Transferable skills: How to use the skills learned from your previous job to land your next one.

Before we get stuck into how to use skills learned in previous jobs to land a new one, let’s define what exactly transferable skills are. Transferable skills are skills and abilities that are relevant and helpful across different areas of life: socially, professionally, and at school. They are ‘portable skills. These skills include adaptability, communication, organisation and teamwork. Transferable skills are essential tools to help present your experience and help demonstrate to your new employer why you are perfect for the job. For example, strong communication skills are often what employers seek in candidates. So, if you’ve developed the ability to easily share information with colleagues, you can apply them in any workplace. 

Whether you have stayed in the same career field or moved around, you’ve likely developed and added to your professional skill set. A career counsellor can help you define these skills, and you can find out more here. Some of the skills you will develop will be job-specific, for example learning how to use certain technology programs, but others will be transferable, such as strong leadership or critical thinking skills. 

Although everyone has transferable skills, employers seek out certain transferable skills more than others. A career coach can help dive deep into your employment experience and can help you reveal the “must-have” transferable skills. Contact Amelia here to find out more. 

Let’s dive a little deeper and talk about some common skills that employees look for. 

Communication

Employers value strong communicators for their ability to work with others and move projects forward in the workplace. Communication skills include:

• Speaking effectively

• Writing concisely

• Listening attentively

• Expressing ideas

• Facilitating group discussion

• Providing appropriate feedback, either independently or when asked

• Negotiating

• Interviewing

• Editing

Dependability

Dependability encompasses qualities that make you a trusted employee. It includes punctuality, organisation and responsibility. Employers look for candidates who can be trusted to complete tasks well and in a timely manner. 

Teamwork

Teamwork skills are highly valued at a workplace as in most cases at one point in your career you will be required to work with a team to achieve a goal. Effective teamwork requires several other qualities such as empathy, active listening and strong communication. Your career coach can work with you to ensure you are prepared with sound examples for your interview. Find out more here. 

• Managing groups

• Delegating responsibility to others

• Developing rapport with coworkers and customers

• Being sensitive to others

• Listening

• Conveying feelings appropriately

• Providing support for others

• Motivating others

• Sharing credit with colleagues

Organisation

Having strong organisation skills will demonstrate to your employer that you will meet deadlines, communicate with others in a timely manner and follow instructions well. Employers look for employees that they can trust to take notes, remember important tasks and meetings and ensure projects are completed efficiently.

• Coordinating and planning tasks

• Following through on tasks

• Multitasking

• Demonstrating effective time management

Adaptability

Adaptability skills are used to continue working towards goals even as teams, projects, the management or products change. Employers look for employees who can be flexible, can quickly learn new skills and processes to ensure work is done efficiently, effectively and with a positive attitude.

Leadership

You can transfer leadership skills to many different industries because most employers value people who can organise and inspire teams to reach shared goals.

• Initiating new ideas

• Handling details

• Teaching

• Counselling

• Coaching

• Promoting change

• Selling ideas or products

• Decision making with others

• Managing conflict

How to highlight your transferable skills

Defining your skills is one thing but to portray them to your future employers is another. After identifying the transferable skills you need to be successful in your next job, think through how you’ve demonstrated those skills both at work and in your personal life, and prepare to relate them accordingly throughout the hiring process. Ways to demonstrate your skills include:

Featuring transferable skills on a resume

On your resume, there are several options when deciding where to include key transferable skills. You can list these on your resume in the following sections:

• Resume summary or objective

• Employment history descriptions

• Skills list

In all areas of your resume, ensure that you expand on how you’ve used your transferable skills by describing your past jobs and other experiences.

Transferable skills on a cover letter

When writing your cover letter, only focus on one or two of the transferable skills that the employer has included in the job description. Similar to your resume, ensure you include examples of how you have used the transferable skill in past roles.

Transferable skills while interviewing

During your interview, use examples of when you’ve used relevant transferable skills to answer your interviewer’s questions, if applicable. Remember to “show” instead of “tell” when you can, providing specific stories of when you used your skills successfully.

Articulating your transferable skills during your job search will let employers know that you’re adaptable and enthusiastic — two qualities that can even outweigh experience in some cases. 

Transferable skills are desirable because your employer doesn’t have to worry about training you on them if you already have them. You can hit the ground running in any career field and start making positive contributions right away.

If you’d like more information and exercises to help you in your job search and understand what your transferable skills are then contact Amelia here, a qualified career coach.

Amelia McDermott is a Career Coach and Coaching Psychologist, based on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. With nearly 20 years of training and experience working as a psychologist, Amelia has a strong understanding of how to uncover what makes people tick, and how to help people find an authentic career that aligns with their unique talents and values. If you’re looking for Career Advice or Career Counselling, look no further than Uplift Coaching and enjoy a consultation with Amelia to see if a Career Coach is right for you. Book a consultation here.