ways2work - Parents and carers
Your transferable skills
As you read through the list below, think about the skills and attributes you have as a worker, parent and carer. These can be transferred to other work situations. Ask your friends and family what skills they consider you have and how you demonstrate them.
| Employable skills | Definition: The ability to… |
|---|---|
| Communication | Convey information in both verbal and written formats as appropriate for the needs of a particular audience. |
| Teamwork | Work in groups, combining your efforts towards a common goal. |
| Problem solving | Understand and deal with difficult questions or situations, apply logic or reasoning to review information, identify problems, their causes, evaluate options and select the best solution. |
| Initiative and enterprise | Act without prompting and be energetic, inventive and innovative. |
| Planning and organising | Coordinate and give orderly structure to things or tasks. |
| Self-management | Cope with, prioritise and meet your work and personal commitments, and seek balance in all areas of your life, including health and fitness. Have clear goals and strategies, gauge your performance, be pro-active in career planning, time management and meeting challenges. |
| Learning | Acquire additional knowledge or skills via study, experience or through teaching or training. |
| Technology | Be able to work well with technology such as computers. |
Employable attributes
These include loyalty, commitment, honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, reliability, personal presentation, sense of humour, ability to work hard and under pressure, motivation and adaptability.
Translate your skills and attributes into ‘workspeak’
‘Workspeak’ is simply translating your skills and experience into the language of the workplace. This involves identifying your skills and being able to communicate these to an employer in your resume and later in a job interview. Being able to use ‘workspeak’ will get you a long way in returning to paid work.
To help you to identify the skills that make you employable and see examples of how you can demonstrate these in your resume, see the WorkSpeak for Your Resume (PDF 80kb) and Responding to Key Selection Criteria (PDF 80kb) fact sheets.
To build a clear picture of your skills, revisit or create your About Me profile.
A carer's communication skills pay off
Dave* provided full-time support and care for his mother until she passed away. He then considered his employment options, and with some assistance, found a position which allowed him to combine his skills with his interests. Read more about Dave’s transition from being a carer back into the paid workforce…
More information
The I Can Do That Too – Future Directions booklet produced by the Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations can also help you to identify the skills you have developed in your everyday life. The booklet has been written for women who wish to return to the paid workforce, but men will also find it useful.
Tell Us Your Story.
We'd like to hear from you about your experiences of balancing work and family.