Today we continue the series on using your Skills Language. So far, we have determined the critical importance of describing your skills and the Three Basic Types of Skills.  Today, we explain how to prove your Skills Language to others, which builds your confidence and their confidence in you.

What’s Your Story
What events in your past have you especially enjoyed, made you particularly proud, or gave you a unique sense of accomplishment? Take time to write about your life so far. How have you helped someone, earned recognition, made something or solved a problem?

We often are proud or pleased when we solve a problem, overcome a challenge or achieve a goal. These are our achievements – our accomplishments. An achievement is anything you have done that gave you a feeling of pride when you were done. Achievements can come from any part of your life (for example, childhood, school, home, work or a hobby).

You have achieved something when:

• You think you did it well, and maybe other people think so, too;
• You felt pride in having done it;
• You may have enjoyed doing it.

You also may identify something as an achievement when:

• You learned something from the process, and/or
• You learned something from the result.

When you say you have a particular skill, your achievements are the situations and results that best prove you have that skill. In other words:

Skills + Achievements = PROOF by Example

Describing Your Achievements Using STAR
Some people have trouble describing their accomplishments (maybe that includes you). Using a method we call “STAR” makes it easier to describe your skills and achievements. Each part of STAR is important to help you explain and make clear the skills you possess.

Use STAR to describe an achievement:

Situation or Task + the Action you took + the Results you achieved.

STAR = Achievements = “Proof”

Describe a Situation or Task from your experience:

• Think of a time when you were successful in using your skill.
• When did it happen?
• Where did it happen?
• Who was involved?
• What task needed to be done?
• What problem did you need to solve?

Describes your actions – how did you use your skill(s) to accomplish the task?

• What happened?
• What did you do?
• How did you feel?
• What “I AM” skills did you use?
• What “I CAN” skills did you use?
• What “I KNOW HOW TO” skills did you use?

What happened because of your actions; what were the Results?

• What changed?
• What difference did you make? How do you know?
• How did you feel?
• How did the people around you feel?
• Can you measure the results?

Use this exercise to practice giving examples that prove what you say about yourself. The better you can prove your Skills Language by giving examples, the more likely employers will be interested in you. Practice by writing down your STAR examples. Practice by saying them to a friend. Practice them every time you speak with a potential employer or networking source.