Sample Ksa

Skill in presenting information both orally and in writing.

During my tenure with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and especially in my current position, a substantial part of my duties has required strong skills in presenting information both orally and in writing. As an example of my oral communication skills, I was selected by the office Director to be a presenter at an NCI symposium on the documentation of cancer research. This symposium was designed to inform cancer researchers about the new methods of cancer documentation within the NCI guidelines. This symposium was attended by 100+ participants consisting of researchers, scientists and support staff. I spoke on the history of the NCI, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on documentation, and the relationship between NCI and the National Institutes of Health.

In my former position as Executive Assistant to the Office of the Director (OD), I served as the liaison between the support staff of the OD, the NIH executive support staff, and companies in the private sector. I was responsible for keeping all parties informed about assignments and tasks due to the OD. My ability to communicate this information clearly and succinctly was very important in ensuring that the assigned tasks were fully understood and completed in a timely manner.

Effective written communication skills are also critical in my current position. I have taken over a number of writing assignments previously completed by my supervisor. For instance, I draft monthly reports that update Division Directors and Institute Administrators on changes in procedures and regulations and their impact on operations. These written reports are concise yet detailed, and they are routinely approved by my supervisor without corrections. In addition, all office correspondence is routed through me to ensure procedural and grammatical accuracy before I give it to the Director for signature.

My experience and skills have been supplemented by several related training courses in oral and written communications that I have completed through the Graduate School, USDA, and the NIH Training Center. These courses include the following: