Transferable Skills- What Are They and Do You Have Them?

Transferable Skills- What You Take With You

These are the skills you acquired during your education, internships, or past experiences that you will be able to use in your future work positions. Common examples include communication skills, problem-solving, and self-control.

 

Skills You May Already Have

When changing jobs, it can be hard to see what skills you might already have because you’re still focused on what you did at the last position. That doesn’t have to be your forever job, though. People understand that there are transition jobs, worked by people going to school for a degree, raising kids, or taking care of elderly parents. Life doesn’t hold still while you go to work, but neither does your skillset. You acquire new skills at each new position. The hardest part is figuring them out.

 

Figure Out Your Skills

The easiest way to figure out your skills is to categorize them based on what you’ve already done. Examine your past experience and see what positions could those.

For example:

  • Working with the public? That’s customer service skills or public relations.
  • Did any paperwork? Written communication!
  • Managed anyone besides yourself or had a hands-on manager? Verbal communication, of course.
  • Ever have to solve a problem that didn’t have an immediate solution? That’s problem-solving skills.
  • Have you had to make a staff schedule, design a layout, or plan ahead for a team project? That’s organizational skills.

 

Can’t Hiring Managers See Transferable Skills?

When a job ad goes out, the hiring manager doesn’t get one resume, they get hundreds. That doesn’t mean that any of those people are qualified, but people are optimistic about sending their resumes out. The true confession is that most hiring managers, usually crunched for time, only spend about six to ten seconds skimming each resume. They don’t have time to study each one and see your transferable skills, so you have to make it easy for them. Tailor your resume to show off what you can do and stand out from the crowd!

 

Why Include Transferable Skills On Resume?

These skills not only will help you market yourself to potential hiring managers, but also make anyone else see at a glance the possibilities that you bring to the table. Think of it as not just applying for the position currently open, but also the future promotion you’re going to earn.

 

Where to Include Transferable Skills on Resume?

Include all your possible transferable skills at the top, usually with a bullet point list. Be sure you can back them up in an interview with stories or examples about how you used or developed each one.

 

Types of Resumes and When to Use Them (With Examples)

How To Get Your Resume Past The ATS

How to Handle a Gap in Your Resume

Need help getting your resume together while you change positions or switch careers? Send it on to us here at NESC and we’ll take a look! Apply here: Search Jobs

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