Life skills for career building

The essentials

Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that help people deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. The World Health Organization identifies ten core life skills. These skills matter at work as much as technical knowledge, because employers look for people who can communicate, cooperate, manage time and make sound decisions.

Key points

• The ten core life skills (WHO): self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, creative thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, coping with stress, coping with emotions.
• Self-awareness: knowing one's own strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes.
• Empathy: understanding another person's feelings from their point of view.
• Critical thinking: analysing information objectively before accepting it.
• Creative thinking: generating new ideas and alternative solutions.
• Decision-making steps: define the problem → list alternatives → weigh consequences → choose → act → evaluate.
• Teamwork: shared goals, clear roles, mutual respect, open communication.
• Time management: set priorities, plan a schedule, avoid procrastination; urgent and important tasks come first.
• Effective communication: clear message, active listening, suitable body language, feedback.

Exam tips

Most questions give a short situation and ask which life skill is shown. Look for the key action: understanding feelings = empathy; questioning a claim = critical thinking; new idea = creative thinking; staying calm under pressure = coping with stress.

Common mistakes

Mixing up empathy (feeling with someone) and sympathy (feeling sorry for someone).