Identifying your transferable skills
no CAREER journey is complete without learning WHAT SKILLS YOU NEED, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ONES YOU ALREADY HAVE?
LET’S DIVE IN…
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it.
The beauty of your transferable skills are that they are going to continue to evolve.
Organisation skills
It’s not just about being ‘organised’
People Skills
The energy you bring
Leadership
Looking outward first
Communication skills
Not just about being ‘chatty’
First of all, what are transferable skills?
Hold off on that google search because we have a slightly different take on this.
There are two ways to describe this;
Transferable skills are the ability to take one area’s skill set to another - Yeah we know, kinda obvious but worth noting.
But they can also be…
The ability to identify and interpret different areas of expertise that you, yourself, might not have been aware of and how they can be applied.
How often have you spoken to friends and colleagues that choose not to apply for a role because they don’t fit the exact terminology of the selection criteria? The answer is, too many times.
It doesn’t take a lot for an objective view to see where and how those skills can be applied. The real art is how to identify them.
It all begins with you.
Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are almost 8 billion people out there, but your story is what’s going to separate you from the rest.
If you read through a list of criteria on your dream job and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
The four areas of transferable skills
We’re focusing on four areas to categorise your transferable skills, these are the four quadrants that traverse all industries and we’ll be using these as tools to breakdown and interpret your skills. They determine and interplay with your work ethic, your values, the way you engage with others and your ability to also be autonomous.
Planning skills
Can you plan projects and events, or change manage? These skills transcend all organisations.
Sales and marketing skills
Being able to market and sell a product or service is invaluable across all sectors and industries. If you’re someone with a proven ability to influence behaviour, you should be calling it out during your search for a role.
Time management
Managing your own time to get the job done is a timeless skill valued particularly within fast-paced organisations.
Research & analytics
If you can research, analyse, report on your findings and make recommendations, you’ll go a long way to becoming invaluable in your current role and hot property on the job market.
So everyone has people skills right?
Well not always, some people just don’t have them and that’s okay.
Also, some people say they have people skills, but don’t understand that people skills aren’t just an ability to be chatty and friendly with others.
Interpersonal skills aren’t just about being bubbly and approachable - they are also the ability to communicate or interact with other people in a genuine and meaningful manner.
On your resume, you may put words like ‘people-person’, instead of doing this, you can use words like ‘compassionate’, ‘cooperative’, ‘empathetic’ and ‘flexible’ as these are far more important and cover more areas than just conversational skills.
Have you ever worked in retail or hospitality? How much of your people skills do you owe to working with customers? How much of your conflict resolution do you think you have learnt from working with difficult customers and handling complaints?
Prioritisation and delegation
Can you step back from the coalface and prioritise what needs to be done first? Can you say “no”?
Can you determine when a job simply isn’t necessary and wastes time? These are all key elements of leadership. Leadership is also the ability to look outwards, see others needs and potential rather than seeking to gain your own praise.
One of the greatest mistakes made is seeing leadership as the loudest voice in the room. You’ve probably known a lot of good leaders but also a lot of bad leaders and they often followed the same common thread; they put themselves above others - they don’t nourish the growth of others and don’t recognise potential.
The framework of a good leader is their ability to think critically and problem solve because naturally organisations have problems - but someone who can step above those problems, analyse and solve them is invaluable to any organisation.
Do you see yourself as a solutionist? Can you take on a large idea and break it down into manageable bite sized problems?
The three communication channels
Listening
Probably the most useful skill in every type of role and organisation. Listening is not just hearing what someone is saying to you but stopping and taking in or thinking about what the person has said to you before responding.
Listening skills can include reflecting your answers with your body language and asking questions so the other party feels heard.
Writing
Most industries require people who can write reports, blogs, sales materials, articles, proposals and much, much more.
Writing shouldn’t be confused with the creative writing class you had at school – business writing is much more to the point.
Programs like Grammarly are great but proof reading is a very important and highly regarded skill.
Face-to-face communication skills
Can you facilitate meetings, interview, persuade, negotiate, speak in public and/or express ideas?
And can you counsel, coach or mentor?
If so, and you feel confident, plenty of workplaces need you and your skills.
In summary
These are just the tip of the ice-berg in transferable skills, and there are many more, however we’ve given you the most common areas to categorise. Now that you understand some of the subtle nuances of skills sets you can start seeing and building patterns of your own.
Embrace change and challenges, put yourself outside of your comfort zone - if you do this growth is inevitable.
Every opportunity is a new chapter and if you have the open-minded perspective of transferable skills the possibilities can be endless.
Reflect on your next steps
Update CV, flag your changes to your mentors, coaches, work-wife and referees.
If you can reach out and get some LinkedIn endorsements, frame the request well, maybe throw in some suggestions for them - even if it’s dot points - terminology can sometimes be key.
Take a detailed look at which areas you are lacking and how you can gain skills in these areas and subjects.
Practice how you speak about your transferable skills! If you don’t understand them your audience won’t believe you. Be committed!
Set up your own plan!
Final tip: do this exercise regularly as you progress through life and learn more skills.
Share some transferable skills you have found with those around you, there might be a few they haven’t thought of either!
