They may be either Self Management or Job skills and may or may not have been developed through previous employment. For most job seekers it is very unlikely that they will find a job that is identical to their previous employment. For many today that new job will be totally different from their past experience. Therefore it is critical for a successful job seeker to carefully evaluate how their skills transfer into other opportunities. It is also important to look for ways to express this transferability to a prospective employer.
Many people have trouble distinguishing between their skills and duties.
Duties are the basic functions of an activity, while skills are the tools to accomplish those functions. Duties or functions are a part of any organized activity, whether it is employment, volunteer work or hobbies. A simple example is the management of a lemonade stand. A complete list of skills would be very long. Writing out the duties or functions of an activity first can be a useful way to begin identifying skills.