Transferable Skills Guide

If you’re considering a change of career after a long stint at a company you may be worried about putting together a new CV and getting back out on the job market. The first question you’ll ask yourself is “what do I have to offer?”

It can be hard question to answer to begin with but soon you’ll realise all of those skills you thought were specific to your job are not entirely so. Many of the skills we learn while working are easily transferred to other occupations, these are what are known as “transferrable skills.”
There are, broadly speaking, three types of transferrable skills – People skills, Technical skills, and Data skills.

People Skills

Transferrable skills known as “people skills,” or “soft skills,” are very useful to any job-seeker. They are the kind of skills which make it possible to gain a job in an interview in the first place! These are communication skills, motivation skills and leadership skills. These skills are useful in management and human resource positions.

Technical Skills

These are skills which tend to deal with a single computer programme which is widely used such as Microsoft Office Excel or CAD for example. It can also mean practical skills like construction or repairing skills which can be applied outside of their industry.

Data Skills

Data Skills are those skills which are used for analysis and organisation. Being organised and able to research well and effectively can be very appealing to potential employers. These skills sit well with people and communication skills, because, although it is good to be a fast and effective researcher, none of the information you collect will be worth anything unless you communicate it clearly and concisely.

Identifying Transferrable Skills

Now you know what kinds of skills are transferrable you need to identify them and form a CV. For this you will need some self evaluation: think of the skills which do not only apply to your industry but also other industries, also considering those things you do day-to-day which come as second nature – these may be unknown skills which you weren’t aware you had.

It is important however to make all statements about your skills provable – give examples of how your skills function in the workplace and any successes you can put down to a particular skill.

Make sure you offer all of this information in an upfront manner in an obvious place on the CV. Communicating your skills clearly will allow potential employers to get to grips with what you can offer immediately without having to “dig,” for information.