57% of job seekers can't identify their transferable skills with a high degree of confidence and 58% aren’t sure how to include transferable skills on their resume.
Whether you've stayed in the same career field for years or dabbled in different industries, odds are you've developed your professional skill set. Some of these skills are job-specific, like mastering certain platforms or tools, but others are transferable, such as critical thinking or time management skills.
Transferable skills are very versatile and can be applied in any professional setting, regardless of position or industry, which is a HUGE value-add to future employers.
The best thing about transferable skills is that you probably already have several!
Keep reading for a list of transferable skills and discover which ones to leverage as you adapt and grow in your career.
Examples of Transferable Skills
Having examples of transferable skills can help you flesh out your resume and brainstorm specific examples for interviews. Here are 6 categories of transferable skills you can leverage on your resume.
Technical Skills
- Office Suites (Microsoft Office, G Suite, etc.)
- Numeracy skills
- Information technology
- Typing
- Troubleshooting
- Data metrics
- Database management
- Web (HTML, CSS, CMSs, SEO, etc.)
- Social Media
Communication Skills
- Written communication
- Editing and proofreading
- Negotiation skills
- Spoken communication
- Presentation skills
- Public speaking
- Listening skills
- Non-verbal communication
- Interpersonal skills
Critical Thinking
- Problem solving
- Research
- Goal setting
- Analyzing information
- Creative thinking
Teamwork
- Collaboration
- Punctuality
- Conflict resolution
- Team building
- Flexibility
- Brainstorming
Leadership Skills
- Delegating responsibilities
- Managing groups
- Decision making
- Teaching and coaching
- Conflict management
- Initiative
- Adaptability
- Strategic thinking
- Motivation
Organizational Skills
- Event planning
- Task coordination
- Time management
- Idea synthesis
- Prioritization
- Attention to detail
- Budgeting
How to highlight your transferable skills
Here are some tips on how to showcase your transferable skills on your resume.
- Tailor your skills. Don't paste a laundry list of all of your transferable skills on your resume. Analyze the description for the job you're applying for and select relevant transferable skills for that role.
- Distribute them throughout your resume. Include your transferable skills in your resume summary, employment history descriptions, and skills or qualifications list.
- Pick your top skill. In your resume summary consider including your most valuable and relevant transferable skill. This will hook the person reading your resume to keep reading.
- Don't forget about the cover letter! When writing your cover letter, focus on one or two transferable skills that the employer has included in the job description or that you find relevant. Write about examples of time when you've used those skills in the past in the body of your cover letter.
- Prepare examples for interviews. Use concrete examples of when you've used relevant transferable skills to answer your interviewer's questions. Try to "show" instead of "tell" by providing specific examples of when you used your skills successfully in a professional setting.
