Definitions skills/homework Preparing the next step

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Self-management skills

Autonomy

The ability to take a number of decisions and actions oneself, and the willingness to take

responsibility for ones own actions and accomplishments, to correct failures and to improve

achievements.

Goal-directedness/Result-driven approach

The ability to achieve personal and team results and successes, to close cases. The drive to

perform excellently.

Perseverance

The ability to persevere in spite of obstacles or opposition. Being able to undertake action

benefitting the outcome without being asked. Being able to prevent problems and to create

new opportunities.

Coping with stress

The ability to remain calm in stressful work situations and to perform well in spite of

pressure. Being able to react result-driven in frustrating situations or when faced with

obstacles and opposition.

Planning, organising and prioritising

The ability to adequately estimate the available time, means and guidelines, and to use that

information to make an adequate, effective and realistic planning to achieve the goals set

out.

Acting and thinking pragmatically

The ability to make decisions and to proceed to implementation, taking into account the

urgency of the situation as well as the quality demanded of the results.

Problem-solving skills

The ability to collect and to interpret the correct data and to analyse precisely a problem.

Being able to develop systematic solutions and to follow-up on situations.

Relational skills

Interpersonal skills/ communication

The ability to clearly formulate information and ideas and to communicate about them, taking into

consideration the reactions and convictions of others and inviting them to share their ideas and

opinions.

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Teamwork/ working together

The ability to co-operate in reaching a common goal, as opposed to working individually or in

competition with each other.

Diplomatic skills

The ability to assess the agendas and perspectives of others and to adequately make use of this

information while pursuing personal interests and needs.

Networking

The ability to build and retain formal and informal relationships, thus creating a network of contacts

with people who are (or could be) interesting or useful for achieving ones goals.

Presentations/speaking in public

The ability to pass on ideas and opinions to diverse audiences in a clear language. Being able to

prepare and give clear and fluent presentations in a confident manner.

Confidence & assertivity

The courage to express and argue ones own opinion, also when it contradicts the opinions or

interests of others.

Academic & technical skills

Research setup

The ability to formulate and check research hypotheses on the basis of an appropriate research

Methodological skills & statistical analyses

The ability to use adequate research methodologies, data collection and statistical analysis

techniques as a function of the research goal.

Data interpretation skills

The ability to understand and explain data on the basis of existing insights and theories. Being able to

recognise new patterns and relationships and in doing so achieve new theoretical insights.

Reporting skills

The ability to present the results and conclusions in an intelligible way to a (non) expert audience.

Project and budget management

The ability to develop an adequate project plan, in which the division of labour is planned in different

stages and assigned to all those involved within the proposed timing and budget. Being able to

actually implement this planning and to follow up it continuously.

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Fund raising

The ability to identify potential sources of funding and to approach them in such a way that the funds

will be allocated, taking into account the institutions guidelines in force.

Pedagogical skills

The ability to pass on ones own knowledge and skills to others so that they can integrate them with

their own insights and thus achieve new, creative and integrated solutions.

Language skills

The ability to express oneself easily both orally and in writing in a foreign language, both within ones

own field of specialisation and within daily communication.

Knowledge of the research field

Acquired expertise, know-how & specialisation

Intellectual skills

Conceptual thinking

The ability to apply creative, conceptual and inductive reasoning to identify patterns and correlations

which are not self-evident and to deduce from them specific suggestions and original and practicable

solutions.

Analytical thinking

The ability to understand problems/situations by gradually analysing them and by systematically

studying their constituent parts, while sticking to the facts.

Synthetic skills

The ability to smoothly combine data and to integrate a complex multitude of data into a coherent

whole. Being able to present alternatives and to develop them into a convincing conclusion.

Critical thinking

The ability to evaluate the value of a statement or a fact and to question matters. Being able to

actively and creatively look for room for improvement.

Interdisciplinary thinking/ broadmindedness

The ability to formulate, from different angles and disciplines, an integrated proposal which may

already present some alternatives. The willingness to look beyond ones personal specialisation and

to look for complementarity and synergy.

Learning capability & interest

The ability to actively look for opportunities to learn and to develop oneself. Continuously looking for

feedback and adjusting ones own behaviour in the light of this feedback.

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Leadership & change management

Leadership and motivation skills

The ability to unambiguously formulate goals and priorities and thus to direct a group towards the

desired end-result. Being able to instill in others enthusiasm and the dedication to perform

excellently.

Strategic thinking

The ability to translate long term outlooks and strategies to the daily work situation. Being able to

trace out ways to reaching a goal, taking into account internal and external factors and market

information.

Creativity and innovation

The ability to propose novel ideas and to integrate different perspectives in a creative way. Being

able to recognise the need for renewal and to go beyond the status quo.

Taking initiative & entrepreneurship

Being action-driven and pro-active (instead of reactive). Noticing and anticipating opportunities and

threats.

Flexibility

The ability to adjust ones own behaviour and thinking according to the context so as to attain the

desired goal. The ability to adapt oneself and to function efficiently under changing circumstances

and with different groups or people.

International focus

The ability to expand and maintain international networks to achieve optimal results. The willingness

to be internationally mobile when it benefits ones personal development and/or the organisation.

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