What’s on Your Resume of Special Skills?

Reading all of your special talents and skills is an absolute delight. We are truly all made of stardust. Mine is that I have beautiful handwriting which people always comment it looks like a font, and a complimentary special skill is I’m an amazing greeting card writer! I can come up with meaningful words and sentimental prose for the recipient on the spot and I can always fit it exactly into the card space I have on the first time, without a draft.

i love healthy foods!

Choosing the correct Tupperware size for leftovers. Someone would be there saying – that will not fit. But it always does. Ha ha.

My friend told me this past weekend that I should start a podcast or start streaming because I have the “gift of gab” and have no problem filling awkward silences.

I am good at helping people with their resumes / CVs. The key is to identify the skill you demonstrated or learned in the job/class/experience, and explain that- most people focus on the job title or place name. You’re welcome! Now if someone else could just parallel park for me and get to me places on time for the rest of my life, that’d be grand, thanks! Xx

I’m really good at parallel parking. Sometimes after I squeeze into a tight spot in Brooklyn, I’ll be alone in the car and say out loud, “God, I’m so good.”

This has unexpectedly turned into one of my fave cup of Jo comment sections ever!!! Love you all so much! Thanks for joining me here each week – truly one of my favourite spaces on the internet (actually it’s my only fave lol!!) What a wonderful group of people! Of course we’re all so talented too ;)

Everyone I know knows they will eat well at my house.

Sending a really good text! For myself or anyone else. I offer my services to my friends, family, partner and surprisingly often…strangers. I’ve helped a nervous party-goer send an “are you still coming to the party?” text that was at once flirty and nonchalant. I helped a woman in an airport send a breakup text once (there had only been 2 dates, I’m not a monster). For my rowdiest friends I’ll even pen a sext! And I’m way more fun than asking AI to do it

I can almost always guess correctly the name of the band/artist of most songs that I hear. Even songs I’ve not heard before. I love it but it can be a little distracting.

Excellent hand/eye coordination, pooping quickly (my husband is amazed every time haha), and making those around me feel comfortable and included. What a fun question! Loving reading the comments.

I’m a gold medal laundry person! I can get out most any stain and I love a pile of clean clothes. I plan great trips and I am a good listener. I maintained a cool head when my boys were first learning to drive, and I am a champion eavesdropper when kids are whispering in the car or an adjacent room. Truly an undervalued skill.

I think my gift would be spatial awareness. I can fold up and put away a tent in its original bag and be able to zip it. My husband is amazed every time.

I’m really good at estimating clothing sizes correctly, not just for myself but for others too. I regularly buy clothes without trying them on and I rarely miss.

When someone tells me their birthday, I will remember it for the rest of my life. Its permanently stuck in the back of my mind.

I am very good at remembering song lyrics.

Mine is matching colors! If I’m shopping for tops, I’ll just KNOW that this red top is the exact same shade of red as the stripe on the pants that are hanging in the closet. I am never wrong. Useless in the scheme of things, but I’ll take it!

Mine is being enthusiastic! I will celebrate your wins loudly, ask you a million questions about the subject you’re passionate about. I’m not scared to answer a question/be responsive in a large group chat. I just love being there for my friends!! haha

Joanna, for the last 14 (!!!!) years, I’ve thought of you every time I correctly guessed the time. Is this still one of your super powers? https://cupofjo.com/2012/04/03/what-are-you-good-at/

Untangling. Jewelry chains, yarn, fishing line, slinkies; I do feel I am generally good at applying this skill to metaphorical tangles as well. Bring me your knots and challenges and I will get you untangled!

I love these comments, although it also makes me realise how many essentiak skills I lack. Would love to have all the practical ones (eyeballing whether something is straight or not; parallel parking; being a good gift giver; quick math; making sure the entire meal is ready at the same time; good navigation skills). Life would be so much easier if I had any of these skills.

Making people laugh, remembering names, and being the go-to trip/day/suggestion planner (probably why I just LOVE your city guides, motherhood around the World Series…I love learning about other people/places). Everyone’s built-in talents are so lovely to read on, and getting me a little teary. I’m very hard on myself but there’s a lot to love in here too

I have good reflexes. If something is about to roll off a counter, my hand instinctively flies out and catches it. I like to think it comes from years of bike riding but who knows?

1) timing all the parts of a meal to be done at the same time 2) I used to be really good at guessing the exact degree of weather when I lived in the Midwest, but the humidity in the south is throwing me off!

I am remarkable at knowing if something is straight and centered. I can just eyeball a wall and hang a picture spot on in the center perfectly level. I haven’t figured out how to monetize this skill, but when I do, I’ll be gold. (The dark side of this talent is that I’ve been known to adjust frames in doctor’s offices, friend’s homes, and especially restaurants.)

I’m really good at reading children’s stories aloud. I do all the different character voices, and I manage to keep little ones engaged long enough to sit still until the very end. Oh! And I can recognize someone’s voice instantly, even if I haven’t seen them in years.

-Presenting food/snacks/drinks attractively, definitely for a whole group or when entertaining, but even just for my daughter’s breakfast or an afternoon snack for myself (a pretty plate, portioned snacks in a few little bowls, pour can of sparkling water in nice glass with ice and a piece of fruit garnish) -picking up/understanding accents and languages quickly –

I remember everyone’s bday. Tell it to me once and it’s stuck in my head. My kids think it’s so weird. I have really nice handwriting. I can find anything and know where most everything is in the house even if it’s not mine. I’m good at knowing what illness my kids have and if they get hurt, I good at staying calm. Other people’s blood doesn’t bother me (my own, tho, makes me faint). I’m good at remembering names and faces. Funny story: when I was in HS my dad got out his Sr yrbook from HS. There was a guy in his class with very distinctive eyes and eyebrows. A couple yrs later, I was working at a bookstore. This was nowhere near where my dad grew up. Like 2hrs away. This guy comes to the counter. I said, did you graduate in 1972 from __HS? He was like, uh yes? This was like 25yrs later. It was the guy with the eye/eyebrows from the yrbook. He could not believe I recognized him. It was freaky and funny at the same time. My memory is a strange thing. Just don’t ask me abt conversations. My recall is terrible most of the time especially if it’s stressful.

I’m good at estimating when the 3-minute tea timer will go off without peeking at it.

Special skill that I always refer to as my “party trick.” This works really well at weddings. When taking a picture of a couple or a group, in the SPLIT SECOND before you snap that camera- tell your subjects to look at each other. They never expect it. BEST PICTURES EVER. The couple (or group) typically immediately look at each other and LAUGH together- a natural, fun laugh- and the picture turns out true chef’s kiss. You’re welcome❣️

I can’t wait to read through all these! My special skills are: 1. reading out loud (getting lots of practice now with a two-year-old who looooves books) 2. having really nice handwriting, both printing and cursive 3. sensing people’s emotions and knowing how they’re feeling in any given moment 4. memorizing the lyrics to any song very quickly and then never forgetting them 5. making really great playlists

I’ve been told I am a good gift giver….I have fun finding the just right gift for someone..usually not pricey! I’m good at finding fun, off the radar things to do…Recently went to a craft rave and an oyster pop up! Whenever I travel for work, I try to find fun things to do, unique to the area. Last summer in DC I went to a polymer clay jewelry workshop, and got a Resort Pass for the day before meetings started!

Wow it’s a joy to read these! We contain multitudes :) Mine are that I pick up new languages/cultural mannerisms very quickly, and that I’m able to make people feel “invited in”. Give me a new space or situation, and I can help people feel at ease. This leads both to new friendships and random moments of community at the store, bus, or airport. It feels a bit odd to ‘write out loud’, but I do think that my superpower is being a little slice of home for others! I gladly embrace it!

Not to brag, but I am a fast pee-er AND great in emergencies. The high stakes soans a wide spectrum from popping my son’s finger back into joint before he knew it was happening, to saving a man’s life on a bridge. I still have contact with that young man and it was one of the most beautiful (and scariest) moments in my life.

My special skill is guessing what time it is without looking at a clock.

-Remembering random details about people. People will tell me stories and years later I’ll bring up something minor from that story and they are always shocked I remember. -Remembering where anything is in the house. “It’s in the middle cabinet all the way in the back on the left behind the blue towels.” -Remembering faces. I was in an elevator in LA and someone got on who was in my college lab class in the Bay Area. -What I don’t remember: anything that happens in a movie or book. Is this anyone else? Once I’m done, it goes out of my brain. This does have its advantages. We recently watched the Terminator with our teens and watching it again was just as fun as the first time! -Also, my husband remembers movies and books and B-list actors’ names and all the movies they’ve been in, but he doesn’t remember people or where anything is in the house, so we compliment each other well!

I am good at identifying when something isn’t sitting quite level. My husband will look at me skeptically and go get the level, and sure enough, it’ll be off kilter. I find and collect information well; I’m driven by curiosity which is sometimes annoying but also pretty useful. If only I had a photographic memory; I’d be unstoppable! I have excellent balance despite poor flexibility; I like to credit my hobbit feet for this when holding eagle pose in yoga class.

When we’re stopped at a red light, I can guess pretty accurately how many seconds we have until the light turns green (more so if it’s an intersection I’m familiar with).

Coming back here this morning with a coffee I am really excited about to read through all of these little (big) magics. We are so unlikely, all of us here on this twirling blue~green stone. And yet! Here we are! Us, with our pretty penmanship and minds for important details and dates and talents for guessing the time or correct Tupperware size. We are wonder~full! I’m so glad that my Wednesday in June is also all of yours.

I can identify pattern changes very easily so I can spot 4 leaf clovers anywhere!

I’m really good at estimating volume. My husband bought some pepper plants and pots to grow them in. I said, “You’ll need roughly 4 bags of soil for that” and it was the EXACT RIGHT AMOUNT. Things like that happen a lot.

Parallel parking, anywhere, with any car, under any circumstance. Creating something out of nothing for any last minute Hail Mary I forgot it’s due tomorrow school project.

Pretty much all of mine are food related: – Picking out the best fruit and vegetables at the grocery store – ability to perfectly cut most fruit including mangoes, avocados, and pomegranates (still working on improving my pineapple technique…) – making great breakfast/snack plates from the dregs of the fridge

Penmanship – if you need something written legibly or pretty, I am really good at it. My daughter tells her friends I can write in a lot of fonts. And, I can cure hiccups. A lady at the grocery store gave me this gift 20 years ago and it still works everytime. It was the strangest encounter I have ever experienced. But I can make hiccups go away for anyone.

I want to suggest an offshoot of this post for another sure-to-be-fun comments section: what was your special talent at the age of 10 that you haven’t thought about or practiced in years, but could probably still pull off if you tried? These cannot be talents still in your rotation; only vintage skills accepted. Mine are: – Playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” (and only this one song) on the harmonica – Doing that thing where you put your fist up to your mouth and say the word “girl” and it comes out like a hilarious baby voice saying “doy” – Juggling, using those weird stick things with the third stick thing in the middle; similarly, spinning a plastic plate on the end of a pointed stick – Knowing every word of “Copacabana,” including a choreographed dance routine I dream of getting friends together for a talent show based on these!

I’m feeling particularly low and grumpy today, so when I saw this post I thought to myself “well, I don’t have any special skills worth mentioning” and then as I read the comments, I came across one where the commenter mentioned she loves women talking themselves up. So here I am… 1. I can do a very good Peppa Pig imitation (all characters – Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, Peppa and George, including their snorts and also Madam Gazelle) 2. I can make my sister laugh at any time. She calls me when she’s low and five minutes later, she’s ringing off, doubling up in laughter. It also works with my sister-in-law and some close friends. In general, I can make people feel quite good about themselves :) 3. My true superpower used to be I could talk to my child, calm her down and make her see reason, even through a complete meltdown – worked beautifully for ages 1.5-6. But nothing works anymore since the last 3 months, which might be the real reason I’m sad and grumpy. It’s depressing to lose connection to a 6.5 year old and ridiculous to allow that to bog me down so much.

I can hold people’s grief. Sadness does not scare me.

I had two “spiritual” experiences that resulted in me getting free frozen yoghurt 😆 Whwn my husband and I were newly married and had a tight budget we lived near a frozen yoghurt place that gave you a free serving if you correctly guessed your servings weight prior to them weighing it (the price was based on ounces). My husband turned to me and jokingly said, “guess your weight correctly!”I guessed my weight and then I filled my paper cup with yoghurt and started piling on toppings from all the buffet style options. A large raspberry rolled off the top of my frozen yoghurt and a crystal clear voice in my head said, “Pit it back” 😆 So I used the tongs and retrieved the raspberry, and when I weighed my dessert, it was a perfect match to my guess! 6.4 oz let’s say, of free deliciousness. We returned a few weeks later and my husband jokingly said, “Do that again.” 😆 This time, a large chunk of kiwi rolled off and that same voice returned, advising me to “Let it go” 😆😆😆😆 I did and received another free frozen yoghurt! Sometimes intuition or whatever you want to call it is straight up funny

I can perfectly imitate the noises made by guinea pigs, both squeaking and grunting. They actually squeak back at me! Great party trick to pull out for kids with guinea pigs.

directions, listening to intimate disclosures, non fiction recommendations, sexting (no pics, lets imagine)

This is one of the best comment-section in the whole world wide web. I am astonished by all your skills! My special skill is typing faster than any professional with the 10-finger-system (I use 8-9 fingers as my littlefingers are not as fast as the others! and I think playing the piano as a kid/teen helped a lot) – I can actually write other things than I am saying and listen to a story while typing parts of it down simultaneously (some of my patients are so creeped out by this – but in the end fascinated by my skill which saves me approx. 1-2 hours of work a day in my doctors office).

So fun! My talent is to plan my own vacations and come back to work very relaxed! So useful to charge the batteries.

I don’t know how or why reading something out loud seems to warrant compliments, but apparently I’m good at ‘reading in churches’.

I’m excellent at guessing name origins. Romanian, Nigerian, Turkish, Basque, whatever; if I come across an unfamiliar name I can usually guess where it’s from (and if I can’t I immediately go learn about it, which must be how I got good at this). Email in my work inbox from an unknown sender named Vadzim yesterday? “Huh, looks Belarusian…” – searches, ding ding, correct! Maybe I developed this skill as a reaction to my own very generically American name, haha.

I am a very honest/bold person. . . In a kind way. I will tell you when you have stuff in your teeth, when asked how I am I will tell you I am uncomfortable because I started my period, etc. Because of this, I also compliment strangers (mostly women) on their shirt, smile, hair, strong arms, their ability to deliver a smart answer. Because of this I end up having deep conversations and connections with strangers. My husband and daughters will say I’m just doing my thing when I bond with the waitress, the checkout person at the grocery store, the parent at the swings. My fav question to ask a woman is what do you enjoy doing in your own time? I love actually learning about people and getting them to talk about themselves and see them smile about themselves. I am definitely a woman’s woman. I will hype any woman up and I believe they all deserve it. I’m great with children and making them feel special, by just being interested in anything they are saying, but I have a special knack for children with disabilities. I am apparently patient with them, but it really is that I think that what they are saying or showing me is worth paying attention to. I love reading through the comments of these types of posts here on CoJ because I genuinely love seeing women talk themselves up. I love to hear them think positive things about themselves. I love when women know how awesome they are. I’m also great at taking stairs two at a time. Like, I love to bound.

I can form an emu with my hands, to the delight of children and especially myself. For those whose special skill is interpreting directions, to form your own hand puppet emu: Put your hands out in front of you like you’re giving high-fives, palms away. Then bring the tips of your pointer fingers and thumbs together, like you’re looking through glasses, the other six fingers pointing up as fancy feathers on your masquerade mask. Then bring your pinkie fingers together so that the sides of your hands are flush. You’ve now got the general head shape, with your arms as a long neck. Here comes the tricky part. Cross your ring fingers to rest on top of the pointers. The fingers should literally cross and sort of point towards you, forming the eyes. Then finish the top of the head by bending your middle fingers down between your newly formed x to where your thumbs touch. Congrats! You’ve now got an emu, with your pinkies sticking up straight, the tuft on the back of its head. You may open and close its mouth to eat at your friends or children by separating the thumbs from the pointers. Those who are really ambitious can also turn the pinkie fingers inward to form a tongue in what is now a frog instead. Enjoy :)

I love reading all these!! I’m really good at reading aloud to my 4 kids, with voices and the whole bit. I am really amazing at meeting my house clean if I do say so myself 😄 I can’t focus when my house is messy, it sucks. I can vacuum and brush my teeth at the same time. I can be reading like 10 books at once and remember what’s happening in each one. I am really good at decluttering and throwing out stuff without feeling sentimental. 😂 I can strike up a conversation with any random person, not sure how I got here being that I was so shy growing up and still can’t talk on video to save my life!

I have a good eye. I can easily find the highest quality and most valuable pieces at any consignment store, garage sale, thrift store, etc. I’ve scored some great clothes, art and furniture over the years that would typically be way out of my price range.

My husband has a special skill he does.not.want. All of our male friends at some point will inevitably tell him how much money they earn. Often he’ll come back from drinks with someone and open his eyes wide and say: It just happened again, I didn’t want to know and I don’t care! Please stop telling me this! As for me, I am an excellent listener and also I can do one impression only and that is of Shakira.

When my son was younger he told me he was excellent at waiting for 45 minutes. It’s his ideal time to wait – for dinner, to get somewhere, etc. He’s still pretty good at it.

My special skills are: 1. I got your back! You have something in your teeth, I’ll let you know gently. TP on your shoe, I’ll step on it! I won’t let you be that person that has a 20 minute conversation with me and then you go to the washroom and see a reflection of load of spinach between your teeth. Nope! Not happening with me! 2. I’m really funny around a certain type of people. Maybe this isn’t a special power because perhaps we all have people like this, where you can make them and yourself laugh until you’re both literally in tears and your chest hurts. I do like to think it’s me so I’ll keep this as my special skill :)

With a little bit of irony, I’d say: – Being right most of the time – Willing to be the bad guy in a situation that needs to be dealt with – Taking charge of situations – Telling it straight – Blistering my way out of physical challenges (as a kid more so than now) Other things: – Listening to people in crisis and usually getting them to better point by the end of the conversation – maintaining pen pal relationships – have been windsurfing exactly once but was told that I was the fastest learner the instructor had ever taught – editing other people’s work – staying functionally calm in crisis (examples: forest fire, dog hit by car, rip current, and getting robbed at gun point) – getting people to feel at ease – learning languages

I work with small children who have sensory issues and I know when they have to go to the bathroom before they do.

Getting an upfront parking spot. The Red Sea parts and I am deposited at the front of the store/restaurant/office building. Also in a packed restaurant or bar, I can always find a bar seat/hightop/perch. It’s the same skill, just different locations!

I order the best thing on the menu in restaurants. I mean obviously *I* think it’s best, that’s why I ordered it, but the amount of times people look at my plate and say “I wish I’d ordered that” is extremely high!

Super smeller. Sometimes useful, often not-so-fun.

Reading 19th century handwriting. Researching and planning day trips, vacations, and outings for loved ones. Throwing dinner party with little advance notice. Making my friends feel seen and loved.

I’m a good parallel parker, I can instantly find the page I last read in a book without a bookmark or flipping through pages, and I’m pretty good at colour-matching – if you show me a piece of fabric, I can pick matching thread for it at the fabric store without having the fabric in hand. I’m also great at making up silly songs about just about anything, a skill I love that drives my kid *wild* (uncomplimentary, ha!).

mine are all, perhaps unsurprisingly, food related: 1. I can remember what I ordered at basically every meal I’ve ever eaten out, and probably what you ordered too. Is this useful? Not really. 2. What IS useful, however, is that I am REALLY REALLY good at estimating volume by eyeballing it. This is especially useful when choosing the right size leftover container(s) for a meal – I always choose the perfect size container for the amount of food we have. Nothing more annoying than choosing a container that is too small and having to dirty another one to make it all fit, and I hate putting a container that is way too big in the fridge for just a bit of food. 3. I am good at making a meal of whatever we have in the fridge and using up random leftovers in creative ways. I waste very little (relatively speaking….I also have twin toddlers) and enjoy the challenge – it’s like being on a cooking show!

My life resume skill is the ability to order for large groups at restaurants while considering all the dietary restrictions, requests, and portion sizes. It’s so satisfying when people are so happy with the menu progression and there is just a tiny bit of food left over to show that people have eaten their fill without creating massive amount of waste!