Skills audit: how to do one on your own job, step by step

What a skills audit is

A skills audit is a list of what you can do, with proof for each item, checked against a job you want.

It is not a personality test. It is not a list of nice words for a resume. Done properly, it tells you three things: what you already have, what the role you want asks for, and the gap between them.

If you want a fast start, the free career change check does part of this for you. It takes about three minutes and shows roles people from your kind of work have moved into. Then use the steps below to go deeper.

Step 1: List what you actually did, not your job title

Your job title hides most of your skills. "Customer service officer" says very little. What you did all day says a lot.

Take a sheet of paper or a blank document. Think about the last three months and write down every task you did more than once. Aim for 15 to 25 lines. Be plain and specific.

For example:

Took inbound calls about billing and account changes.
Calmed down customers who had already complained twice.
Wrote case notes the next person could act on.
Found and fixed errors in customer records.
Trained two new starters on the system.
Kept a queue moving during a system outage.

Do not judge the list yet. Just get it down.

Step 2: Turn each task into a skill

Now name the skill behind each task. A common framework helps here.

Start with 10 core skills that almost every job uses:

Digital engagement
Initiative and innovation
Learning
Numeracy
Oral communication
Planning and organising
Problem solving
Reading
Teamwork
Writing

Map each task to one or two of these. "Wrote case notes the next person could act on" is writing. "Kept a queue moving during an outage" is planning and organising and problem solving.

Then add the specific skills that are not on that list: the systems you used, the rules you worked under, the products you know. These are often the skills that matter most to an employer, because the core skills are shared by everyone.

Step 3: Find one moment of proof for each skill

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that counts.

For each skill, write one real moment when you used it. A specific shift, call or task. What happened, what you did, and what changed because of it.

Weak: "Strong communication skills."

Strong: "Talked a customer through a disputed bill after two earlier complaints. Found the billing error, fixed it on the call and logged it so the team could stop it recurring."

If you cannot think of a moment, be honest and mark that skill as unproven. An unproven skill is not useless. It just should not go on your resume yet.

Step 4: Check your list against a real role

Now pick a role you are curious about and compare.

Each role page on this site lists the skills that role asks for, the qualification Jobs and Skills Australia says makes someone "occupation ready", and any licensing or registration the ABS names. For example:

The Claims Assessor role page shows a role the ABS places at skill level 3 (ABS OSCA 2024, version 1.0).
The Medical Receptionist role page shows a common move into health admin.
The Customer Onboarding Specialist role page shows a step from contact centre work toward customer success.

Go through the role's skill list and mark each one:

Have, with proof. It is on your list from Step 3.
Have, no proof yet. You have done it, but cannot point to a moment.
Do not have. A real gap.

Then check the qualification and any licence. A skill gap can often be closed on the job. A required qualification or licence usually cannot.

Step 5: Decide what to do about each gap

Sort your gaps into three piles:

Proof gaps. You have the skill but no example. Fix these first. Think back, or take on a task at work that lets you show it.
Learnable gaps. Skills you could pick up through a short course or a project.
Credential gaps. A qualification or licence the role needs. These take the most time and may cost money.

For credential gaps, check whether the course is free or subsidised in your state at dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe, and compare courses at yourcareer.gov.au. Weigh the time and cost honestly before you enrol. Finishing a course is no promise of a job.

A worked example: contact centre to claims

Say you work in a contact centre and are looking at claims.

Have, with proof: reading policy wording, explaining a decision to an upset customer, accurate notes.
Have, no proof yet: checking documents for missing information. You do it, but have never written down an example.
Do not have: working out whether a claim is covered under the policy terms, on your own authority.

Checking documents is a proof gap: write the example down. Working out cover is a learnable gap, and may be closed with time in a team that handles claims. Then check the role page for any qualification it names.

That is a skills audit. Three piles, each with a next step.

Common mistakes

Listing traits, not skills. "Hard-working" is not a skill an employer can test.

Copying words from a job ad. If you cannot prove it, it will fall apart in the interview.

Leaving out the boring tasks. Data entry, record keeping and following procedures are often exactly what an admin or claims role wants.

Doing it once. Redo the audit for each role you look at. The gaps change.

Frequently asked questions

What is a skills audit?

A list of what you can do, with proof for each item, checked against the skills, qualifications and licences the role you want asks for. It shows what you have, what you lack, and what to do next.

How long does a skills audit take?

A first pass can take an hour or two. Writing a real example for each skill takes longer, and it is the part that makes the audit useful.

Is there a free tool to help?

The free career change check shows roles you may be close to. The 10 core skills in step 2 are a free way to start naming your own.