MySkills is a new tool for students to record, reflect and develop their skills online through CareerConnect, our careers IT platform. The tool gives students the opportunity to:
Assess and compare your skills development (using the skills assessment feature)
Develop your skills (using the activity pathways)
Record and reflect on your experiences during and beyond your university experience (using the skills statements feature)
Export a record of your engagement and achievements to refer to when making applications (using the career passport feature)
How it works
When you first access the MySkills tool on CareerConnect, you will be invited to complete a personalskills assessment. This is an opportunity for you to consider your confidence and ability across the following ten skills areas:
digital proficiency
ethics, diversity and sustainability
resilience
interpersonal skills
personal skills
enterprise and entrepreneurship
adaptability/flexibility
teamwork
career development
critical thinking
You can complete the self-assessment as many times as you wish – for example at the end of a half session, or at the start and end of an internship opportunity. You can then see your personal progress and develop your skills further using the activity pathways.
During and beyond your University studies you are encouraged to use the skills statements feature to record and reflect on your skills and experience, for example by recording your involvement with Students’ Union societies.
At any point you can download a record of your skills statements and career passport which will be useful to refer to when making applications and attending interviews.
How will the MySkills tool boost my employability?
University is not just about your degree studies; it is about the experiences you gather and the skills you develop. When you graduate, you will be competing with over 300,000 others graduating in the UK at the same time. Alongside a good degree, it is the skills and experiences you gain along the way which will help you to stand out from the crowd.
MySkills allows you to plan, develop, track and share your skills development and achievements. Your reflectionswill be useful to develop your self-awareness and in making applications to a range of future opportunities.
How do I access MySkills
Login to CareerConnect. You will then see an option in the menu ("Skills") and an option on the dashboard ("MySkills") to access your MySkills. It is as straightforward as that! Alternatively, the direct link is here.
Who can access MySkills?
Any student or graduate registered with CareerConnect can access MySkills, which is available any time of day or night (from 11th September 2023).
Further information
For further information about MySkills, have a look at our FAQs below. If you still have questions, please email careers@abdn.ac.uk.
MySkills focuses on ten key skills areas (listed above), each of which explores three related sub-skills. You can also choose to develop and record other skills if you wish, for example, skills specific to your academic studies.
The research was informed by work undertaken by Advance HE, the Institute of Student Employers, QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) Scotland and the Jisc UK HE Survey.
Pathways are a collection of activities and information or short courses, curated to help you develop your knowledge and understanding of employability skills. You can access the Pathways via CareerConnect at any time.
For MySkills, there are Pathways for the 10 key skills areas. Pathways have no academic credit.
Your personal Career Passport is a record of your participation in events and activities within the Careers and Employability Service. It is a valuable reminder of everything you have achieved on your career discovery journey. You can download your Career Passport from CareerConnect at any time to inform discussions with Careers Advisers, other university staff or potential employers.
Check into MySkills regularly to update your profile and check your skills history. Complete Pathways, attend careers events and workshops and use the “Skills Statements” tab to record your experiences. Retake your skills assessment to show how you are developing your skills to help focus your attention on the skills relevant to your future career goals.
In addition to using MySkills Pathways and attending employability events, we would encourage you to develop your skills by getting involved. Join a society, stand for Class Rep, participate in one of our co-curricular activities (ABDNConnect, Career Mentoring, bp Student Tutoring – and more!). Or you might want to study abroad or work abroad for a summer. Or find a part time job, volunteer locally or do an internship. Any of these will help you develop your employability skills and will also help you make new connections and contacts. Check the "Develop your skills" pages on our website to find out more.
You can add as many skill statements as you like using the 'Skill statements' tab and 'add skill'. Many activities which either enhance or evidence skill development take place outside the University, for example if you are involved in volunteering, have an internship or take part in sports. You can add these to your Skills Profile, and tag this with skills labels to encourage self-reflection and provide you with a useful record when preparing future applications.
MySkills is a personal tool for you to record and reflect on your own experiences. Use the information in it to inform the content of your CVs and applications, tailoring these to show how you have developed those required by that employer.
When you register as a graduate on CareerConnect you will be able to use MySkills and can take the skills assessment to chart your progress. Your MySkills history will be transferred to your graduate account. Remember you can also contact your Careers Adviser and use the Careers and Employability Service for as long as you wish after graduation.
No, MySkills is a personal reflective and fluid tool for students to use throughout their studies to assess, record, reflect and share their skills and experiences that will inform their choices after their current studies.
Where the Enhanced Transcript provides University recognition of activities, MySkills empowers students to record and assess their personal skills development across the duration of their studies. Previously, students could apply to have recognised or accredited extra/co-curricular activities such as Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) Roles, displayed in the ‘additional information’ of their Enhanced Transcript. From session 23/24 these will no longer be recorded on the Enhanced Transcript. Students are now encouraged to use MySkills to record such activities, as the tool empowers students to reflect on their personal assessment of their employability skills. Students can add activities at any time without the need to apply for formal recognition. MySkills provides students with space to plan and develop their skills and create a Careers Passport. This records their engagement and allows sharing of their achievements with future employers.
