Category: Core Skills

Core Skills
Core skills are prerequisite to improve our quality of life, become successful in our endeavors, and find happiness and fulfillment; Core skills are fundamental skills that we cannot do without if we want to become effective individuals. There are approximately 19 core skills known to man, and these are classified into 3 main categories which are: basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities. It is ideal to possess all these skills and qualities in order to achieve your life goals. However, while this may be what is ideal, in reality not everyone has these skills. Some may have majority of these, while others may only have a few.

This article set aims to help individuals like you understand the core skills. It also attempts to explain the concepts, facets, and features of each skill and at the same time, explains and highlights on the various ways in which you can appraise your skill level for each of these. Being able to identify the areas where you need to work on will greatly aid you in your quest towards self improvement.

Lastly, this set also provides you with guidelines and recommendations on how you can develop and improve each core skill, with the hope that through these, you can become more prepared to face every challenge that comes your way. If you are aspiring to build a bright future for yourself, then this article set is what you need. It will guide you towards achieving your goal by providing you with invaluable information on how you can make this endeavor possible for yourself. It also contains step by step guides and strategies on how you can mold yourself into becoming a confident, grounded, and complete person. Take that significant first step towards improving yourself now and soon, you will come to realize the difference that this will make to your life.

Personal Qualities: Relationship Management

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We deal with people everyday of our lives. People interaction forms part of what we do everyday. We can either be communicating with the same people everyday or meet new ones. Forming relationships with the people we meet and deal with is an integral part of personal success and achievement of goals. Simple as it may sound, it is not easy building good and long-lasting relationships. In fact, it is a skill to know how to create and manage good relationships with people. There are those who excel in such… Read More

Personal Qualities: Time Management

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Time is an essential element in everything we do. We highly consider time in all our daily activities and encounters with people. But not everyone is capable of managing their own time properly. We either can have too much time or lack of time in doing a certain thing. Some people end up cramming when there is a deadline to beat; some just stay relaxed and composed. Have you experienced having to rush from one activity to another in just a day and cannot even seem to fulfill one? Or… Read More

Personal Qualities: Sociability

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Are you comfortable being around other people? Can you easily carry a conversation with complete strangers? Answering “yes” to these questions would indicate sociability, which is basically defined as the ability to relate and associate themselves with other people without any difficulty. The opposite of a sociable person is one who is aloof, shy, or reclusive. They are not at all fond of going out, and they prefer to stay at home curled up in a good book than to go out with friends and colleagues. The extreme opposite of… Read More

Personal Qualities: Self Management

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The concept of self-management may be applicable to various fields but generally, it is a psychological term which pertains to an individual’s goal of being able to manage personal activities, skills, objectives, and personal autonomy. Managers or high-ranking officers are not the only ones entitled to develop the skill of self-management. Anyone who hopes to achieve personal autonomy can also learn the skill through practice and perseverance. If you think managers or leaders find their functions easy and stress-free, it is actually the other way around. Apart from supervising and… Read More

Personal Qualities: Self Confidence

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Feeling inadequate, being resigned to mediocrity, and living lonely and unfulfilled lives are very indicative of people who lack self confidence. These people are often timid and shy, although there are those who are good at hiding their insecurities and do not necessarily show any form of shyness when in the presence of others. On the other hand, people who are confident in themselves believe in their own abilities; they understand that although they have imperfections, they have the capacity to change and improve, and as a result, they do… Read More

Personal Qualities: Responsibility

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In the wake of problems, there are people who step up and offer their time, effort, and abilities to resolve the issue at hand. Regardless of how complex or how difficult the problem may be, they are willing and ready to do what they can- the best they can. There are also others, who, when problems arise, often seem to find excuses not to help. It is either that they are not capable of fixing the problem, they do not have enough resources to fix the problem, or that they… Read More

Personal Qualities: Self Esteem

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Self esteem has been defined as a person’s own affirmations that he has what it takes to live a fruitful life. It is about having the confidence to face every challenge that come their way, as well as the belief that he has every right to be happy, and every reason to deserve success. Stanley Coopersmith, in his book entitled, “The Antecedents of Self Esteem” mentioned that with self esteem, a person can either approve or disapprove of his own abilities and skills, a personal judgment of his own self… Read More

Personal Qualities: Integrity

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A personal quality that is vital to one’s overall success is integrity. It is a set of traits that will make a person trustworthy, highly regarded, and reliable, in any situation. Integrity is a broad concept that serves many purposes. First of all, integrity is one’s own choice to commit to universal values and principles. This means that regardless of what the situation may be, no matter what others are doing, a person with integrity will stick to his commitments to do the right things in accordance to values and… Read More

Personal Qualities: Credibility

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Being able to persuade someone to believe in what you have to say is not always easy. Trying to win a customer, getting hired, gaining new friends, and building business and work-relationships- these are just some of the many things that individuals do everyday. And to succeed at each of these, credibility is required. Without this fundamental personal quality, it is almost impossible to achieve your purpose. The Essence of Credibility When other people put their trust, faith, and respect on you, it means they deem you as a credible… Read More

Thinking Skill: Creative Thinking

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In many aspects of our life, thinking puts emphasis on analysis such as in understanding a message, concept, or idea, following instructions, creating logical reasoning, knowing the wrong from the right, and so on. However, thinking does not limit itself to analyzing only; there is a different kind of thinking skill that allows individuals to look for other options and solutions, to explore other ideas, and to search for new possibilities. This kind of thinking skill is otherwise known as creative thinking. Importance of Creative Thinking Skill Usually, people get… Read More

Thinking Skill: Decision Making

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Decision-making involves the use of cognitive processes in choosing from several ideas, choices, and options, and then acting on it. It is a series of steps that starts with an understanding of the situation, gathering information, coming up with choices and alternatives, selecting from these choices and alternatives, and ending with an action. Decisions often revolve around issues such as uncertainties, high risks, alternatives, complexities, as well as interpersonal issues. Importance of Decision-Making Skill Decision-making is considered to be a core skill because in essence, it is a necessary ingredient… Read More

Thinking Skill: Problem Solving

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People deal with problems all the time. And because it is something that we are constantly faced with, the ability to resolve problems is considered as a core skill; a basic necessity for people to live life to their fullest capacity. Defining Problem Solving Generally, there are two types of problems. The first one comprises of problems that are well-defined, with clear objectives, methods, and information provided. The second one is the ill-defined, the exact opposite of the first type; it does not have any concrete information, paths to solution,… Read More

Thinking Skill: Reasoning

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Reasoning skill involves the process of taking in information and making inferences based on what an individual knows to be true. A gauge of one’s intellectual abilities, reasoning enables people to understand ideas and concepts better, and arrive at logical conclusions. Types of Reasoning There are many types of reasoning but the most widely used are: deductive, inductive, conditional, comparative, exemplar, cause and effect, and systemic reasoning. Deductive reasoning starts with the general theory or idea, and breaks it down to specifics. Such reasoning is usually used by scientists when… Read More

Thinking Skill: Visualizing

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The general notion that thinking skills cannot be taught is incorrect. Had this been the case, it would imply that before students start attending school, they are already gifted and equipped with everything they need to be able to make decisions and provide solutions on their own. Had this been the case, there would be no need for teachers to guide students to improve their thinking abilities. Thinking skills can be taught but the question is: which skills are being taught? Visualizing is one skill that should be part and… Read More

Basic Skill: Arithmetic

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Arithmetic is the oldest division of Mathematics which essentially deals with operation of numbers such as counting, adding and subtracting. It is one of the most basic skills and is learnt at a very young age. This article aims to appreciate the value of acquiring this skill, and also provide you with techniques on how to learn and develop it. Importance of Arithmetic Education plays an important role in the development of arithmetic skill. During primary level, individuals are taught to count and perform arithmetic operations from simple to complex,… Read More

Basic Skill: Listening

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Listening is a part of communication which requires one person to receive a message conveyed by another, and then process this message mentally. Its objective is to gain understanding of the message, so that a response will be made accordingly. Importance of Listening Skill In any area that requires communication, listening takes on a vital role. Without listening, communication will not be complete. More often than not, people mistakenly put a lot of weight on speaking and the ability to deliver a message clearly and confidently, but they forget that… Read More

Basic Skill: Speaking

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Speaking is a communication skill that enables a person to verbalize thoughts and ideas. There are two instances when such a skill is required and these are: interactive and semi-interactive. In the first instance (interactive), this would involve conversations with another person or group of persons whether face-to-face or over the phone, wherein there is an exchange of communication between two or more people. In the second instance (semi-interactive), this happens when there is a speaker and an audience such as in the case of delivering a speech, wherein the… Read More

Basic Skill: Writing

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One of the most basic skills needed today is writing. It is an aspect of communication that allows a person to compose thoughts and ideas, and note it down for other people to read. Importance of Writing In any type of job, there will always be instances when an employee is required to write something- be it a memo, an email, a report, or even a handwritten reminder, which goes to show how very important and fundamental this skill is for every person. While there are people who can make… Read More

Basic Skill: Reading

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One of the basic skill crucial to every individual is the ability to read. Reading is a fundamental skill that allows a person to be able to expand knowledge and widen certain topics of interest. We do not just gather information and insights about various things from listening alone. People who lack the ability to read are just but unfortunate to not have this basic skill because it deprives them from getting equipped with apt knowledge and makes them feel mediocre in this ever-competitive world. Reading also polishes a person’s… Read More

Types of Core Skills

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If you keep asking yourself why you were not as successful as the others were, why you failed to get that promotion, why you did not land that dream job, better ask yourself if you have the right skills needed for you to achieve your endeavors. In the corporate world, most employers choose to hire candidates who either have the potential to develop their skills or those who already are skilled enough to perform the job. Core skills are the most indispensable skills. People who possess them are more likely… Read More

Introduction to Core Skills

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Though modern man has mastered number of skills, not everyone can possess all the skills. There are certain skills that are more essential than others, while some are required only for certain job positions. Because of the large number of skills being utilized today, the question one must ask is: “What are the most important skills we need to have?” The answer to this question is core skills. These would refer to skills that will equip a person of the main capabilities needed to perform his role effectively, whether in… Read More