So you know how sometimes at work or when job hunting, people throw around terms like “technical skills” and it’s all confusing, like what the heck counts as one? I got stuck with this just last month when my boss asked me to screen some new hires.
Getting Started Because of Work Mess
Honestly, I kicked things off cause I was fed up. We were reviewing resumes for a junior dev spot, and my colleague kept arguing that “communication skills” were technical – no way, man! That sparked me. I grabbed my laptop, opened up a random blog search, and just typed “what is a technical skill examples” to see what popped. That’s when I dove in for real.
First, I made a simple test list: coding, managing time, fixing machines, and chatting with clients. I wanted to see which ones are legit technical. Then, I picked up some tasks at my job to try ’em out. Like, I used Python to debug a script we had, scribbled notes on how it felt, and compared it to when I tried to schedule meetings with Google Calendar – that didn’t feel techy at all, just admin stuff.
Testing Out the Best Examples
So here’s what clicked for me. Coding is a total technical skill. I did a small project: wrote some HTML and CSS from scratch for a dummy webpage. Typed lines in VS Code, hit save, boom, the page loaded. Easy-peasy, and it solves problems.
Another big one: data analysis. Pulled in our sales data into Excel, used pivot tables to crunch numbers, spotted trends in like five minutes. It’s hands-on and gets results fast.
But then things like good talking or planning stuff ahead? Nope, not technical. I tried teaching a workshop on it, and it just felt fluffy – no tools or outputs involved.
Quick Tips I Learned by Failing First
From all this, I snatched up some shortcuts. Here they are:
- Practice coding daily: Do tiny apps or fixes; it builds muscle memory.
- Play with free tools: Like installing GIMP for image editing – trial and error beats reading manuals.
- Ignore buzzwords: Cut through the fluff; focus on stuff that actually needs learning step-by-step.
Wrapping It Up with My Win
Putting it all together, I nailed those new hires. Used my findings to grill ’em in interviews: “Show me code you wrote” vs. “How do you handle chatty coworkers?” Last week, we hired two folks who rocked the tech parts. Felt good, and now I keep a cheat sheet in my notebook for next time – no more guessing games.
