Skills Scan: How to Identify and Build the Skills Employers Want

Choosing a career can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure what you want to do yet. But there’s one thing that will always put you ahead: building real, transferable skills.

The skills gap is growing larger, and employers aren’t just looking for people with qualifications. They want confident communicators, problem-solvers, team players, and self-starters. These are all skills you can start developing right now, while you’re still studying your college course.

This guide will show you how to audit your skills and grow them. Developing your skills will give you a real advantage when you’re ready to step into the world of work.

What is a skills scan?

A skills scan is a snapshot of your current abilities. It shows you what you’re good at, what needs work, and where you should focus your energy. Without a skills scan, it’s easy to waste time chasing random activities that don’t actually build what employers want. With one, you can work smarter - not harder.

Auditing your skills

Firstly, you need to assess what skills you have got and which areas you still need to work on. The best way to do this is by completing a “skills scan”. A skills scan is an analysis of your current skillset which identifies your strengths and weaknesses. This can be completed again whenever you have done something for your employability, such as work experience. Regular skills scans can help you keep track of what skills you have improved or still need to develop.

Ask an employability tutor to go through this with you if you need support. If you have a mentor, this is also something you can discuss with them and take their advice on. Being able to identify and reflect on what you are doing for your own personal and professional development will stand you in good stead in job interviews.

How to do a skills scan

A real skills scan has three key steps:

1. Reflect honestly: list the skills you think you have, but be real about it. It's easy to overestimate communication or leadership skills if you haven’t tested them yet in real-world situations.

2. Check against real-world demands: look up jobs you’re interested in, even if they're years away. What skills keep popping up? Employers are surprisingly clear about what they want, you just have to pay attention.

3. Identify gaps and set goals: instead of trying to “do everything,” pick two or three priority skills. Choose ones that will open up the most options for you. Ask a Careers Advisor or to walk through this with you, an outside perspective can spot blind spots you might miss.

Examples of skills you might already have

Even without full-time work experience, you’re already building important skills. For example:

Building your skills

Take every opportunity to build your skills. It’s not just about formal learning at College or doing Continuous Professional Development at work. Every time you engage with another person, for example, you are practising your communication skills. Reading books in your free time will help improve your literacy. Doing calculations in everyday life, such as budgeting, will boost your numeracy.

Think about your hobbies and what skills you are developing through them. Do you belong to a club or organisation where you can step out of your comfort zone and lead an activity? Or help them with their social media and digital presence? This is not just skills-building, it’s also great for your CV.

Preparing for your future

Recruitment specialist Reed UK says that the five CV skills employers look for in every jobseeker are:

• Commercial awareness (understanding the market, business and product)
• Teamwork skills
• Communication skills
• Organisation skills
• Job-related skills (e.g. technical skills)

The Manchester Work and Skills Strategy 2015-20 has identified four “fastest growing sectors” over the next ten years in terms of jobs:

• Construction (including civil engineering)
• Cultural, creative and digital
• Business, financial and professional services
• Science and Research & Development (excluding manufacturing)

Find out what jobs people do in these sectors and think about what skills are needed. The Manchester College’s Careers and Welfare Team will be able to give you some helpful advice on this.

Doing work experience with companies in these areas will also give you valuable insight into what people do in the sector and help you make some contacts for the future.

How to keep growing your skills even while studying

You don’t need a full-time job to build a professional skill set. Here’s how you can do it alongside college:

• Work experience placements: even a few weeks in a real workplace can massively boost your CV.
• Freelance or side projects: offer to design a flyer, run a social media account, help a charity, anything that builds real-world experience.
• Get involved on campus: clubs, events, student committees, anything that pushes you out of your comfort zone is good for skill development.

Why choose TMC to build your skills

At The Manchester College, we help you build the real-world skills employers are looking for. Every course is designed alongside industry experts to make sure what you’re learning matches what companies actually need.

You’ll get hands-on experience, access to industry-standard facilities, and opportunities to connect directly with employers through work placements and projects. Our Careers Advisors are here to guide you every step of the way, helping you plan your future and stay focused on your goals.

Whether you’re aiming for a career in business, construction, digital, science, or any other fast-growing sector, studying at TMC means you’re not just learning, you’re getting career-ready from day one.

If you’re ready to start building your skills and your future, speak to one of our Careers Advisors today and find out how we can help. You can also enrol onto one of our courses (including our employability courses) now and take your first step toward a career you’re proud of.