News & Events

YWCA Saskatoon has been working diligently and closely monitoring the developing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in our city, our province and across the globe. YWCA Saskatoon is taking our lead from Saskatchewan Health Authority who feels the COVID-19 risk remains low for the general population.

We have closed our in-person Employment and Learning Programs but will continue with Employment and Learning programs that can be offered remotely. Your Employment and Learning staff encourages you to remain positive and will support you in maintaining your job search momentum.

Today’s post is another post in the series…

Everyone has strengths and skills. If you want a job that’s a good fit for you, start by looking at your skills.  I recommend that you do not minimize any of your skills and abilities, but you must also remember that, employers look for people with certain types of skills when they hire.

YWCA Saskatoon’s Employment and Learning Centre likes to divide skills into three distinct groups, we call it the Skills Triangle:

Good Worker Skills: also known as “soft skills” are a combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, character or personality traits, attitudes, career attributes, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence quotients, among others, that enable people to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals. Examples – flexible, dedicated, friendly, hardworking, dependable, punctual).

Transferable Skills: also known as “portable skills,” are qualities that can be transferred from one job to another. (Examples – time management, project management, organization, budgeting, supervision, grant writing).

Technical Skills: are the abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks. They are practical and often relate to mechanical, information technology, mathematical, or scientific tasks. (Examples – education, years of related experience, equipment operations, computer skills, cash handling, customer service, typing speed).

Others break up skills between…..

Soft Skills: Good worker skills.

Hard Skills: are a combination of transferable skills and technical skills.  Or as I like to say the “stuff you know how to do”.

When it comes to a skills-based resume, soft skills can be defined as your ‘Personal Profile’ and hard skills can be defined as your ‘Demonstrated Skills and Abilities’.

The Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated nine key Essential Skills for the workplace.  The Nine Essential Skills are: Numeracy, Oral Communication, Working with Others, Continuous Learning, Reading Text, Writing, Thinking, Document Use and Digital Skills.

Take the time to reflect on and as necessary develop your skills, especially the skills that are necessary for your targeted job.  In today’s changing market (especially now with COVID-19), we strongly encourage you to target your skills and the skills the employers are looking for.  These skills are often defined in the job ads you may be looking at in places like: https://www.saskjobs.ca  or they can be found at the ALIS Occupational Information site https://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/ .

Your Employment and Learning staff can assist you to understand your skills.  Remember, we are working remotely through email or over the telephone and are still available to support you.  Should you have any questions or require assistance in your job search, feel free to contact any of your Employment and Learning staff for support.  You can reach your employment counsellor at his/her regular email or at:

• (306) 986-2873 [Telephone]
• empserv@ywcasaskatoon.com [Email].

Stay motivated; stay healthy as you achieve your employment goals.