It is popularly believed that a career person needs to have the skills to get a job. This technically means that there are several training courses one must have undergone to acquire these skills. However, skills differ, and this is because jobs differ too. This is why people identify skills closest to the things they love doing. It helps them settle for the type of job they would continuously love to do. Now, have you thought about it, that if everyone has skills, then everyone should automatically have a job? The truth is, it doesn’t happen this way, especially if you are in Nigeria. Sure you are wondering why it is like that; that is where skill quality comes in.
What is Skill Quality?
For many people, skill quality is a new word, and this is because people are only familiar with having a skill. Skill quality is the proficiency, competence, or excellence level an individual has using a certain skill or group of skills. It refers to how well a person can pull off a task using that skill. Skill quality varies from one individual to another, which is why you find out that some people can use a skill better than others. Also, companies and organizations leverage this idea to bring on board only qualified candidates. While you check out job listings, you may come across certain content, such as highly proficient, intermediate, junior, senior, advanced-level, or expert. The impression is that each level comes with a particular skill quality.
Importance of Skill Quality
Skill quality is important for every type of job. Even jobs such as hairdressing, dressmaking, house cleaning, gardening, or any type at all. In Nigeria, women especially tend to move towards dressmakers who know their onions. Why? This is because they believe that a certain dressmaker does it even better. The same thing applies to the food business; if you used to buy from a random food vendor and you get the opportunity to buy from another whose meal tastes much better, there is a high tendency that you will leave the former for the latter.
This explains the importance of skill quality. A very good quality of skills directly impacts customer satisfaction, which is one thing most businesses are about. If a company sees that you have good skills that sit at the top of the chart, they are more likely to hire you because they believe that their customers will become loyal and recommend the products and services to other people.
Another importance of skill quality is this; they call for business growth and opportunities. Excellent skills bring about an increase in demand for products and services which may expand operations and require more people to be hired, thereby boosting the business’ revenue.
Furthermore, there is a competitive advantage that people with superior skills have over their career professionals. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and organizations who need certain skills tend to lean towards excellently skilled people, giving them an age over the less-skilled ones.
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The difference between a skill and skill quality
The difference is not far-fetched;
- Skill can be acquired through basic training or education, but skill quality requires a different level of dedication and even going out of your comfort zone to learn more.
- Many people develop basic skills, but not all of them are associated with a higher level of degree or expertise and consistency in performing the skills.
- Some can do it better, some do it best. This technically means that not everyone with a skill has a skill quality.
This broadly explains that while anyone can have a skill, skill quality goes beyond that by pinpointing how to excellently use the skill.
How can skill quality be tested?
Different people say they have the same skills and can do the job. But, one thing is certain – the quality of the skills will not be the same. How can this be tested?
Quality Assurance and Control
This mostly works for people in the manufacturing sector. If anyone with relevant skills is making a production, then it can be tested. This is after the quality assurance team has laid out different standards that the product must meet. Different methods, such as statistics, inspections, and testing are carried out to measure how well the products have been manufactured. If QA testers are testing 4 skilled people, the results gathered after testing each person’s product will reveal the skill qualities of everyone.
Skill Tests and Assessment
Giving tests and assessments can work for some types of skills. For instance, you can tell a graphic designer to make a logo, a hairdresser to make cornrows, a chef to make a meal, and a programmer to write codes. The result of these activities will determine the quality of each person’s skill. The logo made by the graphic designer can be evaluated based on creativity, aesthetics, use of design principles, and how well it aligns with the client’s requirements. For the hairdresser, the skill quality can be checked by the neatness of the cornrows and the cutting precision. A chef’s skill can be checked by asking experts to taste the meal, the presentation of the meal, and the cooking techniques. This method works well for real-time tasks, something that can be done in no time and assessed immediately.
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Portfolio
A portfolio contains some of the previous works a professional has done. It could be articles, copies, websites, designs, songs, or voiceovers depending on whatever skill a person has. The samples in the portfolio show the type of skill a person has and how well they can put it to use. When a recruiter or employer goes through an individual’s portfolio, they should be able to define their skill quality. The portfolio serves as evidence and can tell the quality of skill a professional possesses.
Reference/Recommendation
If an organization or business owner recommends someone because they are really good, maybe they are. Situations like this are considered provided the person recommending has experienced the services or skills of the person being recommended. However, the recommendation has to contain details about the person’s skills, achievements, and possibly qualities that set them apart from the rest. Also, such recommendations must be weighty, attesting to the individual skills and how it has benefitted or impacted their business or organization.
In conclusion, whatever skill you have, move it beyond borders. Learn more, take new courses, try new designs, enrol in classes, and make sure that you get the best quality of skill(s) to drive your career to the top.