Latest / Career Skills with Fexingo: Hard Skills, Soft Skills, and Future-Proofing Your Career / Skill Detectives: How to Find Your Hidden Career Advantage
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this idea I keep circling back to, and I think it's worth digging into today. It's the notion of the 'skill detective' — the person who can look at their own work history and spot the capabilities they never actually labeled as skills. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. Because I feel like most of us can list our job titles and maybe a few buzzwords, but the real stuff that makes us good at what we do? We don't even see it. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a huge missed opportunity, especially when you're thinking about your next move. Let me give you a concrete example. I was talking to a friend who runs customer support at a mid-sized software company. She's brilliant at her job — the team loves her, metrics are solid. But when I asked her what she's really good at, she said 'I don't know, I just answer emails and keep people happy.' Luna: Oof. That's so common. We undersell the things that come naturally to us. Lucas: Right. But when I pushed a little, it turned out she had this uncanny ability to take a messy, angry customer complaint and turn it into a clear, actionable bug report for the engineering team. She was essentially doing data storytelling — translating raw, emotional feedback into structured insights. That's a skill, and a pretty valuable one. Luna: So how did she discover that? Was it just you pointing it out? Lucas: Partly. But there are also some systematic ways to find these hidden skills. One is to go back through your last few projects — the wins and the struggles — and look for patterns. What did you actually do that made the difference? Not 'I managed the project,' but 'I created a visual timeline that got everyone aligned.' Luna: That's a good one. I also think asking colleagues can be surprisingly effective. Sometimes other people see our skills more clearly than we do. Lucas: Absolutely. There's a technique called a 'skill sighting' — you ask a few trusted coworkers, 'What's something I do that you wish you could do?' or 'What do you come to me for?' And you might get answers like 'You always know how to calm down an upset client' or 'You explain technical stuff in a way that makes sense.' Those are skills, even if they don't look like them on a resume. Luna: And that's so powerful for a career change, because you can take those hidden skills and reframe them for a whole new role. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the real payoff. If you're looking to pivot, you don't have to start from zero. You're not just a support manager — you're someone with a proven ability to translate customer pain into product improvements. That's valuable in product, in operations, in data analysis. Luna: So what's a practical first step someone can take today to start their own skill detective work? Lucas: I'd say start with a 'brag document.' It sounds cheesy, but the idea is you write down your wins — big and small — from the past year. Not just the official accomplishments, but the little things like 'I reorganized the shared drive and now everyone can find stuff' or 'I talked a frustrated client out of canceling.' Then, next to each one, write down the skill you actually used. Persistence, empathy, organization, whatever it was. Luna: And I'd add: don't just think about your current job. Think about volunteer work, hobbies, side projects. I once hired someone who was a hobbyist photographer, and the way they composed photos translated directly into creating better slide decks. Lucas: That's a perfect example. The skill wasn't 'photography' — it was visual composition. And that's a transferable skill. So once you have this list of hidden skills, the next step is to figure out which ones are actually rare and valuable in the market. Luna: And how do you do that? I mean, we've talked about skill scarcity before, but this feels more personal. Lucas: Right. You can look at job postings in your target field and see which skills keep showing up — the ones you have, even if you didn't call them skills before. Or you can look at people in roles you admire and reverse-engineer what they're doing that you're also doing, just in a different context. Luna: That's smart. It's like you're connecting the dots between what you already do and what the world wants. Lucas: And once you identify those, you can start signaling them — updating your LinkedIn headline, your resume summary, even the way you talk about yourself in interviews. Instead of 'customer support manager,' you become 'customer support manager who turns feedback into product insights.' Luna: It's a confidence boost, too. I think a lot of us feel like we're just 'doing our job,' but when you realize you have these unique skills, it changes how you see yourself. Lucas: Yeah. And that confidence shows up in negotiations, too. If you know you have a skill that's rare and valuable, you're in a stronger position to ask for a raise or a new title. Luna: Speaking of asking for things — and I know this might feel like a tangent, but it connects. A handful of listeners chip in each month through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many episodes possible. It keeps the show free for everyone, with no ads. Lucas: And we genuinely appreciate it. It's a small group, but it's the reason we can keep going deep on these topics. Luna: And it helps us feel like we're not just shouting into the void. Lucas: Right. Anyway, back to the skill detective thing. So we've talked about finding your hidden skills, but there's another layer I want to get into: how to keep discovering them over time. Luna: Oh, good, because I feel like this isn't a one-time exercise. Lucas: No, definitely not. Skills evolve, and so do your work situations. So a good habit is to do a mini skill audit every quarter. Set aside an hour, look back at your recent projects, and ask yourself: 'What did I learn about what I'm good at?' And then update your brag document. It becomes a living document that grows with you. Luna: And maybe even ask a colleague for a skill sighting each quarter, too. Just to get an outside perspective. Lucas: Exactly. That way, you're not relying on your own blind spots. And the more you practice, the better you get at recognizing skills in real time, which can actually make you better at your job. Luna: Because you start to see opportunities to use your hidden skills more deliberately. Lucas: Right. Like, you might notice 'Oh, I have this gift for explaining technical things to non-technical people' and then you volunteer to lead the next demo or write the documentation. And that visibility can lead to new projects, even promotions. Luna: So it's not just about career change — it's about growth in your current role too. Lucas: Exactly. And the best part is, it's a skill itself. Like, becoming a skill detective is a meta-skill that makes you more adaptable, more self-aware, and more valuable in any job market. Luna: That's a great way to put it. So what's one thing our listeners can do this week to start being their own skill detective? Lucas: I'd say pick one recent project — something you're proud of or that was challenging — and write down three things you did that contributed to the outcome. Then, under each one, write the skill you used. Even if it feels obvious. 'I made a timeline' is 'project management.' 'I listened to the client vent' is 'stakeholder management.' You'll probably surprise yourself. Luna: And maybe ask one colleague what they'd come to you for. That's a quick, low-stakes way to get an external view. Lucas: Definitely. And if you're feeling ambitious, you can even map those skills against job postings you're curious about. See which ones you're already carrying without realizing it. Luna: I love that. It's like you're building a bridge between your past experience and your future possibilities. Lucas: Yeah. And the more you do it, the more you realize there's no such thing as a 'non-transferable' skill. It's all about how you frame it and where you apply it. Luna: So the next time you're updating your resume, you'll have a treasure trove of skills to choose from. Lucas: Exactly. That's the power of the skill detective. You're not inventing anything — you're just uncovering what was already there, and that's a pretty amazing thing.