Social skills will not only help you in teamwork, but also in applying for your dream job. Higher-level social skills Not all social skills are equally important for every interaction. However, there are some skills that form the basis for social interaction. 1. Communication skills This skill, as the name suggests, is what makes it possible to communicate successfully ...

Improving your skills — a practice known as personal development — does not happen by itself. Some personal development can be a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and simply taking up opportunities. But consistent, effective personal development across a wide range of skills requires deliberate and focused effort. This page explains the importance of planning ...

Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things. The topic of self-motivation, however, is far from simple. People can be motivated by many things, both internal and external, such as desire to do something, love of someone, or need for money. Usually, motivation is a result of several factors. The ability to motivate yourself—self-motivation—is ...

Improving Your Skills by Developing Your Weaknesses There are a number of ways in which you can start to work on areas of weakness. In drawing up a plan for your personal development, it can be helpful to include several different methods to address problems. This helps to maintain interest. Options include: Formal courses or learning opportunities, whether leading to qualifications ...

Our page on Developing a Personal Vision explains that your vision is like the picture on the jigsaw box. It tells you where you want to be, but the level of detail is fairly broad, and you cannot see how the pieces actually fit together.  It is, broadly speaking, defined by how you see success in life, or in particular areas of ...

Our page on Planning Your Personal Development suggests that it is important to have a vision for your future. A vision here means a picture of what and where you want to be in life. You might think of this as identifying what success looks like for you in work, in your personal life, or perhaps in sport and hobbies. This vision ...

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start with personal development. Should you try to eliminate your weaknesses? Focus on your strengths and build them up even further? Do something completely new? You may by now be in a state of ‘analysis paralysis’ and not at all sure what do to next. This page brings together tips on ...