Why do we recommend a free skills assessment to new and incoming immigrants?
Remember Liam Neeson in the movie TAKEN, where he was able to solve monumental problems because of his particular set of skills?
We believe that everyone has a unique set of skills.
You have it, too! Immigrants, like you, have a particular skillset like no other.
You have the fortune of knowing another culture. You have a more varied and storied experiences prior to coming over to America. You have the ability to speak and understand another language!
As a new immigrants looking for jobs, you really need to know your whole range of skillset. You must know your capabilities so that you will be paired with a job (and be on a career path) that is best suited to you.
Much like a workman with a toolbox, you need to know what tools are available to you to survive in this new country.
For that reason and many more, we highly recommend that you take a Skills Assessment Quiz.
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THE POST BELOW IS ABOUT THE FREE SKILLS ASSESSMENT QUIZ TO HELP NEW IMMIGRANTS FIND THE BEST JOB FIT.
What Is A Skill?
Merriam Webster defines SKILL as
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- the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance
- the dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks
- a learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability (e.g., language skills)
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Skills are your ability to do things.
You gain skills as natural (inborn) talent. You can also gain it because of education and/or training.
SELF-EVIDENT SKILLS
Some of your skills are obvious to you and to others around you. For example, you may know how to play Ping-Pong. Or, you are adept at solving the cube root of a number manually, on paper without the use of a calculator.
However, there are some skills that may be “hidden”, even from yourself.
OBSCURED SKILLS
There are skills that remain below the surface either because you:
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- have not tried them
- do not use them as often
- are not aware that “it” is even a thing
Let us use the Ping-Pong game again, as an example.
It is possible that you can play Ping-Pong with your left hand while eating ice cream with your right hand, at the same time. You probably would be masterful at it if you practice often enough.
Or, you can see patterns in a page full of numbers. Perhaps, solve problems in many different ways.
You just do not know these skills yet because you have not tried and/or you do not know that it is (or can be) a thing to spend effort and time on.
Time to discover your many, hidden skills.
There are life skills and there are professional skills. And they are intertwined.
WHAT ARE "LIFE SKILLS"?
Life skills can be defined as the skills that help you deal with the daily tasks in all areas of life. These skills are psychological in nature, and they involve mental and behavioral processes.
Your life skills manifest everyday by your interaction with yourself and with others in real life situations.
For example, how do you react to the following will show how adept you are at your life skills:
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- how do you deal with pressure
- how do you deal with rejection and failure
- how do you manage your relationships
- how you express joy, grief, and/or pain
WHAT ARE “PROFESSIONAL SKILLS”?
How well do you work and play well with others IN THE WORKPLACE? That, in a nutshell, is what PROFESSIONAL SKILLS are.
Career competencies are also called professional skills. These are the abilities that you use in the workplace in the performance of your job description.
Let’s say you are applying for an accounting job. These are some of the basic professional skills you need to have:
- math skills and data analysis
- basic computer skills for data entry
- computer skills in making charts and creating spreadsheets
- knowledge of accounting practices
Professional skills are generally divided into two types: Soft Skills and Hard Skills.
HARD SKILLS
Hard skills or technical skills are the needed abilities for the job. These are usually written in the job postings as required or desired skills.
You acquire hard skills through training, certification programs, apprenticeships, mentorship and/or formal education.
Many of these are job specific and not easily and not necessarily transferrable to another job.
For example, your carpentry skills are not required nor applicable if the job offer is for a blockchain developer.
SOFT SKILLS
Soft skills are the abilities that enable you to survive and thrive on the job because you will be amongst PEOPLE.
Remember that most companies are still made up of people and you all meet and work in one place, your workplace. (A workplace can be an office, a studio, out in the field, on the road or, nowadays, online via video conference.)
You interact with different levels of coworkers – management, your level, and subordinates, if any, over the course of your working day. As they do also to you.
In fact, everyone at work will be reacting to you, too. Everyone, in varying degrees, will be reacting to your personality, mannerisms, and attitude.
If your job is customer-facing, you will be using soft skills with your customers because they are people, too.
WHAT IS A “SKILLS ASSESSMENT”?
Are you an expert on math problems? Can you do in-depth data analysis? Are you better at office work, organization, and data encoding? Are you great at events planning and fundraising?
Skills assessment test is an appraisal of the following:
- your ability to do specific tasks, or a group of related tasks and,
- your proficiency in doing each task to determine mastery and expertise
Skills assessments are done by way of questionnaires with set criteria. They are meant to collect data of your skills, to help reveal your strong skills and the not-so-strong skills.
WHY DO ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCT SKILLS ASSESSMENT TESTS?
Companies are businesses, and as such, they are mindful of their bottom-line. Every process and procedure are about profit.
When you apply for a job at a company, they will give you a version of a skills test. This is to determine if you, the applicant, are up to the task you are applying for.
The company wants to know if, among other things, you will be able to contribute to the profitability of the company.
Companies administer skills assessments to filter out those applicants whose skills are not compatible with what they need. Also, companies administer skills assessments not just during the hiring process but at different phases of employment.
By doing this type of test, the company can:
- Avoid wasting company money and time on a bad hire
- Avoid wasting money on financing a project by incompetent employees
- Avoid wasting time and other resources on giving a project to incompetent employees
- Narrow or close the knowledge and skills gap among the employees within the organization
- Manage promotions and expulsions of personnel
WHY DO NEW IMMIGRANTS NEED SKILLS ASSESSMENT TESTS?
You may be fortunate to know your abilities. You may even know the level of your proficiency in each of these abilities.
But there are many new immigrants who are not as blessed as you.
The following may give you an idea as to why:
IMMIGRANTS FROM HIERARCHICAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE
There are still cultural societies around the world that continue to adhere to defined hierarchies.
In a hierarchical social structure, people are ranked by a set of rules, by ethnicity or by affiliation of some sort.
The members of the lower class of such a society – and those who are born of them – are limited to certain levels of education (if any), have lowly and menial jobs. They also get very few opportunities for self-realization and improvement.
IMMIGRANTS FROM PATRIARCHAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE
In a strictly patriarchal society, members of the female gender are not considered equal to the males.
Women in this type of societies are limited to gender defined roles like being mere wives, mothers, and housebound daughters by virtue of social, civic, cultural, and marital rules.
Many of these women have not been entrusted with decision-making and any big project. They have been relegated to doing chores around the house, childbearing, child-rearing and being obedient subjects.
Needless to say, it is MEN who define (and enforces) these gender roles.
COMBINATION OF THESE SOCIAL STRUCTURES
Furthermore, in some societies, both social structures exist side by side (hierarchical and patriarchal social structures). In any of these realities, women are the most oppressed class AND gender.
Upon their migration to the United States, many of these oppressed new immigrants may be coming into the workforce for the very first time in their lives.
The skills of these new immigrants may not be applicable to office jobs or tech jobs right away. But that does not mean they cannot be equipped to work in these fields in the future.
All the more that this free skills assessment test is necessary!
Skills assessment tests will help in leveling the playing field for these immigrants by addressing the knowledge and competency gap: To know what skills do they have now and reveal the skills they did not know they have.
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HOW CAN SKILLS ASSESSMENT TEST HELP YOU?
Similar to the INTEREST PROFILER, knowing what your skills are is important for a better job fit.
Sample Scenario: You already took the FREE SKILLS ASSESSMENT and you now know what your strongest skills are, as well as your not-so-strong ones.
Here are a few of the many benefits of that knowledge:
AVOID A JOB YOU WILL HATE
As new immigrants, you need a job. Fast!
But time and resources are also valuable to you. So, do not waste time and commit to a job just because you needed one.
Be sure that the job description fits your skills. Be sure that you will fit into the culture of the company.
If you don’t fit very well into the job or the culture, you will soon find yourself stressed and unhappy.
Save yourself the trouble and keep looking for the job that best suits you.
You will stay long in the job if you are happy in it.
AVOID BEING THE INCOMPETENT ONE
Be ready for the people whose default is to think of you as not someone who is competent enough. Because of the mere fact that you are “fresh off the boat”.
You are a new immigrants. That is a fact. But it is nothing to be ashamed of or be discouraged about.
But to assume that you are incompetent? Let them think that.
You know yourself better. Remember that you have a lot to give, sometimes more than the next person.
Therefore, do not accept a job or task that you are not skilled at. If you do and you fail, you will just be confirming the impression of these people.
Skills assessment results can reveal your weak spots so you can strengthen them. You just take the time to get updated.
You can go back to school if you want. The next time that a similar task/job comes around, you are prepared.
AVOID GETTING FIRED
Trying to work at a job or on a task where you are not equipped or skilled to do so is a mistake waiting to happen.
You will end up with errors and mishaps.
You will be sparring with your co-workers and your superiors because of the poor quality of your work.
You will be wasting valuable company resources. Worse, the management will see you as a mediocre and a bad hire, and they will fire you.
Therefore, either you update yourself and be skilled or look for another job that best suits your current skills.
MAXIMIZE YOUR ADVANTAGE
The best part of the skills assessment results is knowing your strong points.
Knowing what your strong skills are, you can highlight them during the application process. And when you get accepted for the job, you use these skills to the fullest by applying them to the tasks that call for them.
You can help save the company time and money because you work expertly and efficiently. Promotion is not far behind.
More importantly, it is a joy to see immigrants like you excel and thrive in what you do best. You serve as an inspiration to other immigrants.
OTHER PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Similar to INTEREST PROFILER, there are other practical applications for the results of the SKILLS ASSESSMENT aside from job search purposes.
IN PURSUIT OF BUSINESS ENDEAVORS
Skills assessment is beneficial even for new immigrants like you who may not be keen on being employed.
Knowing what your strongest skills are will:
- help you focus on some venture that will give you the highest percentage of success
- help eliminate all other nonessentials that may cost you time and money
- help you network with same-skilled, like-minded businesspeople.
IN PURSUIT OF PERSONAL ENDEAVORS
Nowadays there is a very wide array of hobbies and activities to choose from. The only problem is TIME.
There is so little time to enjoy and explore every activity that catches your fancy.
Again, as in business pursuits, knowing where you are most skilled will help eliminate many of these hobbies and activities.
This helps you focus on the ones that will give you joy and success. It will also link you with people who have the same skills as you.
CHOOSING COLLEGE COURSES AND MAJORS
If you are new immigrant high school student or an incoming college student (or someone in your family is one) you are encouraged to take skills assessments.
Skills assessment test helps identify careers that harmonize with your skills. The results of these assessments aid in providing clarity of the future you want.
As a new immigrant parent or student, you are doing your best to be prudent with your hard-earned money: You do not want to waste money on a college degree that will be left unused, or unfinished.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS
You may be one of the many new immigrants who come to the United States in their 50s and 60s. As such, there is no time to waste on jobs and activities that no longer excite you and bring joy.
Or, maybe you are one of the many new immigrants who came over in your 30s and 40s. You are still too young to stop working and too poor to retire early.
Whatever stage of life you are at, the passing of time has brought milestones and circumstances in your life. These things may have sharpened some of your skills and dulled some, too.
A new skills assessment should be in order. The results of this new test, may surprise you. You may learn that you have acquired new skills, and these skills will help you decide your next chapter in life.
CONCLUSION
Regardless of what age, chapter, and situation in life you are, a skills assessment test can be taken, for the fun of it and for the knowledge it reveals.
As a new immigrant and starting over again, a skills assessment is highly recommended for you. You do not have the luxury of time and familiar surroundings to make half-baked choices – you want to be sure what your strong suits are.
Knowing the areas where you are not a master of is helpful because you will be aware of the things that are holding you back and now you can do something about them: Either strengthen them or stop wasting time on them altogether.
Knowing both your strengths and weaknesses can help you make more definitive choices on careers, hobbies, and other parts of life.
DEDICATION
Immigrant or not, taking a SKILLS ASSESSMENT is for everyone, and it is highly recommended to those who want to know and measure the levels of their passion.
This article is dedicated to ALL of you new immigrants of ALL GENDERS and ALL SOCIAL CLASS who want to discover your potential – whether it is a better career fit, a perfect college course, a fulfilling pastime or forging a path to reach the many stars that are available in this rich new land.
WHERE TO ACCESS A FREE SKILLS ASSESSMENT?
There are many skills tests available online. You can do a search and avail yourself of the free ones.
Here is a starter test for you with 40 questions.
This website is highly recommended because:
- It is from a site that is sponsored by the US Dept. of Labor
- It is a partner of AmericanJobCenter network.
- You can check for the occupations that match your strongest interests on another site within the network after the quiz.
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We hope that you will find time to do a skills assessment and recommend it to others, too.
Share this article to a fellow immigrant.
Thank you!
Maria is just a chatterbox (on a mission.😋)
NO ONE AUTHORIZED her to spew all this MOMSENSE, but she is a complicated cat and so she feels that she must. Be advised and take a spoonful of salt for every opinionated post you read here. And please, please consult a professional for individualized advice on life-altering decisions.
Maria is just a chatterbox (on a mission.😋) NO ONE AUTHORIZED her to spew all this MOMSENSE, but she is a complicated cat and so she feels that she must. Be advised and take a spoonful of salt for every opinionated post you read here. And please, please consult a professional for individualized advice on life-altering decisions.
THE POST ABOVE IS ABOUT THE FREE SKILLS ASSESSMENT QUIZ TO HELP NEW IMMIGRANTS FIND THE BEST JOB FIT.
REFERENCES
https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx
https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/onet
https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/onet
https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/AmericanJobCenters/american-job-centers.aspx
