Transferable skills are talents and abilities that can be utilized in various jobs and career paths. They can be acquired through work, school, vocational training, hobbies, and volunteer experiences.
What are Transferable Skills?
Jobs require a set of skills. Some are hard skills, which are easily learnable and measurable, such as proficiency in another language. Others are soft skills, which are harder to measure, such as time management. Transferable skills can be either hard or soft. What distinguishes transferable skills is that they can be used in multiple professional fields. For instance, time management and language proficiency are valuable in various areas.
How do Transferable Skills Work?
Review your work history, school activities, and volunteer experiences. What skills have you consistently used? Most jobs require communication skills, for example. You may have developed skills in using Microsoft Office programs or a knack for team management.
Looking at job advertisements that interest you can also help you think about transferable skills. What are potential employers looking for? Suppose an employer is seeking someone who can handle multiple tasks. You may have done this in school by balancing studies with extracurricular activities, or in a previous job.
It is particularly important to highlight your transferable skills if you are changing fields. In your resume, list them in the description of your previous experiences, making sure to match the potential employer’s language in job postings. You may want to use a functional resume format, where transferable skills are placed at the forefront.
Be sure to discuss your transferable skills in job interviews. Think of specific examples you can cite to potential employers.
Examples of Transferable Skills
Having examples of transferable skills can help you complete your resume and think of specific examples for interviews. Here are several categories of transferable skills:
General Skills
General skills are the basic work skills required for most positions. These skills include:
- Listening skills
- Understanding and executing written instructions
- Monitoring and evaluating your performance and that of others
- Written communication skills
- Basic math skills
- Public speaking ability
- Punctuality
Interpersonal Skills
Most positions involve working with others. You may be working with colleagues, managing other employees, or interacting with the public. Transferable interpersonal skills include:
- Giving and receiving constructive criticism
- Motivating others
- Handling customer complaints
- Training new staff
- Delegating tasks
- Mentoring employees
- Building strong relationships with clients
- Collaborating with others
- Guiding less experienced coworkers
- Resolving conflicts between coworkers and/or customers
- Developing positive relationships with vendors
- Gaining the trust of clients or customers
Management Skills
Management also encompasses a set of skills. Running a store, department, or branch requires a variety of skills, including:
- Developing and monitoring budgets
- Attracting staff
- Reviewing resumes
- Interviewing job candidates
- Hiring new employees
- Supervising staff
- Scheduling employees
- Leading productive meetings
- Negotiating contracts
- Evaluating staff
- Identifying and presenting issues to upper management
Administrative Business Skills
Most fields require administrative and managerial skills. Transferable skills in this area include:
- Designing and maintaining correspondence and reports
- Managing records
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs
- Data entry
- Tracking accounts receivable and payable, billing, and other accounting tasks
- Screening and transferring phone calls
- Greeting visitors
- Using office equipment like printers, copiers, and fax machines
Research and Planning Skills
Employers desire employees who can take initiative. Your research and planning skills can demonstrate your enthusiasm. These skills include:
- Predicting problems and preventing them from occurring or recurring
- Using critical thinking skills to make decisions or evaluate potential solutions to problems
- Solving
- Problems
- Identifying the needs of the organization or department
- Setting objectives
- Prioritizing tasks
- Finding and communicating with suppliers or contractors
- Analyzing information and predicting outcomes
- Managing your time and meeting deadlines
- Planning and executing events and activities
- Creating and implementing new policies and procedures
- Coordinating and developing programs
- Documenting procedures and outcomes
- Conducting research using internet and library sources
Computer and Technical Skills
It is hard to underestimate the importance of computer and technical skills in today’s job market. Being able to master one program means you are capable of mastering others. Transferable skills in computer and technology include:
- Using job-related software
- Using job-related equipment and machinery
- Installing software on a computer
- Troubleshooting hardware and software issues
- Installing equipment
- Maintaining equipment
- Inspecting equipment to identify problems
- Designing and maintaining websites
Key takeaways: Transferable skills can be used in many jobs and career paths. Transferable skills can be hard skills, which are easy to measure, and soft skills, which are harder to measure, such as time management. You may have transferable skills from previous jobs, school, or volunteer work. Transferable skills fall into several categories, including personal skills, business administration skills, research and planning skills, and computer and technical skills. It can be beneficial to highlight your transferable skills when changing fields.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/transferable-skills-list-525490
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