Did you know you have a wider variety of skills than you realize? And that your current job might be excellent preparation for a different job, in another field?
Thanks to transferable skills, the abilities you gain from working and training can be applied to jobs different from what you’re currently doing.
What are transferable skills?
There are seven skills considered transferable, meaning they can be applied to many kinds of work and professions, forming the core of your abilities. These categories generally cover them:
- Technical
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Multitasking
- Teamwork
- Creativity
- Leadership
All or some of these might be abilities you use daily at work now and are easy to recognize; others might not sound like something you do regularly. But let’s reframe the question.
Have you ever taken the lead on a project, or were tasked with helping a new employee understand how something worked? Did you ever provide guidance or advice? That’s leadership. Have you ever worked with a group to develop a new way of doing something, or tried to fix a problem that hadn’t been faced before? That’s creativity and critical thinking with a sprinkling of teamwork.
How do I identify and define my transferable skills?
The first way is by sitting back and thinking about the work you do and the tasks you complete regularly. Do you take responsibility for making sure your team is up-to-date on projects? Are you volunteering as the person who will send out an explainer email when a new project comes up? Do people come to you for advice and help? Those are all examples of transferable skills, because they are not tied to the specific training for your exact job. Instead, they are overarching abilities you can take with you and apply anywhere.
If you’d like a little more of a clear-cut answer, you can find skills assessment tests and quizzes online to help you determine your strengths and abilities. Some job boards offer these tests as part of the application process — Indeed offers a long list of proficiency tests and keeps track of your scores for future applications — and the results can help you realize you have more skills than you realized.
Now what?
Once you’ve spent a little time identifying your transferable skills, it’s time to update your resume. Use your new knowledge of these skills and update your current skill list and job descriptions with them in mind.
For example, if you have strong communication and teamwork skills, highlight that you are responsible for your company’s newsletter or regular reports and that you organized the latest community volunteer day in which half the company participated.
If you’re interested in new technology and will be the first to step up and try a new program, or love social media, tout your technology skills: You’re an early adopter who is eager to embrace and learn new software and products to boost efficiency, like the time you demonstrated new accounting software that led to faster production of sales data.
Employers are looking for candidates who have all of their dream skills, but they’re also interested in knowing how you apply the skills you have right now. Transferable skills are the building blocks, and from them, so many different jobs are within reach!
Connect with Our Team
If you’re looking for a little help in determining your transferable skills, and a new job to use them, call Davis Staffing. Our recruiters can help you determine your strengths and can then place your resume with some of the great companies we work with who are looking for someone just like you! Call Davis Staffing today, and let’s get started.
