Competencies Technical Research Assistant (except Post-secondary) in the Avalon Peninsula Region

A skill is a learned ability to do something well. Skills are acquired qualities, which means you are not born with them. You can acquire skills through training and study, develop them through life and work experiences, and refine them with practice and feedback.

On Job Bank, skills are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the level of proficiency or complexity required for the job (1 being the lowest level, and 5 being the highest level).

Personal attributes are the specific attitudes, features or traits of a person. These qualities are innate, which means that you are born with them and they make you unique. They remain relatively constant over your lifetime, but they may develop in different ways according to your social context and personal experiences. Personal attributes are important to employers because they affect how you interact with others and how you do things.

On Job Bank, personal attributes are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 according to their level of importance for the job (1 being minimally important, and 5 being extremely important).

Realistic jobs are about working with things. They involve manipulating objects, tools, machines, or animals. These jobs require motor coordination, skill, and strength. You don’t need to manage much paperwork or work closely with other people in realistic occupations.

Investigative jobs are about working with ideas and data. They involve thinking, working with ideas, finding facts, and solving problems. In investigative jobs, you have to use your knowledge and imagination to find solutions.

Artistic jobs are about working with ideas and things. They involve creative activities and expressing yourself by creating music, pictures, texts, or designs. You don’t need to follow strict rules and can work independently in artistic jobs.

Social jobs are about working with people. They are all about interacting with others and serving them. This may involve teaching, sharing information, providing care, offering counselling, and more. Social jobs allow you to help people and support their personal growth.

Enterprising jobs are about working with people and data. They require you to be action-oriented to achieve results. This means starting projects, making decisions, and sometimes taking risks. You may also need to lead people and deal with stakeholders in enterprising jobs.

Conventional jobs are about working with data and following processes. They may involve organizing records, filling paperwork, copying materials, working with numbers, and doing data-entry. These jobs require you to follow specific procedures and focus more on details than big ideas.

Interests are your preferences for work activities and environments. They are the things that you find inspiring, motivating or fulfilling. Identifying your interests can help you choose the type of work that is most suitable for you.

On Job Bank, occupations are categorized into six key types depending on the interests they require (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional).

Knowledge is the level of understanding you gain through learning or experience about specific topics or concepts. The more you know about a subject, the better you execute tasks and activities related to it.

On Job Bank, knowledge is rated on a scale of 1 to 3 according to the level required for the job (1 being a basic level, and 3 being an advanced level).