Market Your Transferable Skills
Add Value To Your Resume
Transferable skills are universal skills that can transfer from one job to another, in almost any career field, regardless of the type of work. This transfer of skill happens without much effort from you, and without much training from the employer because you already have experience using that skill.
For example: If you were a manager in a Marketing department, you can use those same management skills for a manager position in an Operations department.
Many employers assume that if you are able to use a particular skill at one job, you should be able to use that same skill in another job, even if you change career fields.
These skills can be acquired through jobs, volunteer work, internships, classes, and projects. There are plenty of skills that you acquire through education, at work, and during other life activities. Do not underestimate any of them.
These skills are often more important than job-related skills, especially if you are…
- changing careers
- re-entering the workforce
- making a transition from work to school.
In these situations your work history may not show all of your abilities, so transferable skills can be used to fill in any gaps.
What are the benefits?
- You can apply for jobs in more than one career field by showing the employer that you have skills that can be transferred into the position you are seeking.
- You will increase your success during the job search by sharing more than just your work history on your resume. You will also share additional skills that you have acquired.
Identify the best skills to use.
- Write down all the tasks you have completed in previous jobs, projects, classes, etc . Then, list the skills you used to perform each of those tasks. These are the skills you can identify in your resume.
- Review job descriptions for the job you are seeking and look for skills that are required for the job. A good place to find these descriptions is job search websites, such as Monster or CareerBuilder.
Remember… Transferable skills are skills that can be transferred from one job or career field to another. For example, customer service skills can be used in any job or career field in which you interact with customers.
Examples of skills that can transfer from one career to another…
- Accounting
- Analytical skills
- Asserting influence
- Attention to detail
- Auditing
- Bilingual
- Communication (verbal/written)
- Computer Programming
- Construction/Repair
- Counseling people
- Creating new processes
- Critical thinking
- Customer Service
- Decision making
- Delegate responsibility
- Drive/operate vehicle
- Employee relations
- Flexibility
- Forecasting
- Handling complaints
- Human Resources
- Identify problems
- Information Technology
- Interpersonal relations
- Interviewing/Hiring
- Investigation
- Leadership
- Managing conflict
- Managing people
- Meeting deadlines
- Motivating others
- Negotiation skills
- Operating machinery
- Organization skills
- Persuasion skills
- Presentation skills
- Prioritizing multiple tasks
- Problem solving
- Public speaking
- Research skills
- Selling products or services
- Taking initiative
- Teaching/Training
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Writing
This list is not all inclusive. It just gives you some ideas to get you started. Identify the skills that apply to you and the job you are seeking.
At the job interview, be prepared to discuss what you have accomplished using these skills and how you plan to apply them to the target job.
You will also want to use transferable skills in your resume statement and work experience sections.
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