10 Surprising Facts about Transferable Skills

Do you know your transferable skills?  Every wondered what they are?  We all have them yet often we undervalue the skills we have.  One definition described them as a core set of skills and abilities, which can be applied to a range of different jobs and industries.  Transferable skills are use every day!

Listed below are some surprising facts about our transferable skills:

1. Generally they are picked up over time, and gained from previous positions, volunteering, study, hobbies and through our life experiences.
2. Are classified as skills that you can do without assistance and with 100% confidence. Plus colleagues and friends will say that you are professionally good at.
3. They are incredibly valuable to employers. Not only do they show that you can be a good fit for the team, they  also demonstrate what you can bring to a role, and how much you have learnt from career and life experiences.
4. If you are looking to change industries or careers, transferable skills can be a great way to highlight why you are right for the role and what you offer.
5. Employers will often explicitly state their criteria in a job advertisement, so check for any type of skills listed and match them to yourself and your resumé.  The keywords contain transferable skills.
6. Emphasise your transferable skills in application documents, on LinkedIn and during the interview.
7. These skills can go a long way to persuading a potential employer that you are the perfect fit for their company, even if you do not necessarily have the experience.
8. The more transferable skills you have, the more diversity you can offer to a potential employer.
9. As you progress in your career, the skills that you currently have will improve and you will also gain new ones.
10. The nature of these means they can be taken with you when you move between jobs.

Some common transferable skills include the following:

• Communicating, Listening, Reading, Writing, Supervising, Achieving, Organising, Team Work, Analysing
• Teaching, Developing, Estimating, Typing, Overseeing, Investigating, Coordinating, Speaking, Deciding
• Creating, Implementing, Trouble-Shooting, Having Responsibility, Reporting, Proof-Reading, Empathising, Interpreting, Summarising, Producing.

If you want to find out more about this topic, contact me for information and assistance.  Through coaching you can uncover your skills, strengths and career accomplishments that will put you in the driver’s seat for your next career phase.