Transferable skills are crucial to be included in your professional documents if you consider changing your career and industry. If you are currently considering changing careers, this guide will help you identify how to leverage your transferable skills to get an opportunity in a new industry.
Credited photo from Adelina Stefan
Reboot What is in Your Head
You may think that you do not have the right skills that are required for that job.
What do you need is confidence to apply for jobs, empowerment to acquire new skills, and focus on considering new opportunities for networking and job opportunities.
Know what your strengths and transferable skills are and then, position yourself for every application. Remember the instances in which you were thinking that you were happy in your role. Now you are able to identify a role that is right for you!
A Review of Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are employability skills that can be applied in any setting. Some skills that are easily transferable across industries include soft skills and technological skills. Technological skills or operating systems include software, engineering, coordinating equipment, managing facilities, etc.
Despite the fact that soft skills are easily transferable, they are more difficult to demonstrate to potential hiring managers. These may refer to communications such as: interviewing, negotiating, speaking effectively, listening, rapport, training, managing people and conflict, inspiring, motivating, networking, editing, delegating responsibility, providing support, customer service, etc, or to organizational skills such as problem-solving, solutions-oriented, attention to detail, coaching, quality, setting goals, managing change or crisis, time management, ability to think and act independently, meeting deadline, etc.
How Transferable Skills Impact Your Job Search
In order to facilitate any transition to a new role, your CV should contain transferable skills and measurable key accomplishments. If your skills and knowledge are valuable to only one employer or company, then you need to redefine your skills. Additionally, ensure that you are positioned in a role that will allow you to improve and develop the transferable skills that you use strategically to unlock new opportunities.
Ask yourself questions such as: “What do I know about that company?”, and “ Have I built up connections on LinkedIn with people in that company?”, “Have I tailored my CV and cover letter to show my transferable skills in the areas that match the job description requirements?”.
Being specific and strategic will give you the opportunity to stand out from other candidates applying for that job. Becoming aware of your strengths and the environment in which you operate will enable you to master your strengths and personalize the circumstances.
How to Highlight Your Transferable Skills in Your CV:
Define your transferable skills that may be applied to another job. Understand how each allows you to do your job better.
Read the job description and identify which of your transferable skills apply.
Tailor your CV and Cover letter for each position you seek. Do not blindly apply for 20 applications per day on Indeed or Career Portals, but rather focus on each application and strategically tailor your professional documents for it.
Write a qualifications summary that shows which transferable skills apply to the position you are seeking. Include how you use your transferable skills to accomplish the company’s goals. Do not put anything on your resume that you cannot back up.
In each of your past experiences, list key transferable skills that apply to the new role; stress the quantifiable key accomplishments for each transferable skill.
Practice how you describe your strengths and transferable skills in interviews or at networking events.
Be confident that the skills defined above will position you as an asset to any organization.
Network with professionals that are in similar roles in the prospective company using LinkedIn searching for companies and groups.
Celebrate your success and small achievements!
Leverage your transferable skills extensively when considering a career change. This will increase your success rate in finding a new opportunity. As Steve Maraboli said, “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”
About the author: Adelina Stefan is an REA licensed Career Coach and Intercultural Facilitator specializing in the areas of International Human Resource Management and Intercultural Communication. She helps expat professionals achieve clarity in their career goals. She has vast expertise in recruitment, selection and training, and development. Her core areas of work are: CV tuning, LinkedIn optimization and networking, executive search, interview (simulation) coaching, and intercultural training for expats’ adaptation into the host culture. Also featured here.
Learn more about how a career coach can help you reach your goals of a career reboot by booking a free consultation here.