_{Your skill set is the unique combination of abilities, qualities and experiences you apply to perform tasks well. As well as being required in the workplace, skills are also used also in a variety of everyday settings including home, school and other social interactions. Each person has a different skill set depending on their interests, natural abilities, personality type and technical capabilities, which will make them better suited to specific roles and industries.}

Tourism employers often look for similar skills when hiring, however, depending on the company and role, there may be some variety in what recruiters are looking for. Having a diverse skill set will increase your level of employability, expand your professional competency and allow you to perform a job well, once you’ve got it. Spending time improving your skills can help you achieve personal career goals such as getting the job you apply for, earning a promotion or becoming an expert on a certain topic. Building a skill set tailored to Tourism will be beneficial in helping you progress in your chosen career but can also be expanded, in order to gain work in different industry sectors.

It’s easy to learn and improve your skills, through education and experience. The more capable you are at performing certain skills and the wider your skill set range, the more likely you will be to get your dream job or progress in the role you currently have.

The specific skills that Tourism employers look for, include:

• Adaptability at work
• Work ethic
• Customer service skills
• Team working skills
• Attention to detail
• Problem solving
• Written communication
• Computer skills 
• Oral communication

The earlier in life you develop these skills, the better. Learning these skills puts you in the best position to prepare yourself for a career in Tourism.

All skills, including the ones listed above, can be divided into two main types — soft skills and hard skills.

• Soft skills generally include interpersonal skills and other personality traits that allow you to communicate and work well with others. Soft skills are often transferable skills, which means they are valuable in any job, no matter the industry. Examples of soft skills include: communication, decision making, leadership, motivation and team work.
• Hard skills, also known as technical skills, are capabilities used to perform a task related to a specific job. You can gain or improve hard skills through training, education and practice. Examples of hard skills include: ICT, foreign language fluency and First Aid.
• Hybrid skills are a combination of hard and soft skills. Many employers expect individuals to have both types of skills. A good example of a hybrid skill relevant to the Tourism industry is customer service; while you will need to have exceptional soft skills, like communication and conflict resolution to work in a customer-facing role, you might also be expected to be proficient with computers or using a specific customer service management system, to do the job well.

Job-specific skills are capabilities required for a certain position. These will be listed on the job advert, discussed with candidates during the hiring process and include both hard and soft skills. You can gain job specific skills through training or on-the-job experience.

If you’re not sure what skills you have, spend some time thinking about these questions:

• What do you enjoy doing? The tasks that come easily to you or that you enjoy often translate into useful skills. For example, being able to teach others demonstrates strong communication, active listening and problem-solving skills and is very valuable in a team.
• What do you receive praise or compliments for? Consider the skills your friends, family or teachers have noticed or complimented you on. For example, you may have received high scores for teamwork in a group project. Taking note of what people come to you for help with is also a great way to identify the skills you are strongest at.
• What accomplishments have you had? Think about times when you accomplished something, big or small. You might have won an award or got a better-than-expected grade for an assignment. What skills helped you to achieve those things?

Once you have a good idea of what skills you currently have, it should be easier to identify the areas you need to improve on. Don’t be embarrassed if you are lacking in certain areas, nobody is perfect and showing self-awareness and motivation to better yourself is an attractive quality to employers.

Now you’ve identified the skills you’d like to improve, there are lots of ways you can develop them:

1. Set goals: setting specific goals helps you stay on track with development. Make sure your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-measurable). Using a timeline to set a beginning and end date for your goal will also help you feel a sense of accomplishment, as you tick off smaller achievements along the way.
2. Find a Mentor: a mentor is typically someone with professional experience, who you respect and trust, that can provide you with advice, assistance and opportunities. 
3. Ask for feedback on your strengths and weaknesses: ask teachers, friends and family what they think your strengths are and what areas they suggest for improvement. It’s important to get feedback from people who will be honest, rather than just give you praise to make you feel good. Once you identify your weaknesses, you can focus more effectively on developing those skills.
4. Look at job adverts for positions you are interested in: this will give you an idea of the job-specific skills you will need to enter the Tourism industry and highlight which of your transferrable skills would be most useful in the role. Once you identify the skills you’ll need to join the workforce, you can think about how to keep building these, to get the job you want.
5. Enroll in a training programme or education course: furthering your education in a career-related field is a great way to show prospective employers that you are serious about getting into the industry and that you are proactive with your time. 
6. Do some job shadowing: this is a great way to learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities of a profession and learn new skills. It’s best to shadow individuals who are experienced, encouraging and perform well in their positions.
7. Join a relevant group or professional association: in a group setting, you’ll have the opportunity to chat to people about the industry, get advice from people with experience and discover more about skills you may need to develop. These sorts of groups are usually available at local, state, national and international levels and you can find them easily by searching online.
8. Gain practical experience: volunteer, find an internship or secure a work experience placement to help develop your skills in an operational tourism setting.

For more valuable information on getting yourself ready for a Tourism career, please check out our other articles:

• Do You Have The Skills Tourism Employers Are Looking For?
• How To Build Your Tourism Skillset