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​Take a sheet of paper or a notebook and select one or more of the areas listed below. For each area, write a story about what usually happens in these situations, what has happened in them, how you have handled them, and what you have learnt from them. It is preferable to use paper and a pen rather than a computer, as writing by hand increases focus, memory, and reflection, and opens the mind to discoveries.

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• Your life history: the events and experiences you have had, whether positive, negative or neutral, and how you have handled these situations.

• Job positions. Any job, even in a different sector, helps us to develop our skills, competencies, tacit knowledge and networks.

• Other positions held: Describe the roles you have held, your responsibilities and the skills and knowledge you gained.

• Work delivery: Describe your experience of delivering work, including successful and challenging moments, and how you handled these situations.

• Hobbies and interests: Consider the skills, networks and knowledge you have developed through these activities.

• Feedback from others, such as teachers, peers, family members and colleagues, as well as feedback on assignments.

• Emotions, reactions and personality reveal not only your likes and values, but also your potential skills and attitudes.

• Learning from others: What have you learnt from the people around you, and what traditions have been passed down in your family? We often learn from others what not to do, too.

• Finding the plot. Finding the common factor underlying your skills and character. For example, are you a storyteller, a problem‑solver, or a nurturer?

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Read carefully through what you have written. Highlight the important parts, especially where skills and competencies appear. Write down the skills and competencies you identify from these on paper or sticky notes. Include both soft and hard skills (transversal and technical skills).

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Organise the identified skills and competencies. Notice which ones have been mentioned multiple times and which only once. Skills mentioned multiple times may be more typical of you, or they may reflect the nature of the activities or events described in the narration. A skill mentioned only once can still be important.

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Take a large sheet of paper or a board and write the identified skills and competencies on it. Add your name to the top or centre of the paper or board.

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Group similar skills and competencies together, and separate hard skills from soft skills.

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Add arrows, dependencies, and any other elements to your board. You can highlight the most important ones and add colour or visual elements to make the board engaging and memorable.

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 Keep refining your board until you are happy with it. You have now visualised your skills and competencies, and have a clearer understanding of them.