Transferable Skills Case Study
Decision Making
Decision making is the ability to choose the best course of action from several possible options. It involves understanding the situation, gathering relevant information, weighing potential outcomes and selecting a solution that helps achieve your goal. Good decision making also means taking responsibility for the choices you make.
Why does this skill matter?
Decision making is the ability to choose the best course of action from several possible options. It involves understanding the situation, gathering relevant information, weighing potential outcomes and selecting a solution that helps achieve your goal. Good decision making also means taking responsibility for the choices you make.
Where will you use this skill at university and beyond?
… as part of your degree
You practise decision making when selecting essay or research topics, choosing methods for projects or deciding on roles and responsibilities in group assignments.
… as part of the wider student experience
During internships or work experience, you will be required to make practical decisions, such as prioritising tasks, choosing appropriate methods for completing work or responding to unexpected problems while meeting deadlines.
… as a professional in the future
In the workplace, decision making involves choosing priorities, allocating resources and selecting the best course of action to achieve goals. Strong decision making helps professionals respond to challenges, justify choices and take responsibility for outcomes.
Student insight
“I developed this skill during a wind farm design project organised by the FemEng society. We had to decide which location to choose for our wind farm from 6 choices within a day, and I did this by gathering different information on each location (protected species, soil condition, community concerns, etc.). It also involved choosing which factor to disregard and if it’s worth the cost. This skill is important to me because it is used not just in every career, but in my everyday life as well. It’s always good to be able to make informed decisions quickly.”
~ Student from the James Watt School of Engineering
How can you evidence this skill?
You might be able to evidence this skill through:
- Choosing research topics and explaining your reasoning
- Making decisions about roles and responsibilities in group projects
- Managing budgets or resources in student societies or events
- Prioritising tasks when managing multiple deadlines
- Making strategic decisions during volunteering, internship or leadership roles
How else might employers describe this skill?
You might also hear this skill described as…
- decisiveness
- judgement
- strategic thinking
- making informed decisions
- problem solving
What are some example interview questions that feature this skill?
- Tell us about a time you had to make an important decision with limited information. How did you approach it?
- Can you describe a situation where you had to choose between several possible solutions?
- Tell us about a time when you had to make a quick decision under pressure.
- How do you normally approach decisions when working in a team?
What does a good response look like?
Question
Tell us about a time you had to make an important decision with limited information. How did you approach it?
Response
Situation: In the F1 Society, we had booked a venue to host a Watch Party for a race. When we arrived, the venue staff couldn’t get their systems to work. Even after we tried talking to them multiple times, they couldn't give us a fix or an alternative, and the race was about to start.
Task: I had to make a quick decision. We had over 60 members there who had shown up specifically to watch the sport, and I didn't want to let them down or have them just sitting there with nothing to watch.
Action: I decided to take a risk and find a new spot right then and there. While the rest of the group waited, I went out to find another venue that would be willing to host 60+ people at the very last minute. I had to negotiate quickly and make sure they would prioritize the F1 broadcast on their TVs so our members got what they came for. Once I found a place, I coordinated the move for the whole group.
Result: Thankfully, the new venue was really welcoming and immediately put the race on for us. It wasn't an easy call because of the risk of not finding anywhere, but it paid off. The members were really grateful that I found a solution and they actually liked the new venue better, so their plans weren't ruined.