Every year millions of people switch their jobs. And almost everyone has to go through the interview stage to get the job. In the interview, there is a common question asked by the employer or interviewer what are your skills? Even many people at some point think before going to either switch jobs or before going to give an interview- do I have the skills for this particular job? Some people are even reluctant to apply for the job by thinking that they do not have particular skills for this job.
On reading this para, you might get surprised that there are many people who get or switch jobs by showcasing transferable skills in their resume. In the competitive job market, it is essential to know about your transferable skills. Transferable skills help you a lot in your changing career and also keep you stand out from the crowd. Skill is of two types: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills involve specific technical knowledge and training, whereas soft skills involve personality traits.
Let’s know everything about transferable skills.
What are transferable skills?
The word transferable in ‘transferable skills’ clearly suggests that something can be moved or transferred from one place to another. So for transferable skills, skills that a person have can be used regardless of what position or industry you are in. A person can use his/her abilities, knowledge, and training can be applied to different aspects to get a job or build a career. Moreover, it helps job seekers to know more about their strengths and weakness.
Transferable skills come from your past role, experience, responsibilities, involvement, interest, activities, and many more. They are always important for any stage of your career. It tremendously helps you grow within your current job role or work. You can relate your skills with the current post and market yourself as ‘yes, I can do it.’ Thus help you to achieve your dream job.
Why is it essential to mention transferable skills in your resume?
Transferable skills help to boost your resume. By mentioning your transferable skills on your resume, you can increase your value. It is essential for both job seekers and companies. Your skills help to make the recruiter feel that you are the right candidate for the role.
Mention or highlight your transferable skills in your LinkedIn/Job profile, resume, cover letter, website, interview, and any other networking opportunities as much as possible. Never be afraid or hesitate to showcase your acquired skills, experience, and journey throughout your career.
Design your resume by mentioning your transferable skills in bullet points, along with a little description of your past work in the job position. This helps the recruiter to clearly understand your work.
How to identify them?
There are no people who don’t have transferable skills. It automatically develops into a human being in various ways. But there are many persons who do not have to identify their transferable skills. Even if they have recognized it, they might have recognized very few skills because transferable skills are usually developed over time. You just need to think broadly about these below-mentioned points to identify your skills.
Knowledge– Give stress on what you really know
Attitude– Think about how you approach things in your life and job career.
Character– Calmly think about your personality
Experience– Think or jot down in points what you have done
Strengths– Realise all those things you are naturally good at
Identify yourself based on these points. This is a great way to realize yourself.
Examples of transferable skills
Communication skills
Communication is a smart skill that every employee should develop. It is essential to exchange information with others. This skill helps you to interact with people or present content on behalf of your team or company.
Leadership skills
Leadership skills are essential to become a good leader. A person with such skills can lead a team properly to achieve a common goal. It also makes a person more responsible towards their work.
Any person who feels that they don’t have leadership skills and want to grow the skill they can. To inculcate such skill, they can admire their superiors, read books, articles, and other resources, and must do regular practice.
Problem-solving
Problems are always unpredictable, so you have to encounter them at any time. Every job has its own set of issues or problems, and your capability to solve them will help you realize whether you succeed or fail in it.
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to assess and analyze the information to give the right judgement. People with critical thinking skills can think more deeply about an issue than others.
Management
Management is the ability to manage things effectively. They can properly handle people and work simultaneously. A manager with good management skills can supervise, direct and discuss with the team to make the project successful.
Creative thinking
Creative thinking is the skill to think out of the box. They are able to create things as well as find effective solutions or ways to do things better. In every workplace, creative innovation is highly valued.
Planning
If you have good planning ability, you must mention it in your resume. Proper planning is highly required to make progress in the work.
Decision making
No matter the job, decision-making skills are always essential. Even to choose the right path or right thing for your career and life, you need this skill. With the correct decision, one can grow in life and career.
Adaptability
Whenever you are switching to any new join, you always get a new environment and new employees. Many people take a long time to adapt to the new environment, which is not good in the workplace because it hampers the work. So as an employee, one should quickly adapt to the changing environment to encourage mutual learning. In addition, it helps to maintain a positive mindset for the work.
Bottom Line
Apart from the above-mentioned skills, an individual can have any other transferable skills. So whatever the essential or beneficial skills he/she has, must mention it in the resume. You should always showcase your skills. It will really help you a lot.
