EXPLANATION

What is skills weaving?

Skills Weaving offers a structured approach towards achieving career ambitions by facilitating early awareness and action related to career advancement for academics. It offers essential insights and hands-on approaches, thereby empowering (junior) academics to set and achieve their career goals. By putting Skills Weaving into practice, you can smoothen your career advancement and take a pro-active approach towards achieving your career ambitions. 

Why is it needed?

For many academics, the early career predominantly focuses on acquiring field-specific knowledge, technical, and methodological skills. Such expertise is often very well-developed, as it is essential for early-stage career success. In contrast, essential professional skills like communication, networking, management, and leadership typically receive less attention. Critically, it is those skills that grow in importance when it comes to success in later career stages, either in academia or when transitioning beyond. Avoiding future career challenges require a pro-active approach that facilitates smoother and more flexible career advancement and transition. 

Learn more about Skills Weaving and why it is needed in our Blog “What is Skills Weaving”. 

Figure 1:
Reactive versus pro-active career advancement. Traditionally, academics put most emphasis on acquiring expertise, while other skills receive less attention and are developed on the go (left). Skills Weaving promotes an approach of balanced skills development (right). 

Target audience 

Skills Weaving is designed for early-career academics (PhD students and postdoctoral researchers) who want to get the most out of their time in academia. Both for those who pursue a career in academia or those who seek their future beyond it is important to make optimal use of the available opportunities and resources to develop a competitive skills profile. Skills Weaving allows to align your personal development with your future career ambitions. 

Our expertise 

Skills Weaving is based on 15+ years of personal experience in and with academia. An academic career spanning from PhD student to co-group leader, as well as supportive roles in career coaching, fundraising, project management, and advisory functions, provides extensive insights in the success factors related to career development. Based on these insights, we identified early actions that can greatly enhance the career perspective of early-stage researchers, both within and beyond academia. Countless discussions with academics and people who transitioned to other career trajectories have provided insights into the essential professional skills. 

Join the Skills Weaving Community 

By completing the assessment or engaging in other activities (Webinars, Workshops, etc.), you can join the Skills Weaving Community on LinkedIn. Join our interactive community and engage with others who have participated in the Skills Weaving assessment, trainings, and events. 

The skills weaving assessment

What is the Academic Skills Assessment? 

The Skills Weaving – Academic Skills Assessment is an online tool for (junior) academics that provides a personal skills profile.  The questionnaire evaluates 10 relevant skills domains through 50 simple questions about your education and practical experience in academia. Upon completing the assessment, your will receive a personalized report with suggestions on how to further advance your career.  

How does it work? 

You can purchase the assessment via our Webshop. Go to the Assessment and fill in your e-mail address (required to send you the report) and the unique Invoice number (if you purchase the test yourself) or Institutional code (in case you get access through your institution). You can now complete and submit the questionnaire. You will receive the Skills Weaving - Academic Skills Assessment Report by e-mail, which can take from 15 minutes to a few hours.  

What is in the Academic Skills Assessment Report? 

The Academic Skills Assessment Report contains 4 sections:  

1. A brief explanation: This introduces you to the Report and the 10 Skills Domains.  
2. Your personal Skillsweb and Skills distribution: At a glance, you will get an impression of your skills. Easily identify your strengths and areas for improvement.  
3. General feedback: This 2-page mini-handbook provides general comments on how to get most from your time in academia. It provides suggestions on specific actions that will help to improve your skills both for a career in or beyond academia. 
4. Personalized feedback: Here you will find specific feedback on actions that can be taken, based on the answers you provided in the assessment. By taking early action, you can avoid running into challenges later in your career. 

Figure 2:
Graphical summary of the Skills Weaving – Academic Skills Assessment Report 

Which skills are assessed?  

The Academic Skills Assessment Report provides insights into your current skill levels in 10 domains that are highly relevant for career advancement for academics. The 10 domains are: Expert, Leader, Networker, Manager, Innovator, Self-developer, Teacher, Communicator, Strategist, and Entrepreneur.  

Does it work?  

Career advancement for academics is very personal and situational. However, based on over 15 years of first-hand academic experience (as researcher, innovation manager, and career coach) and extensive discussions with peers, we are certain that the Skills Weaving Assessment will be a great value to advance your career. By combining early awareness with actionable feedback it offers the key to unlock your true potential.  

Who is the Academic Skills Assessment for?  

The Academic Skills Assessment has been developed for early-stage academics (PhD and postdoctoral researchers). Does this mean that you as a master student, new PhD student, assistent professor or any other level are not qualified to take the assessment? No, the insights and feedback remain relevant! However, when interpreting the report, you should keep in mind that its content has been designed for early-stage academics.  

Personalized follow-up  

If you would like to receive further assistance with interpreting the outcomes, you can schedule a follow-up session to discuss with our coach.