Know your competence
Know your competencies and skills
If you want to introduce yourself to a potential employer in a job application or an interview, it is important to be aware how you want to describe your skills. You acquire skills from education and work, as well as from leisure activities, organizational work, voluntary work, military service and care of others.
Be aware of your competencies
In order to get a job, it is important that you know how to to describe your own competence. Think through the following:
Academic competence:
• What proffesional skills have I learned through my studies?
• What skills have I achieved that are transferable to many different types of jobs?
• In what areas have I grown as a person (professionally)?
• My professional strengths - what I master well
• What do I want to learn more about?
Job experience, volunteer work and leisure activities:
• What have been my previous work tasks?
• What responsibilities have I taken or been given to me ?
• What have I learned?
You might have work experiences that do not seem relevant at first sight. However, you will achieve skills from every type of work than can be transferable to other jobs. For example teamwork, communication, time management, problem solving, leadership etc.
Personal characteristics
• How do I work with others and what role do I take in a team?
• What increases my motivation and my commitment?
• How do I handle stress?
• What are my personal strengths?
Try to describe your skills in a way that makes sense to the potential employer. Emphasise the skills relevant to the job for which you are applying. Try our tool for mapping your competencies below.
Know your competencies
Mapping your skills might help you be aware of your actually know and how you want to describe it to an employer.
Find more tips for job seekers
Webinars
All our job search courses are held as webinars. Find information about course content and registration in the drop-down menu below.
Write a CV employers will notice!
In this free course for students at NTNU, we share our best tips for writing a good CV. You can get input on both design and content, and we discuss CVs for the Norwegian labour market.
Why not start on your CV before the course to raise relevant questions? Find tips on how to write a CV.
The webinar will be held via Zoom/Blackboard and we will send you a link on the day of the webinar.
You have to sign in using Feide to register for the course
Are you an international student looking for a job in Norway?
If you need some advice on where to find relevant jobs, join our free webinar where we discuss where to find jobs and different strategies on how to approach possible employers.
The webinar does not address topics like work, resident permits or other legal issues. We offer separate webinars for how to write a good cover letter and CV.
The webinar is in English and for NTNU students only.
You have to sign in using Feide to register for the course
Have you been invited to a job interview in Norway?
In this webinar we share our best tips for what to expect in an interview, the most common interview questions and how to prepare.
We will answer your questions during the webinar, and recommend that you check out our website prior to the webinar.
The course will be held via Zoom and a link will be sent to you a day in advance of the course.
The webinar is in English and for NTNU students only.
You have to sign in using Feide to register for the course
Get your Cover Letter noticed by the employers!
A good job application maximizes your chances of getting the job interview that takes you one step further in the applying process.
The webinar "Tips for a better application" contains our best tips for writing the cover letter.
It’s an advantage to have started on the cover letter prior to the webinar, to get some new input on outline and content.
There will be possible to submit questions via chat, and they will be answered during the webinar.
The course is for students at NTNU and is in English.
You have to sign in using Feide to register for the course
Map your competencies for your job application
Get to know your skills and consider how you want to describe them.
Career counselling
For current students, applicants and recent NTNU graduates. The career service at NTNU Career are for students only. PhD and Post Doc are to be considered employees at NTNU.
Book free 45 minutes counselling for:
- Feedback on CV / cover letter
- Choosing a career path
- How to map your competence
- The job search process