Building and Managing Superior Skills from Coursera

Designed with the modern professional in mind, our skills management course is your transformative journey towards career success. This course offers key insights into strategies for skills-based hiring, enabling you to identify and analyze job-specific skills in your chosen field. You'll establish a systematic process for auditing and advancing your skills, boosting your professional agility. Throughout this course, you'll become familiar with Generative AI as a forward-thinking tool for skills assessment, self-assessment, and development. This understanding will place you at the forefront of your profession, ready to embrace and navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI in skills management.

Diving deeper, we unpack the principles of valid and reliable skills assessment, familiarizing you with essential standards and benchmarks. You'll master techniques for assessing skill acquisition and form a robust process for gathering the necessary tools and techniques. Here, we explore the potential of Generative AI, an emerging technology that could further refine these assessment techniques. Then, emphasizing self-awareness, the course guides you to effectively self-assess your job-specific skills, reinforcing your assessments with peer and expert feedback. You'll learn to estimate your total skillset score for specific skill sets, creating a foundation for career advancement. At this stage, we discuss how Generative AI could potentially enhance the accuracy of self-assessments in the future.

In the final stages, we discuss planning and executing skill-building training interventions using SMART goals. You'll use innovative tools such as Your Present Job Market Value, Self-Assessment Grid for Skills Evaluation (SAGE), and T-portfolio. The potential of Generative AI to improve these processes is also considered, positioning you at the cutting edge of your professional journey.

Upon completion of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and innovative thinking necessary to optimize your skill-building journey and achieve career growth and advancement. With our course, you're not just taking a step forward; you're launching into a brighter, AI-augmented future.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify and analyze job-specific skills in your area of interest.

• Develop a systematic process for analyzing and auditing your skills.

• Discover standards and benchmarks for assessing mastery of skill acquisition.

• Develop a process for gathering tools and techniques for skills assessment.

• Self-assess your mastery in job-specific skills, verified using peer/expert feedback.

• Estimate your total skillset score for job-specific skill sets.

• Plan and execute a skill-building training intervention using SMART skill-building goals.

• Understand the potential use of Generative AI in skills assessment, self-assessment, and development and remain at the forefront of your professional journey by being informed about emerging technologies.

This course is an invaluable stepping-stone towards your career growth and advancement, giving you the tools, insights, and innovative thinking needed to optimize your skill-building journey.

What's inside

Syllabus

Building a powerful, data-driven skill-building lab

The first lesson, "Specialization at a Glance," walks you through all stages of career self-management training and certification, giving you a bird's-eye view of the specialization. If you've already taken other courses in the specialization, you can either skip this lesson or skim through it quickly to refresh your memory. The second lesson provides an overview of the current Course 2 " Building and Managing Superior Skills." You will also begin working in your Career Development / Skills Management Lab. The latest addition to the lab activities is ChatGPT and other generative AI. In the third lesson, we describe our approach to skill development through self-quantification in a simulated, yet realistic job market scenario.

Understanding Skills Assessment

Job applicants frequently overestimate their qualifications for the desired position, according to research. Module 2 focuses on evidence-based, data-driven methods and techniques for assessing skills from the standpoint of subject matter experts. Professionals use a variety of tools and techniques to assess competency, including rubrics, frameworks, standards, and benchmarks. Dr. Michele Forte, Associate Professor at SUNY Empire State University, will introduce these methods this week. Then, we'll talk about and start using specific tools for skill assessment in CDL workouts, followed by a discussion about using Generative AI tools for skill assessment.

Mastering Self-Assessment

You will learn how to choose and use appropriate assessment tools to conduct a thorough, accurate, evidence-based, and data-driven self-assessment of your transferable skills. This week's guest lecturer, Dr. Kymn Harvin (Rutigliano), Associate Professor at SUNY Empire State University, will walk you through these topics. Then, you will participate in CDL workouts aimed at honing your skills and increasing your marketability by using specific instruments. We will continue the discussion about the use of Generative AI tools for skill assessment, self-assessment, and development, as we did in previous modules.

Putting Skills Management to Work

This Module will prepare you for ongoing skill-building and skills management. We anticipate that you will continue to develop your critical competency profile after completing this course. To that end, we recommend that you review your skills portfolio on a regular basis, perhaps once a month or as needed, and prepare for a self-directed training intervention. You are now well-versed in theoretical knowledge of skills assessment and self-assessment, as well as how to use SAGE ("The Self-Assessment Grid for Evaluation") and other instruments. You can also use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. This week's exercises will assist you in self-organization. Dr. John Beckem, Associate Professor at SUNY Empire State University, is the guest speaker for this Module.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops a systematic process for auditing and advancing job-specific skills

Introduces Generative AI as a tool to assess and develop skills

Guides self-assessment of job-specific skills

Provides tools to plan and execute skill-building interventions

Introduces a comprehensive Skill-Building Lab to support students' learning journey

Guest lectures from industry experts provide valuable insights and perspectives

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Building and Managing Superior Skills with these activities:

Read "Strategic Human Resource Management" by David Ulrich

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This book provides insights into the strategic role of HR in organizations, complementing the course content on HR strategy and alignment.

View The CMO of People on Amazon

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Read selected chapters related to course topics.
Summarize key concepts and their relevance to the course.

Organize and review course notes and materials

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Regularly organizing and reviewing your course notes and materials will enhance your retention and understanding of key concepts.

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Create a system for organizing your notes and materials.
Review your notes and materials periodically.

Brush up on general HR practices

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Reviewing general HR practices will provide a strong foundation for understanding the concepts covered in this course.

Browse courses on Human Resources

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Review HR textbooks and materials from previous courses.
Attend a workshop or webinar on HR fundamentals.

Five other activities

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Attend a workshop on HR technology and innovation

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Participating in a workshop on HR technology and innovation will expose you to the latest trends and tools shaping the HR landscape.

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Identify and register for relevant workshops.
Attend the workshop and actively participate in discussions.

Explore best practices in talent acquisition

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Familiarizing yourself with best practices in talent acquisition will enhance your understanding of the recruitment and hiring process.

Browse courses on Talent Acquisition

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Watch online tutorials and videos on talent acquisition strategies.
Read articles and case studies on successful talent acquisition practices.

Practice job analysis and design techniques

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Conducting practice job analysis and design exercises will help you develop proficiency in these essential HR skills.

Browse courses on Job Analysis

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Complete practice exercises and case studies on job analysis.
Design job descriptions and specifications based on job analysis data.

Develop a performance management plan

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Creating a performance management plan will allow you to apply the concepts and techniques learned in this course to a practical scenario.

Browse courses on Performance Management

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Define performance objectives and metrics.
Develop a system for evaluating performance.
Create a plan for providing feedback and coaching.

Create a presentation on HR trends and their impact on the future of work

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Developing a presentation on HR trends and their impact on the future of work will encourage you to synthesize your learnings and think critically about the evolving nature of HR.

Browse courses on Future of Work

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Research and analyze current and emerging HR trends.
Develop a storyline and structure for the presentation.
Create slides and supporting materials.
Practice delivering the presentation.

Career center

Learners who complete Building and Managing Superior Skills will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Learning and Development Manager

In Learning and Development, you are focused largely on the skills and professional growth of employees. It is a role concerned with the professional growth of others. In some organizations, you may be called a Learning and Development Professional or a Corporate Trainer. This course is a great fit for you and your career. By taking it, you'll have the opportunity to build up your own skills and knowledge as it relates to skills development, training, and professional growth, all essential to your success in Learning and Development.

See salaries and explore the career path for Learning and Development Manager

Human Resource Specialist

Human Resource Specialists are responsible for recruiting, screening, onboarding and training new talent for their organization. They may also advise leadership on the management of those employees. A background in the study of skill building and management will be useful as you seek to maximize the contributions of employees in your organization. This course will be particularly useful for this career path if you seek to enter into management roles within HR.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resource Specialist

Recruiter

Recruiters are responsible for finding and sourcing talent for their organizations. A recruiter who is skilled in assessment will be better able to find top talent for the organizations they serve. This course may help you build or refine those skills. Additionally, you work closely with hiring managers to determine optimal skill sets for new hires. This course can help build those skills as well.

See salaries and explore the career path for Recruiter

Instructional Designer

Instructional Designers help build and refine educational and learning programs within organizations. A background in assessment can help you determine how effective your interventions are. Every instructional designer needs a foundational understanding of assessment. This course will help build that foundation or refine existing knowledge.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer

Data Science Manager

Data Science Managers oversee teams of Data Scientists, and manage the organization's data science resources to provide valuable insights and enhance decision-making. Data science, by nature, requires adequate data. This course will help build up your skills as they relate to assessing your own skill gaps and the skill gaps of your team. This is essential to managing a successful team of Data Scientists.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Science Manager

Educational Program Director

Educational Program Directors oversee planning, developing, implementing and evaluating curricula. Typically found in schools and other institutions of higher learning, program directors help determine how best to teach skills to students. This course may be useful for this career as it focuses on how best to assess the skills of students.

See salaries and explore the career path for Educational Program Director

Organization Development Manager

Organizational Development Managers help organizations meet their objectives by improving the development of their workforce and optimizing human capital. A background in skill building and assessment will help you design and implement programs that lead to workforce optimization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organization Development Manager

Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Managers oversee the people operations of an organization. As a result, they are responsible for many aspects of the career path of employees in the organizations they serve. A background in skill development and assessment is a natural fit for this career field. It will help you carry out your responsibilities more effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Employee Development Specialist

Employee Development Specialists work with employees to identify and cultivate their skills. As a result, a strong background in skill assessment is a must for this career. It will help you identify the areas where an employee can grow. This course can help you build that foundation. It can also help you stay abreast of the latest trends in learning and development.

See salaries and explore the career path for Employee Development Specialist

Consultant

Although many different kinds of consultants exist, learning and development is one common type. A consultant in this area goes into different organizations and helps them develop their employees and managers. A background in skill assessment is helpful for identifying areas for growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Talent Development Manager

Talent Development Managers develop, implement and manage programs to identify, hire, train, and retain talent. A foundational understanding of skill assessment is a natural fit for this career path. This course will help you develop that foundation.

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Curriculum Developer

Curriculum Developers research, plan, develop, implement and evaluate educational curricula. As a result, a background in skill assessment is a natural fit for this career. It will help you determine the most effective means of teaching a given subject.

See salaries and explore the career path for Curriculum Developer

Career Counselor

Career Counselors help clients identify career goals, make career decisions, and plan their career path. As a result, an understanding of skill assessment is a natural fit for this career as you will be able to help your clients identify their strengths and weaknesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Career Counselor

Instructional Coach

Instructional Coaches help teachers improve their teaching skills. As a result, a background in skill assessment will help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of a teacher. This course can help you develop that background.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Coach

Training Specialist

Training Specialists plan, develop, implement and evaluate training programs. As a result, a background in skill assessment can help you determine how best to train your audience. This course may be useful as you develop that background.

See salaries and explore the career path for Training Specialist