Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as an erosion control specialist and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job.

An Erosion Control Specialist has the primary responsibility of developing practices that promote soil erosion control, conservation of soil or water and proper use of land. He/she provides a management plan for erosion control as well as providing technical assistance in the planning and designing of erosion control practices.

Other associated duties include taking part in the implementation of erosion control law, conduct inspection and recommend the enforcement of erosion control plans, develop and maintain guidance documents for erosion control, visit areas that have erosion problems to determine the cause and provide solutions, advice land users on problems , plans and solutions for soil conservation as well as plan conservation practices such as reforestation, crop rotation or contour plowing to prevent soil erosion.

Core Skills Required to be an Erosion Control Specialist

Core skills describe a set of non-technical abilities, knowledge, and understanding that form the basis for successful participation in the workplace. Core skills enable employees to efficiently and professionally navigate the world of work and interact with others, as well as adapt and think critically to solve problems.

Core skills are often tagged onto job descriptions to find or attract employees with specific essential core values that enable the company to remain competitive, build relationships, and improve productivity.

An erosion control specialist should master the following 10 core skills to fulfill her job properly.

Troubleshooting:

Troubleshooting is solving a problem or determining a question to an issue which is often applied to repairing failed products or processes on a machine or a system.

An Erosion Control Specialist must be able to diagnose any trouble in the management flow caused by a failure of any kind and determine to remedy the causes of the symptoms with the final product being the confirmation that the solution restores the process to an excellent working state.

Performance Management:

Performance Management is a method by which supervisors and employees work together to plan, monitor and review the employee's work objectives and overall contributions to the organization.

An Erosion Control Specialist should invest in performance management to shift the focus from the annual reports to a more continuous form of accountability by implementing periodic meetings while ensuring a continual push for progress rather than an immediate rush to meet objectives during the review time.

Participative Management:

Participative Management is also known as employee involvement is the participation of all stakeholders at all levels of the organization in the investigation of problems, development of strategies and implementation of solutions.

An Erosion Control Specialist should include the participative management in the enterprise to create open and honest communication, freedom and transparency solicit survey feedback and form self-managed teams that are easy to work with.

Supervisory Skills:

Supervisory Skills is the ability to lead and manage people effectively in a difficult and challenging atmosphere in the day to day life.

An Erosion Control Specialist must cultivate, develop and refine management and supervisory skills to strengthen the present as well as build the future of the business by becoming competent in such roles like problem-solving, communication, managing people, time management, leadership, planning, etc.

Developing Others:

Developing others is an unremitting process that focuses on the broader, longer-term growth of individuals to nurture them to their potential and promote future development.

An Erosion Control Specialist needs to support, coach, positively impacts and effectively aid in developing talents of their staff by motivating them to become outstanding in their behavioral change and performance improvement that opens up development opportunities in the organization.

Cooperation with colleagues:

Cooperation is the process of working with groups or teams for a common mutual benefit as opposed to working in competition or for selfish ambition.

An Erosion Control Specialist should learn the art of creating a mutually beneficial exchange among the employees that dwells much on cooperation for the same mutual benefit with adequate resources for all to use rather than creating a spirit of competition.

Practical Thinking:

Practical Thinking is the skill to think creatively about projects or work that requires your full attention to be completed and to bring great results.

An Erosion Control Specialist must ensure the decisions he makes are well sought after using professional characteristics for employees with high-level responsibilities to feel included and to allow growth for everyone in a constantly changing world that requires creativity.

Self-Discipline and Sense of Duty:

Self-Discipline and Sense of Duty is an active effort which helps in developing set ways for your thoughts, actions, and habits empowering your to stick to your decisions.

An Erosion Control Specialist needs to learn the secret of fostering the development of self-discipline amongst the employees by clearly defining the expectations, staying in sync with the work related events and propagate result yielding ideas that employees suggest.

Organizational Skills:

Organizational Skills is the ability to make use of time, energy and resources available in the most efficient manner to achieve their goal.

An Erosion Control Specialist should organize the work for the employees to ensure overall organization, planning, time management, scheduling, coordinating resources and meeting deadlines is handled most efficiently by each employee for both personal and professional growth.

Business Ethics:

Business Ethics is the ability to learn what is right and wrong in the world of business and choosing to do what is right at all times.

An Erosion Control Specialist must emulate good business ethic that is essential for the long-term success of an organization by implementing an ethical program that will foster a thriving entrepreneurial culture while increasing profitability and personal maturity.

Hard Skills Required to be an Erosion Control Specialist

Hard skills are job-specific skill sets, or expertise, that are teachable and whose presence can be tested through exams. While core skills are more difficult to quantify and less tangible, hard skills are quantifiable and more defined.

Hard skills are usually listed on an applicant's resume to help recruiters know the applicant's qualifications for the applied position. A recruiter, therefore, needs to review the applicant's resume and education to find out if he/she has the knowledge necessary to get the job done.

An erosion control specialist should have a good command of the following hard skills to succeed in her job.

Erosion Control Specialist: Hard skills list

Analytical
Analyze and evaluate ecosystem data
Apply basic chemistry
Apply biological theory
Apply chemical laboratory tests
Apply chemistry theory
Apply emergency management principles
Apply fire suppression techniques
Apply linear algebra
Apply mathematics to statistical modeling
Apply plant materials principles
Apply principles of soil protection, improvement and conservation
Apply research methodology to science or engineering
Apply soil science principles
Conduct chemical analyses
Conduct investigations and research
Conduct laboratory research
Conduct qualitative analysis
Conduct quantitative analysis
Design tables depicting data
Develop and revise databases
Diagnose and solve agricultural production problems
Identify wood species and characteristics
Inspect fields or forests to detect plant diseases, pest infestations or noxious weeds
Interpersonal
Interpret and apply knowledge of relevant laws
Investigate crop damage caused by wildlife
Judge soil conditions
Make presentations
Material Science
Negotiate timber sales and reforestation contracts
Prepare reports in timely manner
Present technical papers and research results
Project Management
Read and interpret aerial photographs
Read maps
Read measuring and metering devices used in forestry
Recognize plant disease
Recognize tree and forest plant species
Research work-related topics using library resources
Technical
Technology
Understand, use, and communicate technical information
Use algebra
Use biological research techniques
Use calculus
Use cost-benefit analysis
Use gis software
Use long term forest planning techniques
Use maps in wilderness areas
Use quantitative research methods
Write grant proposals
Write project or bid proposals
Write technical papers from original research

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