Definitions skills/homework Preparing the next step

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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Definitions skills/homework Preparing the next step

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.

Definitions skills/homework Preparing the next step

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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Definitions skills/homework Preparing the next step

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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