job you’ll love doing every day. With vocational education and training, the choice is yours.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Employability skills

Other valuable skills and knowledge

What job?

Next in Getting a job

Applying for a job

Workplace rights and responsibilities