Your Resume needs to contain your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities.

These can be also disguised under Key Selection Criteria (KSC), each have distinct differences between them. Know the difference and win the interview.

Knowledge: The level of education, experience and training an individual must have at minimum to be considered qualified for the position.

Skills: Specific skills such as ability to create manipulate and utilize spread sheets, word, processing programs

Ability:  Tasks you have performed and the length of time spent in a particular role.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKA’s) are often contained in a list of special qualifications and personal attributes that you need to have for a particular job.  These are the unique requirements that a recruitment agency wants to find in the person selected to fill a particular job.  A primary purpose of KSAs is to measure those qualities that will set one candidate a part from the others.   How well an applicant can show that he or she matches the position’s defined KSAs determines whether that person will be seriously considered for the job.

Knowledge statements refer to an organised body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible.  A body of information applied directly to the performance of a function.

Skill statements refer to the proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things.  Skills can be readily measured by a performance test where quantity and quality of performance are tested, usually within an established time limit.  Examples of proficient manipulation of things are skill in typing or skill in operating a vehicle.  Examples of proficient manipulation of data are skill in computation using decimals; skill in editing for transposed numbers, etc.

 Ability statements refer to the power to perform an observable activity at the present time.  This means that abilities have been evidenced through activities or behaviours that are similar to those required on the job, e.g., ability to plan and organize work.  Abilities are different from aptitudes.  Aptitudes are only the potential for performing the activity.

Some job applicants are not sure whether the KSC requirements apply to them or where a response is optional.  There’s an easy way to decide when to pay attention to KSCs.  In a word –  “ALWAYS”.

Recruitment Agencies may emphasize the most important aspects of a job by assigning relative weights to each KSC.  Others will designate particular KSCs as being Mandatory (M) or Desirable (D).  Obviously the job applicant will want to focus the most effort on responding to the more heavily weighted KSCs or the mandatory ones, but it is important to remember that you need to address everyone on the list.  If a vacancy advertisement makes no distinction among the position’s KSC, the applicant should assume that all KSCs are equally important.

A key point to remember about all KSCs is that they must be job-related.  An agency cannot ask for anything in a KSC that is not in the job’s position description.

That’s enough on KSC for now, watch this space on “How to respond to KSC” and  Capability Statements along some writing tips and tricks.

In summary, if you need help with your applications or resume,contact Ivana, our resume writer on 0404056278

 

Ivana Agapiou career and outplacement consultant