Queen's Skills Cards

The skills cards are a physical and digital set of 44 cards describing a comprehensive list of skills that Queen’s students can develop during their studies here (both in and outside of classes), and that correlate with workplace skills employers seek.

Each card includes a definition of the skill and an example of a Queen’s student using that skill. The skills are organized into 11 categories, and each category contains four cards:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Connection
• Growth Mindset
• Engaged Citizenship
• Inclusivity and Intercultural Competence
• Knowledge
• Leadership
• Professionalism
• Self-Awareness
• Thinking

They are an easy and fun way to assess which skills you already have, which ones would be helpful for you to develop, and how you could develop those you want to target for improvement.

You can use the Skills Cards to help you:

• Update your resume and cover letter,
• Prepare for an interview,
• Write applications to graduate and professional programs,
• Plan your next year by choosing which skills you want to work on,
• Assess possible career paths by becoming clearer about the skills you like and don’t like using,
• Identify which skills you have developed in your studies that align with future workplace skills,
• Reflect on what you have learned from your courses and co-curricular activities, and
• Tell your unique story with confidence!

The Skills Cards are available as a physical deck of cards, an interactive digital tool, and a PDF. Whichever version you use, you will sort the cards based on your own strengths and preferences, and leave with a summary of your skills assessment. You can use either of the digital versions on your own, or a Career Educator &Coach can guide you through using the physical or digital version.

• I want to do some skills assessment on my own: Access the Skills Sorter, then click the “Instructions” and “User Controls” buttons on the left to get started!
  • The Skills Sorter will take a few moments to load. Try refreshing the page if it doesn’t appear after a minute or two. 
  • For a simpler but less interactive digital version (PDF, 696 KB)
     
• I want to do some skills assessment guided by a Career Educator & Coach: log into MyCareer, then navigate to "Appointments" on the left-hand menu, to book a Career Consultation appointment.
   
• Are you involved in a student club or organization? The Skills Cards are also a great activity for groups seeking professional development and team building. Request a Career Coach to facilitate a customized activity for you and your peers.
   
• Are you a faculty member looking to integrate workplace skills into your course/class? Refer to our faculty toolkit (PDF, 263 KB) to learn more about how we can easily support you in integrating workplace skills into your course or program.

• I came in here really anxious about writing my resume and applying for summer internships, but this gave me more confidence. I realized that I do have some relevant experiences - even if they're not all related to my major!    
  -Second-year Computing student
   
• I don't normally think about my skills as much as my 'options after graduation.' This activity helped me see that there are many options, and deciding which is the best fit is more about what I enjoy and what I am good at than just the title of my degree. 
  -Fourth-year Psychology student
   
• The Skills Cards gave me a way to describe skills I already knew I had, but didn't know how to explain to employers - particularly those outside of academia. 
  -MA student in Global Development