Successfully changing careers or landing that dream promotion in today's job market frequently depends on the strength of your transferable skills. Transferable skills are valuable in a wide variety of positions and industries, so they can open doors to new chances. In fact, the Pew Research Center revealed that over the past 30 years there’s been an 83% increase in the number of positions seeking strong soft skills including: management, communication, and active listening.
These abilities have significance in a wide range of professions and sectors, making these soft skills vital, and, you guessed it – highly transferable!
Let’s talk about some of the most in-demand transferable skills examples, discusses scenarios in which they might be used, and demonstrate how to present them well in interviews and on your resume so you can use them to get your dream job.
Why transferable skills matter
Transferable skills are the adaptable abilities you've gained through different roles and experiences. By definition, they aren’t limited to a specific job or industry, making them invaluable when trying to change or advance careers. By understanding and effectively showcasing these skills, you can open doors to positions you might not have considered within your current field.
Need a boost to leverage these skills to reach your professional objectives? Our broad resource library, which includes past events and expert advice, offers practical support at every stage, designed to provide you with the confidence needed to make a successful career transition. If you're ready to take the next step and revolutionize your career, we'll be with you every step of the way.
Key transferable skills
Let’s take a quick look at some examples of key transferable skills to get started.
1. Time & project management
The use of techniques, expertise, resources, and instruments to accomplish project objectives within budget and schedule constraints is known as project management. The process of intentionally organizing and regulating the amount of time spent on particular tasks in order to boost productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency is known as time management. Both come at the top of transferable skills lists.
Example: This skill set is utilized in project management to maintain projects on budget and on schedule. Effectively handling client inquiries and resolutions may be part of a customer service position.
Showcasing: Highlight your capacity to handle several projects at once, adhere to deadlines, and prioritize tasks effectively. Utilize KPIs to demonstrate completed projects successfully or efficiency gains.
2. Written communication
Another example of transferable skills include written communication. This can be kind of a broad category, but includes: writing reports, taking notes, editing, and summarizing.
In today's information era, written communication skills are essential. Most occupations will require you to communicate in writing, whether by email, formal letters, notes, text messages, or online messaging. Written communication abilities enable you to successfully provide direction, imperative for project management.
Example: Effective written communication is essential in marketing to produce engaging content that audiences want to read (and buy!). A tech job may include writing understandable documentation for software use.
Showcasing: Emphasize written accomplishments, such as articles, reports, or user manuals.Don't forget to mention any quantifiable results, like improved user comprehension or increased content engagement!
3. Strategic thinking
Any skill that helps you apply critical thinking to solve complicated problems and make long-term plans is known as strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is necessary to meet goals, get past barriers, and deal with difficulties in the workplace — especially when those goals can take weeks, months, or even years to complete.
Example: Strategic thinking is useful when recognizing growth opportunities (for yourself and the company) and creating plans to take advantage of them in a business development function. It could also entail optimizing processes for increased efficiency in operations.
Showcasing: Talk about situations where your strategic thoughts produced notable advancements or triumphs. Provide concrete instances that highlight your aptitude for analysis and long-term planning.
4. Leadership & teamwork
Leadership and teamwork are two crucial components of any transferable skills list, particularly in business environments, and particularly when looking to climb the corporate ladder. While teamwork can simply be defined as being a good contributor within a group environment, leadership is a set of attitudes, communication patterns, and behaviors that impact a group's functioning and help it complete its task.
Effective leadership and fostering an environment of effective teamwork go hand in hand.
Example: In a managerial position, leadership is essential for motivating teams and delivering results. Teamwork is needed in a collaborative endeavor to achieve shared objectives.
Showcasing: Provide instances of your leadership or collaborative experiences, emphasizing the ways in which you helped the team succeed. Add any projects you led or disputes you assisted in resolving.
5. Adaptability
One of the most common examples of transferable skills is adaptability. Being adaptable is a soft skill that refers to your capacity to adapt quickly with developments, and trust us – it’s not always easy! In the office, a flexible individual can keep up with clients, projects, goals, and technology changes. They are great at adjusting to changes in the workplace, including revisions to procedures and surroundings.
Example: Being flexible can especially help a digital startup where you’ll thrive in a fast-paced, constantly-evolving environment. In the healthcare industry, it entails changing to new protocols or technologies to improve patient care.
Showcasing: Emphasize instances in which you handled change well, including adjusting to new software or restructuring a business. Stress your enthusiasm to learn and your positive approach.
Tips for highlighting transferable skills
- Prepare for Interviews: In an interview, be prepared to talk about your transferable skills list. Explain how you've used these talents in previous roles and the effects they had by using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Tailor Your Resume: Make your resume unique for every job application by highlighting your transferable skills examples that are most pertinent to the position. Make use of the job description's keywords, and give precise examples that highlight your experience.
- Leverage PowerUp: Are you dedicated to lifelong learning and career advancement? Utilize resources like PowerUp to bolster your CV by exploring in-demand transferable skills.
Showcase your transferable skills
Join our upcoming Virtual Job Fairs, where you can connect with partner companies eager to hire qualified, diverse professionals like you. These events are a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and make valuable industry connections. Don't miss out on your chance to power up your career!
Anyone hoping to successfully pivot their career must learn how to use and efficiently exhibit their transferable skills list. Employees with well-practiced transferable skills are more likely to be able to draw on a variety of experiences, which can only benefit the business in the long run.
