Devote time for self-skills assessment

Two thousand and thirteen is just round the corner. You have got your mind around celebrations already. A well-deserved break from work and a hectic routine. Life should be enjoyed. Give yourself the best treat you can ever imagine. Enjoy all the emotional feelings that go with it.

Life doesn't end with year-end celebrations. You will encounter more competition as an individual and find the environment to be tougher in the new year and you must be prepared to face that challenge. So make your process of rejuvenation both satisfying and meaningful.

It's a good idea to take time off during your vacation to reflect on your knowledge, skills and competencies to understand and comprehend which areas need further sharpening to be a more successful person.

A personal audit is a great way to identify your strengths and your development needs. It is useful for people on the career track, ambitious managers and would-be entrepreneurs. I would recommend setting aside some time this season to do it as a planned exercise to be effective.

Skills

Go back over your most complete resumes with a fine tooth comb and unearth all the knowledge, skills, and competencies you possess. Many people go blank when you ask them about their skills. Sometimes it is easier to work backwards from what you have done to work out what you are good at. This is where a job analysis can help. An alternative strategy is just to sit down and make a list of what you are good at doing.

This will come easier to some than to others. Just start writing. You already know at least some of the things you are good at.

You'll find there are some skills you feel very confident with and others where you think you can do them 'a bit'. Don't be shy - this is not an exercise where you can be bashful.

Be proud to list what you do well. You will come up with some skills without any prompting, but there will be many more. Review whether your 'top' skills are the ones you want to use the most. Make a note of any skills you really enjoy using but know you need to develop it further.

Auditing skills

A personal skills audit of what you have done outside of work can be very revealing and help you to value the skills you have gained from all areas of your life. You may find that there are skills you have developed here that you just don't give yourself credit for.

For example, you may be the coach for a local volleyball team - using skills such as leadership, motivation, encouragement and training. If you really enjoy this, but do not hold a management or team leadership role at work, this might suggest that this could be a new direction for you in your career. And you already have many of the skills you need.

Skills for value

The ultimate value in learning how to perform a personal or business skills audit is in the opportunities you now give yourself by recognising what you have already achieved. Your confidence will receive a boost when you see just what you are capable of. Performing such an audit also helps you identify growth areas that might be holding back your business or career.

By matching your skills bundle with a problem you identify in your business or in the market place, you give yourself a much greater chance of attracting the achievements and respect that you truly deserve. Stepping back to really appreciate the full range of skills that you already have will guide you towards identifying those you may need in the future.

Career change

If you are contemplating a career change, then you need to build a detailed understanding of your strengths and talents. If you are clear on this, then you can assess career ideas with your skills and strengths in mind.

Work which allows you to do what you are good at will be more fulfilling for you and your employer too is likely to be happier with the results you produce. If you don't get to use your favourite skills much, it may prompt you to look for a change.

Career change success depends on you making a reasonable match between your skills and the demands of the job you switch to. Hopefully, after you have done the personal skills audit you will begin to see how an awareness of your skills affects the way you approach your career change. Knowledge without skills is of no use - it is skills that convert knowledge into value. Even at the height of celebrations you will still have space for this assessment. If you use that space and do it right, you may have better celebrations by end 2013.