SEC 4 - Defining Transferable Skills

Transferable Skills

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR APPLICATION 

Define Your Transferable Skills For Your Job Search

Skills are learned!

• The ability to do a task or activity (drive a car)
• Transferable skills can be taken from one job to another (organized, customer service, most computer skills)
• Identifying transferable skills is critical in a job search – they add dimension to a resume and cover letter, and provide needed details in an interview
• Transferable skills can be deemed from work experiences, as well as volunteer experiences

Listening to our first podcast on transferable skills may be helpful, and then continuing with this podcast for more details.




Why is it important to know/understand transferable skills?

• Strengthen your marketability for a position by clearly communicating your transferable skills
• Employers want to know you have the skills to do their job
• Leverage your application and show you are the most qualified candidate  

Identify Your Transferable Skills

A few simple steps to identify transferable skills. Following the steps can make your job search more successful. You will need your resume (or list of your previous jobs/responsibilities) and a description of the job you are applying for

Step #1:

• Read through the position description of a job you are interested in and/or plan to apply for
• Identify all of the skills you feel the employer requires in the job, (e.g. “customer service”, “leadership”, “accounting”, “computer experience”, “effective communications”, or “Team Player”

Step #2:

• We are going to demonstrate the next step using “Team Player” as the skill 
• Think about what “team player” means.  Be sure you have a clear picture of “team player” or “team oriented” could mean
• Utilize the position description for possible clues on how the employer sees “teams” as an important part of their organization

Step #3:

• Define examples of when you have been a member of a team, led a team, worked with a team
• Utilize not only paid work experiences, but also volunteer positions (e.g. at a nonprofit agency, at church, your child’s school, or sports teams)

Step #4:

• Determine what your role was on each team.  Were you the “leader”?  What were your responsibilities to the team and the organization?
• List what other skills you may have used in your work on the team (e.g. collaboration, documentation, presenting information/materials, follow-through, dependability)
• Identify what you accomplished as a member of the team.  Also identify what the team itself accomplished; did the team reach its goal or the charge given by the employer?
• Create statements/examples that highlight your skills/work as a team player and the accomplishments = “Accomplishment Statements”

Step #5:

• This step is to implement this exercise. Let’s demonstrate how transferable skills can be utilized in a “role play” interview…..

Interviewer Question #1:  
We work in teams in this organization.  Can you give me an example of when you were a member of a team?

Interviewer Question #2:
What was the outcome of that project/team?  And what did you learn from working in that team?

Knowing transferable skills (and utilizing the accomplishment statements) is critical in making a great resume, cover letter and for effective interviewing. Utilize this process/the steps on each transferable skill so that you can showcase all of your experiences and the value you bring to an employer.

Available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast player.

A podcast of the Circle270Media Network - www.circle270media.com